EastEnders viewers complained that the harrowing scenes - which saw Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) raped by Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) - were not suitable for the show's broadcast time of 8pm and should have been shown after the watershed.
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In a statement responding to these complaints, the BBC said: "EastEnders has a rich history of tackling difficult issues and Linda's story is one of these.
"We have worked closely with Rape Crisis and other experts in the field to tell this story, which we hope will raise awareness of sexual assaults and the issues surrounding them.
"We have been extremely mindful of the content within the episode and the timeslot in which it was shown, and at no point have there been any scenes of a graphic nature, in fact the attack on Linda was implied and was not explicit.
"We have also taken great care to signpost this storyline prior to transmission, through on air continuity and publicity, as well as providing an action line at the end of the episode which offers advice and support to those affected by the issue."
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EastEnders star Danny Dyer, who plays Linda's husband Mick, also defended the storyline.
He told The Metro: "I think as actors there is a snobbery towards soaps and actually soaps have a massive impact on peoples’ lives.
"To tell a story and to try and tackle issues like rape, we’ve done it in a way that’s not clichéd: it’s a powerful, horrible thing that happens every single day."
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He added: "I hope that we’ve dealt with it in the right way – I know we have – we’re just trying to get the point across that if something happens to you, then you should talk about it and not bottle it up."
Do you think the scenes should have been shown after the 9pm watershed?