Pornhub, an adult content website, was issued a take-down notice after a copyright complaint was filed by the makers of 'Normal People', after a 22-minute clip compiled of steamy sex scenes from the show was uploaded on the website.
The clip, though removed from Pornhub, is still in circulation on various other adult content websites. Normal People, the hit television series, is being streamed on Hulu and BBC Three.
Pirated Clip Available on Other Adult Websites
Parts of the series, which gained notoriety for its steamy hot sex scenes, featuring intimate scenes between the show's leads, were compiled into a 22-minute long clip and posted on Pornhub. Called 'Horny Cut', the clip, includes intimate moments between Marianne and Connell including the glances exchanged, make-out sessions, and bedroom scenes. The clip was viewed more than 175,000 times on Pornhub before it was removed.
According to The Sun, more than 23 million people have watched the drama on BBC iPlayer. "They were hoping for lots of viewers, but I'm not sure the BBC can count Pornhub traffic in its figures," a source told the publication.
Speaking to Variety, Ed Guiney, the program's executive producer said that they were hugely disappointed to see the footage end up on a porn website. "It was both a violation of copyright and more importantly, it's deeply disrespectful to the actors involved and to the wider creative team," he added.
It is not for the first time that steamy scenes from a TV series end up on adult websites. After sex scenes from Game of Thrones were splashed on the adult websites, HBO release copyright notices to Pornhub in 2016.
Vice President of Pornhub Corey Price, confirmed to Variety that the clipping was removed from the website, said that the site was 'fully compliant with the law.' "We respect all copyright requests and as soon as we become aware of the existence of these types of videos on our site, we have them removed," he added.
'Normal People' Gathers Storm for its Steamy Scenes
An adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, authored by Irish write Sally Rooney, Normal People, a 12-part drama series, revolves around the life of high school sweethearts Marianne and Connell, whose secret high school romance defines their adult lives.
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in the lead roles, the series has brought the highest ever weekly ratings for BBC Three in the United Kingdom. Hulu is streaming the series in the United States. According to The Guardian, the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ has received 50 complaints about the sex scenes in the series.
Defending the steamy scenes, Lenny Abrahamson, series' co-director told the broadcaster, that the scene very sensitively, carried positive aspects. Last month during an interview with the publication, the show's intimacy co-ordinator, Ita O'Brien, described the "delicacy, the beauty, the openness of this incredible, something-other relationship. It was crucial for me to honor Sally's writing. There is nothing gratuitous." The show was dropped on Hulu on April 29.
