Emmerdale

A few Emmerdale viewers were 'shocked' after Victoria Barton (Isabel Hodgins) was raped in last night's flashback episode by a stranger called Lee.

And some were so 'outraged' that they made official complaints about the pre-watershed scene.

TV censor Ofcom has confirmed that 39 complaints were made about the scene last night, according to metro.co.uk.

An Ofcom spokesperson told metro.co.uk:

We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.

Ofcom has rejected about 100 complaints about a recent murder scene in Emmerdale .

Ex-prisoner Gerry Roberts, played by Shaun Thomas, was killed by Lachlan White (Thomas Atkinson) in a scene broadcast last month.

An Ofcom spokeswoman said complaints were dismissed because they found no graphic details were shown on screen. She said:

We carefully assessed complaints that scenes involving violence were not suitable for broadcast before the watershed. The scenes were also part of a long-running storyline, which would have been within regular viewers' expectations.

Ofcom also received 11 complaints about a male suicide storyline in Coronation Street, where Aidan Connor, played by Shayne Ward, took his own life. The Ofcom spokeswoman said:

We considered a small number of complaints about this storyline involving a character ending his life. However, neither the suicide nor the body were shown. We also took into account that clear warnings were provided at the start of the programme, and that ITV worked closely with the Samaritans when creating the storyline.

TV censor Ofcom has received  228 complaints from viewers about an episode of Emmerdale that featured an acid attack.

Viewers watched as Barton had the acid thrown over him by Simon McManus, who had mistaken the man for someone else.

Debbie Dingle had been trying to get back at Joe Tate, asking Simon to mess him up.  However, Simon mistook Ross for Joe and threw the acid in his face, leaving Ross screaming in agony.

UK TV watchdog Ofcom received 228 complaints from viewers about the story, with many saying that the graphic nature of the scene was not suitable for pre-watershed viewing.

An Ofcom  spokesperson responded:

We are assessing these complaints under our broadcasting rules before deciding whether or not to investigate.

This phrase is Ofcom speak for complaints that are already on their way to the wastepaper bin.

A spokesperson for Emmerdale told Metro.co.uk:

Emmerdale has a long track record of tackling difficult and topical storylines and the unprovoked acid attack upon Ross is another example of this. We take our responsibility seriously when portraying what happens in these circumstances.

Consequently, the storyline was researched thoroughly with medical experts at Pinderfields Hospital. For the sequence following Ross's attack we adhered carefully to the NHS guidelines about how to help people who are the victim of an acid attack.

A few more trivial complaints about the TV soaps.

A nasty character named Rob plied his ex father in-law Lawrence with booze and when he was completely blotto, helped him into bed. And then he dropped an empty condom wrapper on the side table, stripped off and climbed in too! When Lawrence woke up Robert announced they'd slept together and even accused confused Lawrence of taking advantage of him in his heartbroken, drunken state.

The TV censor Ofcom has received nine complaints about the sexual nature of the scenes, and the non-consensual aspect of the storyline, despite nothing actually happening between Lawrence and Robert.

Ofcom responded that it will assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate, code for a rapid consignment to the waste paper bin.

Ofcom has received 62 complaints over Emmerdale scenes which saw the character Pierce Harris rape his wife Rhona Goskirk. The scenes, which aired in an episode which started at 7pm, showed Pierce being extremely aggressive and, while the camera panned away so that the scenes were only implied, Rhona's screams for Pierce to stop made it clear what was happening.

A spokesperson for the TV censor Ofcom said: We will assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate. A phrase which usually suggests that the complaints are already on their way to the litter bin.

Emmerdale have worked closely with Rape Crisis and Women's Aid throughout the preparation and execution of the storyline and an Emmerdale spokesperson said:

Emmerdale has a history of raising awareness of difficult subjects and consequently Rhona and Pierce's story was thoroughly researched and carefully signposted prior to transmission including a warning advising viewers of a shocking assault. In accordance with rigorous compliance regulations, the drama was intentionally implicit rather than explicit.

They said what?

A few Emmerdale viewers were 'outraged' after a trivial joke referring to Hemiplegia, a type of Cerebral Palsy.

The scene in question saw the characters Dan Spencer and Nicola King' drink several bottles of wine, while they giggled at each other's intoxicated states.  Nicola then quipped:

You can't go around like that, all cocked. You look like you've got that, what is it? Himi, Hemi, Hemiplegia?

The Mirror reports that some viewers were so offended they vowed to boycott the show and labelled the joke shameful .

An Emmerdale spokesperson responded:

The character Nicola has hemiplegia, or partial paralysis affecting one side of her body. She is a character well-known for her acerbic humour and it is in keeping with her personality to make light of her own condition in this way. We apologise if anyone found the line offensive.

An Ofcom spokesman told Mirror Online:

We have received 19 complaints about the episode, and will assess these before deciding whether or not to investigate.

 

Producers of Emmerdale have defended their decision to develop a racism storyline, despite ludicrous whinges to teh TV censor Ofcom.

Easily offended viewers expressed their 'outrage' last week after a scene aired in which new character William, played by Dudley Sutton, made a racist remark to Ruby Haswell, played by Alicya Eyo.

After begrudgingly agreeing to hire Ruby, a health care professional, to become his new carer, William remarked: Slaves weren't you? You'll be used to hard work.

Ofcom have confirmed they received 15 complaints about the episode.

However a spokesperson from Emmerdale said it was an important issue to address. The storyline will be developed further and the character of William will appear in six more episodes:

In subsequent episodes we see Ruby challenge William about his racism and confront him with the hurt that such language causes.

In the end, through professionalism and determination she succeeds in making him aware that his remarks aren't just casual 'banter', as he believes, but are deeply offensive. As a result he is seen to change his ways.