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Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual assault that some readers may find upsetting.

star Sam Heughan has defended the show\'s depiction of rape and violence as necessary to the time period in which the show takes place.

The Starz and Amazon Prime Video series aired a deeply disturbing scene early in its run when Heughan\'s character Jamie Fraser was tortured and sexually assaulted by Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies), sparking intense debate about whether the show went too far.

Digital Spy recently revisited this topic with Sam Heughan on set of the show\'s fourth season, and he stood by the show\'s writing team — arguing that it was important not to shy away from such sensitive topics in drama.

"[Jamie] has been a victim and I think our show has a lot of violence and rape because it is used as a weapon in that time and we haven\'t turned away from it," he argued. "It is sad that it has happened to him and it is remarkable that our show has dealt with these issues and we haven\'t turned a blind eye to it, and there is so much more that happens this season as well.

"It is very tough and we have to be very careful with it and that\'s why we discuss it with the writers and director beforehand and rehearse those scenes but it is that time period and it was very prevalent.

Heughan also spoke on the much lighter topic of

\'s continued fan support, even when it took much longer than planned to deliver the third and fourth seasons. Fans referred to this period as the droughtlander.

"I\'m always amazed the fans still support us when we have these long \'droughtlanders\'," he said. "We\'re sorry it takes so long but it is such a big show and we have these sets to build and break down and rebuild somewhere else but it has been great.

"The fans are so invested in the show and have great interaction with us on social media. Even when we\'re shooting, we try to keep it a secret where we are on location but they always seem to find us and it has really grown this year especially, a lot more people are appearing on set and they enjoy what we are doing.

because we are such a machine now, and have been here four years and we have to keep coming up with the goods and there is no space for error, so it is really well-run."

season 4 is on Amazon Prime Video from November 5.

Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. If you\'ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland\'s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.

Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit \'Like\' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and \'Follow\' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.

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