Strike if mentioned in list of episodes...
| Date | No. of complaints | Nature | Response | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 February 1985 | Bad Language and Violence | A BBC spokeswoman said, "There have been some complaints about the violence and the language. There was a fight at the end but there was not blood or guts. I only counted one 'bloody' in the whole episode."[1] | ||
| 1987 | First ever gay kiss in a UK soap opera (17 November 1987) |
| ||
| 1989 | References to the Brownies behaving badly caused offence to the Brownie movement, and an official complaint was made and upheld. The BBC had to make a public apology for the misreptation of the movement. | The broadcasting commission said the EastEnders Brownie episodes "came near to parody," were unfair to the Brownies and harmed the Girl Guides' image.
| ||
| 1997 | Scenes that portrayed Irish as resentful towards English, drunk, dirty, poor and rude. '(22+23+25 September 1997) |
Jana Bennett, the BBC's then director of production, stated on BBC1's news bulletin: "It is clear that a significant number of viewers have been upset by the recent episodes of EastEnders, and we are very sorry, because the production team and programme makers did not mean to cause any offence." A year later, in 1998, BBC chairman Christopher Bland admitted that as result of the Irish-set EastEnders episodes, the station failed in its pledge to represent all groups accurately and avoid reinforcing prejudice.[2]' | ||
| May 1999 | 14 December 1999 |
| ||
| December 1999 | Epicted drunken behaviour, drug-taking and sexual innuendo (16 December 1999) |
The BBC defended the episode, broadcast on 16 December last year, by claiming it was "consistent with the programme's tradition of dealing with adult themes in a way that was suitable for a general audience". The corporation added that the behaviour depicted conformed to the Eastenders tradition of showing that questionable conduct leads to further trouble. Thus, one character's quest for drugs led to embarrassment and nausea, and a drinking binge led to the calling off of one wedding and darkened the prospects of another.
The Standards Commission, however, while acknowledging the gritty style of the soap, considered that in this particular episode "the portrayal of drunken behaviour, sexual innuendo and drug-taking had been almost relentless." It said that the offending scenes had pushed the content beyond acceptable boundaries for a programme broadcast before the watershed. But the BSC said: "Although the episodes had been heavily trailed, the explicitness of the violence and the macabre nature of the scenes involving the disposal of the body had gone beyond acceptable boundaries for pre-watershed transmission." [4] | ||
| 2001 | Adult themes (31 December 2001 + 1 January 2002) |
The council's comments come a few weeks after it criticised violent storylines in TV soaps in general.
In its defence, the BBC said the EastEnders incidents were "developments in well-established storylines". The corporation said the violent incidents were represented in a way "consistent for this pre-watershed series". It added that EastEnders has a reputation for "tackling serious subjects", and that the episodes fell within the expectations of viewers that soap opera celebrations would always be "overshadowed by crises". The BBC said it the storyline had also encouraged many people to seek help for similar problems. [[5]] | ||
| 2002 | 31 | Phil Mitchell badly beat up his nephew Jamie. (4 October 2002) [6] |
||
| November 2002 | 6 | Adult themes (1 November 2002) |
BBC: "In last night's episode of EastEnders, the excellent performances from Alex Ferns and Kacey Ainsworth were the culmination of an incredibly strong award-winning storyline which has kept audiences gripped for over two years. Although the episode was powerful we felt we acted responsibly." The BBC said it had included a helpline at the end of the programme for anyone concerned about domestic violence. "As well as receiving calls from viewers concerned about the nature of the intense drama we also received many congratulatory calls praising the high standard of acting."[7] | |
| 11 December 2003 | 7 | Unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing. 11 December 2003 |
[8][9] | |
| 27 June 2004 | 1 | Gave a seriously misleading impression of the procedure for obtaining consent in a medical emergency. (25 June 2004) |
"The intention of the scene in question was to make clear that the doctor was explaining the situation as fully as possible to the husband. However, his use of a form (the intention of which was to provide a record of having given the explanation) would have given viewers the impression that the husband’s consent was being sought."[10] | |
