TV debut for A Clockwork Orange

McDowell starred as the teenage thug Alex

A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick's controversial film adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novel, has been screened on British TV for the first time in almost three decades,

The film is being shown on the pay-per-view satellite channel Sky Box Office, 29 years after Kubrick withdrew it from distribution in the UK.

It's ridiculous Stanley should have kept it close to his chest all those years

Warren Clarke

For film fans who feel they have been deprived of the movie, the digital service offers screenings every 30 minutes at a cost of £3 per showing.

The story follows teenage thug Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, whose interests are "rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven", and the authorities' efforts to modify his behaviour.

But graphic scenes of violence - it shows a gang rape to music from Rossini - were thought to have sparked copycat attacks in Britain and police at the time warned it was receiving a "demonic" level of attention.

'Fuss'

Kurbrick withdrew the movie from distribution and for more than a quarter of a century British film buffs had to make do with low-quality VHS copies of the film.

Warren Clarke: "A lot of fuss about nothing"

Last year, following Kubrick's death, distributors agreed the film could be screened again.

Actor Warren Clarke, who made one of his first screen appearances in the film, told the London edition of Metro newspaper that it had been "ridiculous" of Kubrick to prevent the film from being seen.

"I thought when Stanley died it would surface. It's a lot of fuss about nothing, quite honestly.

"It's ridiculous Stanley should have kept it close to his chest all those years when it was constantly on around the world, looked upon as a cult movie, an art movie, or whatever you want to call it and here we are in this country saying 'My God, A Clockwork Orange is back'."

Clarke said he was not aware of the importance of the film while it was being made.

He said: "It felt like we were making a very long movie. It was supposed to take 10 weeks and it took a year."