The clip was down for only a short while before returning with an adult content advisory note. But the move was enough to raise the hackles of Bowie fans.

A YouTube spokesman told the BBC that "with the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. When it's brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it."

The video didn't just raise eyebrows at YouTube, however. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, told the Telegraph, "Frankly, I don't get offended by such juvenilia -- Christians should have the courage to rise above offensive language, although I hope Bowie will recognise that he may be upsetting some people."