| 2006 | Lesbian storyline was unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing.[11] | |||
| 1 August 2006 | 250 | Sex scene was too graphic.[12] [13] 1 August 2006 |
||
| 4 August 2006 | 128 | Episode was too violent.[14] 4 August 2006 |
||
| 3 October 2006 | Negative portrayal of a health visitor.[15][16] | |||
| 2007 | 80?[17]/ 183? (BBC) + 12? (Ofcom) [18] | Dawn Swann being tied to a bed was inappropriate for pre-watershed viewing.[19] (18 June 2007) |
||
| 2007 | Baby was left to cry unattended.[20] (23 April 2007) |
|||
| July 2007 | Racist comments made to Yolande Trueman.[21] 17 July 2007 |
|||
| August 2007 | Drug-taking shown pre-watershed.[22] | |||
| September 2007 | Bad language.[23] | |||
| 13 November 2007 | Comments about Heysel and Hillsborough were offensive.[24] [25] [26] | |||
| 13 November 2007 | Too violent.[27] | |||
| 2008 | Minty and his friend Garry line dancing in cowboy outfits. [28] [29] (22 January 2008) |
|||
| January 2008 | 184 (BBC) ? (Ofcom) | Too violent, (Jay Brown) stabbing storyline [30] (22 January 2008) |
A BBC spokesperson defended the storyline, stating: "EastEnders has always tackled difficult issues and we acknowledge that some viewers could consider this storyline challenging. However, we aim to reflect real issues and during this storyline the audience will see Jay's torment through to him deciding not to yield to peer pressure like his father did many years ago. This is part of a long-running storyline that in no way glamorises the use of knives, or portrays violence in a positive light. In fact the storyline will culminate in the character of Jay doing the right thing." | |
| 21 and 24 March 2008 | 3 | Tanya Branning burying her husband was inappropriate for pre-watershed viewing. | The complaints were upheld.[31] (Broken link) [32] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/46770/issue112.pdf#page=17 | |
| 28 August 2008 | Too much violence. | BBC: "Whilst 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."[33] (Broken link) See also [34] [35] | ||
| 19 September 2008 | 200 [36] | Child abuse storyline was unsuitable. 12 September 2008 to December 2008 |
BBC: "It's certainly not our intention to cause distress or upset, either to those who've suffered from sexual abuse or their families. Our aim is instead to raise awareness of this very sensitive issue."[37] 12 September 2008 to December 2008 [38] | |
| 24 September 2008 | 107 [39] | Unahppy that Masood Ahmed broke his Ramadan fast. (11 September 2008) |
BBC: "Although Masood is a practising Muslim, he has his own fallibilities as a human being. Our intention was never to focus primarily on the religion, but on the character's ability to meet the standards he aspires to in life." 2008[40] [41] | |
| 10 October 2008 | 145 [42] | Unhappy with homosexual content. (19 June 2009) |
BBC: "We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in the same way as we do heterosexual relationships." | |
| 24 February 2009 | 183 | All-black cast (24 February 2009) |
See the response relating to complaints about the episode featuring all-black cast.[44] | |
| 2 April 2009 | 7000 [45] | Unhappy with the conclusion of the storyline. | BBC: "We acknowledge we didn't deliver the happy ending many of the audience may have been hoping for, and that for some people this was upsetting. We hope viewers will understand that our aim is to always deliver the best drama possible."[46] | |
| 2 April 2009 | Unhappy with Dotty Cotton's comments about ginger hair. | BBC: "Although we do not always condone the actions of all of our fictional characters all of the time, we don't believe that they shouldn't express views/opinions that we personally do not agree with."[47] | ||
| 3 September 2009 | Trina Johnson's death was too violent. | BBC: "Whilst we acknowledge that this was a particularly dramatic episode, violence was in no way glamorised or glorified, and viewers will see Lucas' guilt and suffering for what he's done in the weeks and months to come."[48] | ||
| 7 September 2009 | 1 | The mobile number of Lisa Edwards, a beautician, was shown on screen. She received obscene phone calls and 2800 texts. | The BBC said the number should not have been broadcast and apologised to Mrs Edwards. It said the programme team was not able to discover how the number ended up in the prop phone.[49] [50] [51] | |
| 2010 | ? | BBC defends 'EastEnders' Quran treatment | "As regular viewers will know, Syed has been struggling to come to terms with his sexuality for some time now," the BBC said.
