To receive an 'X' certificate the BBFC required cuts to the final print. Full-frontal shots of Judy Croll (playing Soo Catwoman) in Malcolm McLaren's bathroom were optically enhanced to remove images of her lower regions (banned under the Protection of Children Act) and a long shot of her was cut by adding black panties to cover up the offending area. The scene was also cut by removing shots of Steve Jones' genitals during the sex scene with the Brazilian girl and Mary Millington's visible pubic area in her sex scene with Jones. A shot of Sid Vicious waving a flick-knife was moved back into the sequence to avoid equating sex with violence. The BBFC also demanded the inclusion of newspaper headline footage referring to the deaths of Vicious and Nancy Spungen. All later releases feature this same print.
Sting appeared in a brief scene as the leader of a gay band, The Blow Waves, which attempts to kidnap Paul Cook, but the footage was cut. It later reappeared in the documentary L'obscénité et la fureur - La véritable histoire des Sex Pistols (2000).
Marianne Faithfull was to play Sid Vicious' mother in the original draft of the film, but backed out at the idea of a sex scene.
John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) had left the group shortly before filming started. He had had his fill of the band and Malcolm McLaren, and wanted no part in the film. Therefore, he only appears in archival clips of Sex Pistols on stage. By the time the film had premiered, Lydon was already touring under his real name with his new band, Public Image Ltd.
Julien Temple replaced original director Russ Meyer and original writer Roger Ebert as a result of creative differences.