A star of the show Industry, which has been branded ‘Skins for adults’, has lashed out at the BBC after the national broadcaster was accused of having 'edited out' an erect penis from the show.
Marisa Abela, one of the stars of the show, spoke out after the BBC made the decision to censor the series.
Whilst it is unsurprising that the BBC have made this decision when given the context of ‘erect penis on terrestrial TV’, it is a slight surprise in the context of the show.
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When people hear ‘Skins for adults’ the natural question to ask is how that is possible when Skins was technically for adults.
Despite this, the comparison is valid, as Industry often takes things so, so much further.
Skins glorifies drugs and sex, which is not a criticism, but a reality of the age and maturity of the characters portrayed.
Industry, meanwhile, focuses on a group of young recent university graduates being thrown into the extravagant world of corporate banking, and how it affects them all.
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What this means in real terms though is rampant drug use, sex in near every episode, and debauchery to crazy levels, with one character even forced to ejaculate on a mirror then eat it in the very first season.
Add to that the copious amounts of nudity throughout, and a penis stood to attention doesn’t feel like a massive leap from everything else the show said.
Abela, who went on to star in Back to Black off the back of her breakout role on the show, said in an interview with The Times: “What are they going to do, put something else over the top of it?
“Are they going to blur it out? It is quite shocking, to be fair. But that’s not the point.”
The scene in question shows her character catching her father having sex with a pregnant woman on a yacht.
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She went on to say that the inclusion was not gratuitous due to how it demonstrates the ‘dysfunctional’ relationship the pair have.
The BBC's version does not blur it, but instead used a different shot from the production.
Whilst the scene featured an erect penis in the version broadcast on HBO, the BBC's version was never intended to have this.
That was due to differing broadcast standards in the UK.
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Regarding the nudity in the show involving her character Yasmin, Abela said: “The nudity aspect is not something that I minded in season one or two – it was like: ‘If it’s in my contract, I’ll do it.’
“It was part of Yasmin and part of the fact that she was so comfortable with herself and she’s very free. And it didn’t have a lot of emotional weight for me.
“It’s not like anyone would have made me do something that I didn’t want to do, but I didn’t necessarily want to question the directors.”
She went on to say: “I think now I’m more aware of the implications of doing it over and over again.
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“I’m more aware that I have the ability to say, ‘Do you mind staying on my back rather than coming round the front?’ You get the idea from my back that I’m not wearing anything.”
Industry seasons 1-3 are available on BBC iPlayer now.
The BBC did not wish to comment when contacted.
Topics: BBC, TV, TV and Film
Michael Slavin