- In the original broadcast version, the narration which opens the film is accompanied by a recording of Richard Strauss's "Alpine Symphony"; due to rights issues, the music was removed from most later home video releases. It was restored for Severin's Blu-ray release, as well as the UK Blu-ray release from Simply Media.
- The 1987 releases on VHS and Betamax replaced Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode" with a cover of the song, owing to licensing difficulties. The song is also not present on Severin's Blu-ray release. It was reinstated for the UK Simply Media Blu-ray release, the first home video release of the film to contain all original music as broadcast.
- The UK Simply Media Blu-ray release contains a director-approved widescreen version which re-formats the film for modern TVs; the original 4:3 aspect ratio version, presenting the film as originally broadcast, is also included.
- The 1985 US TV broadcast on WTBS removed the original opening narration, replacing it with a narrated text scroll on a black background clarifying details of the story for American audiences.
- Television Versions:
- The version occasionally shown on BBC Documentary is quite heavily edited and is missing about 15 minutes of footage. (Spoilers Below!)
- A brief scene showing Jimmy Kemp and his girlfriend watching a military convoy pass by through a steamy car window.
- During the firestorm sequence a number of more graphic images are removed, such as fluid (blood?) bubbling up from rubble, shots of a cat suffocating, close-ups of a charred head, and a hand with burning fingers.
- A sequence when we first see how badly Mrs Kemp has been burned, as she wimpers when Mr. Kemp tries to dab her wounds with a cloth.
- Mr. Kemp going to get water for Mrs. Kemp, trying a destroyed sink first, then trying water running off some wood which he spits out.
- Ruths' walk through devistated Sheffield, where she comes across a man playing with melted action figures, many burned and disfigured corpses and a lady cradling a dead baby.
- Much of the scene at the hospital is missing, including the removal of glass from festering wounds from a child and a man having his leg amputated by saw without anesthetic.
- The soldiers collecting the tins after they catch the killers of Mr. and Mrs. Beckett, including the line "I fucking hate prawn cocktail!"
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