The BBC has been cleared of breaching the UK broadcasting code after airing an episode of EastEnders which showed Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter being raped.
Media regulator Ofcom mounted an investigation in November after the BBC received 278 complaints about the episode which airing on BBC1 on 6 October.
The rape storyline came to a head in the EastEnders Christmas Day episode, when Carter, played by Kellie Bright, told Danny Dyer’s character, Mick Carter, about the sexual assault after turning down his marriage proposal. A fight ensued in the Queen Vic between Dyer’s character and the rapist, Matt Di Angelo’s Dean Wicks.
A spokesman for the regulator said a warning before the episode and implying the assault rather than depicting it were among the reasons to clear the broadcaster of any breach.
“After carefully investigating complaints about this scene, Ofcom found the BBC took appropriate steps to limit offence to viewers,” said a spokesman for the watchdog.
“Ofcom also took into account the programme’s role in presenting sometimes challenging or distressing social issues.”
At the time of the complaint, the BBC defended putting the episode out at 8pm, saying it had taken great care to publicise the storyline in advance to prepare viewers.
Ofcom mounted its investigation into whether or not the rape scene breached the UK broadcasting code after receiving more than 90 complaints.
The investigation centred on the episode’s scheduling, as explicit content is usually given the go-ahead to broadcast only after the 9pm watershed and if viewers were given adequate warning about the storyline.
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