Penis pops up due to popular demand

25 May 2016 - 08:37 By ©The Telegraph

It finally happened. After the briefest of glimpses of male genitals amid near-weekly female nudity, a penis appeared on Game of Thrones. It was only for a second or two but it took up the whole screen - both penis and testicles. One small flash for man, one giant leap for equality. Or is it?There appears to be a golden rule when it comes to genitals on television. Women's are sexy; men's are funny.Game of Thrones has come under increasing pressure to even out the on-screen nudity across the genders. But the programme-makers decided to stick to that golden rule when they included a male full frontal scene in the latest episode, The Door.What we saw was a minor character unexpectedly thrusting his genitals towards another, comically protesting he was suffering from warts. Sexual it most certainly wasn't.It's worth saying that programme makers would struggle to get an erection past broadcasting regulators - although it's not outright banned.It's also not that it never happens. The Sky Atlantic drama Fortitude saw Aaron McCusker go full frontal in a scene that was not intended to be humorous. But such scenes are far eclipsed by the use of female nudity on TV.This is, however, a step in the direction of equality. And it suggests that showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff are listening to fans - although perhaps not hard enough...

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