10 Banned TV Shows That Shocked The World

We're lucky enough to be living through the Golden Age of TV, where there's more quality content than ever and increasingly less motivation to head outside for some cinematic entertainment.

But as content-rich as the world of TV is today, not everything produced is deemed suitable for all types of audiences, resulting in shows being banned both abroad and, in extreme cases, even their English-speaking countries of origin (which is almost always the U.S.).

From controversial, fully produced TV series that were slapped with a ban by the network and never allowed to see the light of day, to hit western shows which ignited outrage internationally, each of these 10 programs ultimately fell foul of viewer, network or state ethics and was nixed as a result...

10. China Considered Time Travel "Disrespectful" - Doctor Who

The Chinese censors sure are a sensitive bunch, having infamously banned Winnie the Pooh from state-controlled TV and Internet due to him being mockingly likened to Chinese President Xi Jinping online.

Surely even stranger than that, though, was the nation's decision back in 2011 to clamp down on any media which featured the use of time travel, which the censors deemed "frivolous" and disrespectful of history.

This resulted in the totally harmful, damaging show that is Doctor Who being banned from official broadcast in the country, with no consideration given to its playful, campy tone or the fact it's not terribly disparaging of real-life historical figures (especially Chinese ones).

Ultimately money talks, though, and the ban was seemingly quietly lifted last year when BBC Worldwide cut a deal with Shanghai Media Group Pictures to distribute the entire Doctor Who back catalogue across TV and VOD services in China. Phew.