Coronation Street has received 72 Ofcom complaints following Monday’s (March 27) edition of the ITV soap, which saw Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) attacked with acid by Justin Rutherford (Andrew Still).
Justin was intending to make Daisy (Charlotte Jordan) the victim of the horrific event after stalking her for months.
He lurked in the shadows of the pub and confronted Daisy on the morning of her wedding day.
After making a comment about no-one wanting Daisy after what he’s about to do, Justin proceeded to throw sulphuric acid in her direction.
Ryan, watching the confrontation unfold, quickly jumped in front of Daisy and seconds later, his skin started to burn.
The scenes were praised by Coronation Street viewers but also, there were many who thought the horrifying ordeal shouldn’t have aired before the watershed.
As a result, 72 viewers thought it was indeed too much to air, and sent their views across to Ofcom.
The independent regulator is not obliged to launch an investigation based on complaints alone, but will assess the situation first.
Even if an investigation does follow, this is no indication that Coronation Street’s scenes breached guidelines.
The closing scenes of the episode saw a tearful Ryan in bed, a portion of his face and upper body covered in bandages, with nothing to do except fear for what on earth his future looks like now this heinous event has changed his life forever.
‘By this point, he’s starting to see things are never going to be the same again’, Ryan Prescott told Metro.co.uk recently.
‘He’s trying to reach out and clutch onto whatever he can within his life that will allow him to deny the reality. He sees things like his relationship with Alya and the chance to go to Ibiza slipping away from him and naturally tries to reach out in desperation.
‘I think he knows there are stages of acceptance and denial. Slowly, he understands the gravity of what’s happened.’
What is Ofcom and what does it cover?
Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day.
The watchdog makes sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.
Ofcom deals with most content on television, radio and video-on-demand services, including the BBC. However, if your complaint is about something you saw or heard in a BBC programme, you may need to complain to the BBC first.
Its rules for television and radio programmes are set out in the Broadcasting Code.
The rules in the Broadcasting Code also apply to the BBC iPlayer.
This Broadcasting Code is the rule book that broadcasters have to follow and it covers a number of areas, including; protecting the under-18s, protecting audiences from harmful and/or offensive material and ensuring that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.
Audiences can complain to Ofcom if they believe a breach of the Broadcasting Code has been made.
Every time Ofcom receives a complaint from a viewer or listener, they assess it to see if it needs further investigation.
If Ofcom decide to investigate, they will include the case in a list of new investigations, published in the Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin.
An investigation is a formal process which can take some time depending on the complexity of the issues involved.
Ofcom can also launch investigations in the absence of a complaint from a viewer or listener.
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