"Desperate not to lose his family, Syed is trying to suppress his homosexuality and has vowed to read and learn from the Qu'ran in an attempt to reconnect with his Muslim faith, hoping that this will help him in his quest. "Feeling unable to reconcile his feelings for another man with his religious beliefs, Syed slams down the Qu'ran in frustration." The statement added: "It was not intended to be a disrespectful act, rather a totally spontaneous one, symbolic of Syed's utter confusion and frustration at what feels like an impossible situation. "It wasn't our intention to cause any offence.""[52] | |
| 2010 | ? | Lucas Johnson storyline is offensive to Christians | The BBC said in a statement: "Lucas is certainly not intended to be representative of Christians. He is a very damaged and dangerous individual who has created a twisted version of the Christian 'faith' in his mind to hide behind and to convince himself that his actions are acceptable. As the story unfolds, we will see other characters questioning Lucas's claim to be a Christian.
"As Lucas has become increasingly unhinged, his obsession and reliance on the Bible and the scriptures has become increasingly frantic and desperate. This represents this character's emotional breakdown, and it is very clear that this is absolutely not normal behaviour." It was also confirmed that future scenes will see other characters question Lucas's behaviour. "In episodes yet to broadcast, we will see the characters Grace, Mercy and Dot - all three of whom are Christians - question and discuss Lucas's frame of mind," the statement conclude [53] | |
| 25 February 2010 | 103 | Unhappy that it was insinuated that Lucas killed Sugar the dog. | BBC: "EastEnders does not condone the killing of dogs, just as it does not condone killing people. No animals were harmed in the making of this story."[54] | |
| 11 and 12 March 2010 | 1 | A woman, named only as Ms K, complained that her privacy and that of her baby son had been infringed by the broadcast of two EastEnders episodes. | Complaint not upheld. The BBC said the footage was placed in the public domain by the NCT with Ms K's consent by means of the DVD.
The BBC added that they had sent the NCT an email on 15 December 2009 asking it to confirm that the mothers in the DVD - one being Ms K - were happy with the possibility of an extract being used in EastEnders and that the NCT confirmed this was the case in a subsequent phone call. The BBC said it now recognised that Ms K had given the production company that made the DVD her consent for footage of her son to be used. However it was with the proviso that she "be advised by the NCT: if it was a definite, and when it would occur, and for what use, for my final authority." But the BBC added this was never conveyed to it by either the production company or the NCT.[55] | |
| August 2010 | 200 | Phil and Rainie drug binge. (9 August 2010) |
The BBC responded by saying "EastEnders in no way—and at no point—glamorises or condones the use of drugs, and furthermore we took great care to avoid any demonstration on how to prepare or take drugs. [...] We took care to signal the nature of the episode's content to viewers in advance through programme publicity and billings, and the BBC Action Line was trailed following the episode for anyone affected by the issue. In addition to this, our website includes links to organisations who can offer help and advice on this issue. [...] We worked closely with drug and alcohol charities, including Addaction and DrugScope, throughout the editorial process to ensure that we handled the storyline accurately and sensitively." [56] | |
| 15 December 2010 | ? | Comments made by Connor Stanley (13 December 2010) |
Some viewers were offended by comments made in the episode of EastEnders which transmitted on 13th December.
