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In pics | The steamy Ben Whishaw gay sex scene in London Spy that’s attracted complaints

By Will Stroude

3 million viewers tuned BBC One on Monday night (November 9) for the channel’s thrilling new drama London Spy – but it’s emerged there were a tiny handful of viewers who weren’t quite so thrilled by the show’s steamy gay content.

Written by Tom Rob Smith, the show sees Spectre’s Ben Whishaw stick close to the secret service as a man working a dead-end job who embarks on a romance with an MI6 code genius (Edward Holcroft). Co-starring British acting legends including Jim Broadbent, the premise is thought to be loosely based on the mysterious death of MI6 employee Gareth Williams, who was found dead at his London home in 2010 locked inside a sports bag.

ben whishaw

Despite overwhelming critical acclaim, Ofcom plans to investigate the BBC after the show’s opening episode attracted a grand total of 13 complaints over a “gratuitous” and “explicit” sex scene between Whishaw and Holcroft – even though the scene in question came 25 minutes after the 9pm watershed, The Daily Mail reports.

As part of our own ongoing investigation into we’ve gathered together some highlights – sorry, UPSETTINGLY GRAPHIC FOOTAGE – from the scene in question. See what you make of it…

spy3 spy4 spy 6 spy5 spy 7 spy 8 spy 9 spy10 spy11 spy12 spy13

London Spy continues next Monday at 9pm on BBC One.

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