The BBC is defending a decision to drop Frozen Planet's climate change episode to help the show sell better abroad, in the face of criticism from environmentalists.
It is thought the episode of the BBC's hit nature documentary would be a particular turn-off for the US market, where climate change sceptics are a particularly vocal group.
British audiences will see the episode on the threat of global warming, 'On Thin Ice', in December but in the United States this will not appear, as the episode is being sold to networks as an optional extra.
Over 30 foreign networks have bought the series, but a third of them have rejected 'On Thin Ice'.
In the US, "elements" of the episode will be incorporated into the last show of the series, according to the BBC, but viewers will not hear the presenter, Sir David Attenborough, talking at length about the melting ice.
The BBC says it is standard to offer international buyers such flexibility, responding to claims that they were allowing countries to censor the climate change issue. A spokeswoman for the BBC said it was not be feasible to force networks to buy it.
Tony Juniper, former head of Friends of the Earth told The Telegraph: "It raises questions about the BBC’s overall environmental coverage, which is patchy and inconsistent."
The Frozen Planet DVD will be sold overseas with all seven episodes, as shown here in the UK.