Eastenders Defends Violence

DS wrote:The BBC has defended the use of violent scenes in Thursday night's edition of EastEnders following complaints from viewers.

The episode, which went out in a pre-watershed slot, saw Jase Dyer (Stephen Lord) lose his life following a confrontation with a group of gangsters who stabbed him. Later, the character's dead body was seen by viewers in hospital scenes which featured Jase's son Jay Brown, played by Jamie Borthwick.

Writing on the BBC's Points of View message board, one viewer complained: "EastEnders tonight was disgusting. My wife was physically sick and my son of 13 years old was brought to tears."

Another viewer defended the soap's producers, however, arguing: "I never read such nonsense. This is what Britain is like today and if you can't face up to that then someone must."

Responding to complaints, the BBC said: "While we acknowledge that this was a particularly dramatic episode, we were very careful to make sure that any actual violence was implied rather than explicit, and it was made clear from the outset that Jase's life was in serious jeopardy."

The statement added: "We do appreciate that some viewers found the images of Jase's dead body uncomfortable; however, in trying to fully convey Jay's loss and depth of emotion, we felt it was necessary for viewers to see what he was seeing."

Ofcom has already rebuked the BBC over EastEnders twice this year. In February, the media regulator ruled that scenes showing a gang attack at the Queen Vic were too violent. Four months later, the soap was rapped again following "disturbing" scenes which saw Max Branning (Jake Wood) being buried alive.