Ofcom has received a number of complaints from ‘Emmerdale’ fans, following a rape scene which aired earlier this week.
On Monday night, soap viewers were divided over a scene which saw Rhona Goskirk sexually assaulted by her new husband Pierce Harris, on their wedding day.
While the moment was an understandably difficult watch, many viewers took to Twitter at the time to praise the soap for tackling the topic of marital rape, though others admitted to finding it “distressing”, particularly given the soap’s early timeslot.
Some in the latter camp have now complained to Ofcom, with 62 people (at the time of publication) voicing their concerns that the scene violated the media regulator’s code of conduct, as reported by The Sun.
A spokesperson for the TV watchdog confirmed that the complaints are now being “assessed”, before a decision is reached about whether or not to launch an investigation.
The episode in question was preceded by a warning, alerting viewers that there were some tough scenes ahead.
Speaking about her character’s sexual assault before it aired, actress Zoe Henry, who plays Rhona, admitted she initially feared that some scenes could be cut for being too “brutal”.
She said: “When we rehearsed it, which we don’t normally, I did air my concerns about how brutal some of the stuff we were doing was. I asked: ‘Are we going to be able to show all of this?’
“Our director said: ‘We can’t half-tell this story. You can’t cut it down or make it less brutal, because what he’s done is brutal and awful. If we don’t tell it properly, then we’re not doing our jobs right’. So that’s why it’s so awful to watch.”
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- Rape Crisis services forwomen and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence - 0808 802 9999
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