A gory scene featuring the severed head of George W Bush has been blurred by Game Of Thrones editors so it can no longer be identified as that of the former US leader.
Pranksters caused controversy on the HBO drama when they put a mock up of Bush's head on a spike in episode 10 of the show's first season.
The editors felt sure the split-second image would remain an in-joke but revealed it in a DVD commentary, saying it was not a political statement but budget restraints.
Eagle-eyed TV viewers spotted the bloodied, decapitated head shot and hit the internet, sparking criticism on TV blogs and websites.
As a result, outraged HBO bosses pulled the episode from media downloading site iTunes and halted shipments of the first season's DVD.
