Emmerdale has been hit with Ofcom complaints over a harrowing episode, with viewers threatening to boycott the soap
Emmerdale has been hit with 60 Ofcom complaints over a distressing storyline that left viewers “depressed and disturbed”.
The ITV soap has been addressing the issue of county lines trafficking and sex slavery through a challenging plot centred on April (Amelia Flanagan).
As viewers know, April has been involved in drug dealing for Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) to help pay off her boyfriend Dylan’s (Fred Kettle) debt.
It was revealed that Ray’s mother Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) was the one behind the drug gang, and had also forced April into sex work.
An episode that aired on 30 October before the watershed has now received 60 complaints, with Ofcom confirming they relate to a scene where a sex abuser called Callum attempted to rape April after Celia sold her for sex, reports the Daily Star.
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The episode saw April, after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, refuse to go through with it, but Callum turned angry and tried to force himself on her, so she smacked him across the head with a bottle, thinking she’d killed him.
Viewers were horrified watching the scenes unfold, as one wrote: “Soaps are meant to be light relief after a hard days work. We see enough of this in dramas so we do not need to see it in soaps.”
“It was very painful to watch, awful,” another said, while someone else called the storyline “dreadful”.
“This story is vile I am going to stop watching Emmerdale,” someone else wrote.
Another said: “So disappointed with this it’s sick, such a shame it used to be a good soap.”
Someone else said: “I agree, have had enough of these story lines. Yes I understand they are trying to portray real life but it’s just too much now to sit and watch this…we used to watch for entertainment to lighten our days so to speak but to have a voice say after every episode If you have been affected by this. What is going on x.”
Another fumed: “It’s no wonder this show is going down the pan with harrowing and violent storylines like this one and I’m so glad that I don’t watch this rubbish anymore as I want to watch something on the TV in the evening that is going to cheer and uplift me and not this depressing and disturbing nonsense.”
Another viewer meanwhile shared: “It may only be a soap but it has highlighted how young people are drawn into the world of drugs and sexual exploitation. Personally, I think the writers have done a great job in raising our awareness.”
In subsequent scenes, April revealed everything that had occurred to her father Marlon (Mark Charnock), who promised to protect her and assist her, but as he made preparations to contact the police, Ray burst in and shot Marlon, with April witnessing him die before her eyes.
It was subsequently disclosed that the shooting had been a daydream, and Marlon remained alive, though April’s fate remains unclear.
The actress posted on Instagram to reshare a clip from the episode, paying tribute to her co-star, and writing: “@markcharnock No one I would rather have done this ep with (sic).”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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