During a scene in this episode, Whitney is shown working on her stall when Connor comes up behind her and puts his hands over her eyes. Whitney naturally assumes it's her boyfriend, Peter, for whom her feelings have become increasingly unsure, and she's quietly pleased to find it's actually Connor. Connor's comment "do I look like that skinny white boy?" was simply a description - and an accurate one at that - of Peter Beale. It was not intended to be a racist insult in any way.[57] | |
| 2011 | 6,000 (BBC) and 200 (Ofcom) | Cot death/baby swap [58] [59] 31 December 2010 |
Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said of the baby swap plot: "This is a challenging storyline and have taken care to ensure viewers were aware of the content in advance of transmission. We also provided action line numbers at the end of each show, offering advice and support to those affected by the issues." [60] | |
| Response dated 7 June 2011 | 125 | A scene featuring Christian and Syed in bed together was inappropriate [61] | BBC response[62] | |
| Response dated 12 June 2012 | 107 [63] | Some viewers unhappy with certain aspects of the storyline involving Michael Moon and Jean Slater | BBC response[64] | |
| Response dated 9 October 2012 | 556 [65] | Complaints from some viewers about some aspects of a social worker's role in Lola Pearce's storyline | BBC response[66] | |
| 14 January 2014 | 87 (Ofcom) | Muslim character (Shabnam Masood) berating her father (Masood Ahmed) for dating a "white woman" [67] | The BBC responded to the objections, saying: "EastEnders has a rich history of tackling social issues.
"The show does not advocate racism or intolerance in any way, in fact it seeks to challenge these negative views." Shabnam objected to her father dating Carol Jackson, leading her to make the remark in front of her. The ensuing friction led Masood and Carol to call an end to their relationship. The character of Shabnam was last seen in Albert Square in 2008, played by a different actress, Zahra Ahmadi, who starred as the character from her entrance to the soap in 2007. She is now played by Rakhee Thakrar. | |
| 6 October 2014 | 278 [68] | Unhappy with a storyline in which Linda Carter is raped | BBC response [69] | |
| 16 and 17 July 2015 | 75 [70] | Scenes between Ben and Paul in the Chapel of Rest were inappropriate | BBC response[71] | |
| 12 January 2017 | 117 (Ofcom) | Use of the words "bastard", "arse" and "shagging".[72] | Complaints dismissed by Ofcom: "We found the single use of the word [bastard] was justified by the storyline. We also took into account the programme's established role in presenting sometimes challenging and distressing social issues."[73] The BBC also responded[74] | |
| 23 January 2017 | 33 (Ofcom) | Similarity between the bus crash and the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack | Complaints dismissed by Ofcom: "We found that the episode was not graphic or explicit, and was part of a long-running storyline."[75] | |
| Late 2017 to May 2018 | Unknown (letters to Points of View) | Unhappy with current storylines | Since it began in 1985, EastEnders has consistently entertained its millions of viewers each week with a huge breadth of wide ranging storylines, from the dramatic and powerful to the light and humorous. Our audience have a long and established relationship with the show and have come to expect our big dramatic moments as they continually follow the lives of those who live in Walford. EastEnders always seeks to tell new stories to entertain our viewers and we have a big summer ahead. We continue to be one of the most popular shows on the BBC and remain one of the most continuously requested shows on BBC iPlayer. [76] | |
| 100+ (also reported to be the most complaints in 10 years) | BBC accused of pushing vaccine propaganda and being "critical of those who do not want or can't have the Covid-19 vaccine". | "EastEnders, whilst a fictional drama, has a long tradition of reflecting real life and this exchange aimed to reflect the conversations that some people in Britain are having."[77] |
Other complaints to be added
- None currently
- ^ "Viewers upset by BBC 'soap'" (pdf). No. 27576. Daily Mail. 20 February 1985. p. 2. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via Gale.