The BBC has issued a statement in response to a number of complaints about a recent episode of EastEnders in which Ben Mitchell was raped.
The scenes were part of a pre-announced storyline to raise awareness of male rape.
During the upsetting story, Ben, played by Max Bowden, came to blows with his husband Callum Highway, played by Tony Clay, over Ben’s vigilante actions against homophobes.
This caused a rift between the couple, with Ben going home with online hook-up Lewis Butler, played by Aidan O’Callaghan.
Ben tried to leave but sex attacker Lewis refused to let him go and raped him in disturbing scenes.
(Image: BBC)
A number of viewers took to Twitter to respond to the pre-watershed scenes.
One person wrote: “That was awful to watch. Made me feel physically sick.”
Another said: “This was not suitable TV before the watershed,” while another put: “That genuinely made me feel sick to the core.”
The BBC has now responded to a host of viewer complaints over the soap’s storyline.
(Image: BBC)
The broadcaster has confirmed they received complaints from viewers who were unhappy with the content in the episode.
They have issued a statement in response, writing: “EastEnders has been a pre-watershed BBC One staple for over 37 years and has a rich history of dealing with challenging and difficult issues and Ben’s story is one of these.
“We have worked closely with organisations and experts in the field to tell this story which we hope will raise awareness of sexual assaults and the issues surrounding them.
(Image: BBC)
“We are always mindful of the time slot in which EastEnders is shown and we took great care to signpost this storyline prior to transmission, through on-air continuity and publicity as well as providing a BBC Action Line at the end of the episode which offers advice and support to those affected by the issue.”
EastEnders bosses worked with relevant charities to make sure the harrowing storyline was shown as sensitively as possible.
Subsequent episodes have shown the effect the attack has had on Ben as he tries to come to terms with what has happened.
Kate Oates, BBC Head of Continuing Drama, said: “We hope to explore issues of consent, sexual identity, masculinity, and sexual assault, focusing on how this fateful night impacts Ben and those who love him over the coming months.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
