Emmerdale slapped with nearly 1k Ofcom complaints over ‘sickening’ scene that fans ‘switched off’
Viewers were left horrified last week after Belle's abusive Tom King turned on their adorable dog Piper, who he cruelly poisoned in a bid to have Belle released from a mental health crisis centre
Nearly 1,000 viewers complained to Ofcom after dubbing a scene involving a dog “sickening” on Emmerdale – prompting many to switch off the ITV soap.
Viewers were left horrified last week after Belle’s abusive Tom King turned on their adorable dog Piper, who he cruelly poisoned in a bid to have Belle released from a mental health crisis centre. The scenes sparked a wave of backlash from fans, who vowed that they would no longer be able to watch and had been forced to turn their tellies off.
Despite the ITV soap revealing that dog actress Minnie, who plays Piper, was fine and shared a video, fans were still unhappy. One commented: “I think we’ll let @Ofcom decide on whether it was acceptable to include this in the storyline. Someone’s got to rain your show in from its extraordinary obsession with turning it into a 9pm show. Where’s the family storylines? The fun? It never gets aired without a prior warning.”
While another wrote: “People know Piper/Minnie is loved dearly, it’s the animal cruelty that everyone is upset about. It will give abusive partners, ideas.” A third commented: “I think most of us know the pup is fine, but there was no real need to show the extensive abuse that you did. The storyline has gone on far too long.”
Some fans believe the story has gone too far (
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In total, 876 viewers complained about the scenes – with 513 recorded on May 27 and 363 on May 28. An Ofcom spokeswoman told the Mirror: “The complaints were relating to storyline about the poisoning of a dog.”
It comes after Tom King actor James Chase addressed the harrowing scene, saying: “Best villain, that’s kind of a dream come true in a way I think. I love playing villainous roles, and this one is definitely the most challenging I have ever played.
“Certain scenes like syringing the dog was not… I really didn’t like it, which is a good sign.” It comes after Emmerdale shared a message to viewers online saying: “These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set! We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.”
