BBC receives complaints over 'EastEnders'

The British Broadcasting Corp. received nearly 200 complaints over Monday night's episode of EastEnders in which a doctor threatened to steal a fetus.

The BBC1 show featured Dr. May Wright chaining Kara Tointon's character, Dawn Swann, to a bed and attempting to cut her baby from her body, The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Swann escaped after grabbing a scalpel but the episode still prompted 183 people to complain to the BBC and 12 more to call in complaints to media regulator Ofcom.

A warning was broadcast before the episode, warning against its graphic nature, a BBC spokeswoman said.

Last night's episode involving the characters Dawn, May and Rob reached a climax that most viewers would have been anticipating, she said. We are sorry if some people were offended by this drama unfolding and will be addressing complaints fully in due course.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International