Pre-watershed rape scene in EastEnders sees hundreds complain to BBC

The ploltline, which received 278 complaints, featured character Linda Carter being raped by her nephew.

16:40 08 October 2014

In a controversial episode of EastEnders that was broadcasted on Monday at 8pm, Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter was raped by her newphew Dean Wicks. This scene, which a lot of viewers have since declared to be inappropriate, received 278 complaints. Because of this, the BBC issued an explanation.  

 

In a statement, the BBC said: ‘EastEnders has a rich history of tackling difficult issues and Linda’s story is one of these.

 

‘We have worked closely with Rape Crisis and other experts in the field to tell this story which we hope will raise awareness of sexual assaults and the issues surrounding them.

 

‘We have been extremely mindful of the content within the episode and the timeslot in which it was shown and at no point have there been any scenes of a graphic nature. In fact, the attack on Linda was implied and was not explicit.’

 

Six complaints were received by Ofcom, which said it was concerned at the content, ‘given the mixed age ranges in the audience’. The BBC agreed it ‘was a degree more adult in tone than was appropriate’ for the pre-watershed time slot.

 

However, critics praised the strength of the plot and the conviction of the actors involved.