CORONATION Street has received complaints over violent scenes shown on the ITV soap last week.

Communications regulator Ofcom received more than 50 complaints as viewers hit out at the episode, which saw someone stabbed as part of a racism storyline.

The episode, which aired pre-watershed on Wednesday, received 72 Ofcom complaints in total.

The complaint involved scenes of racial violence, as the episode saw Alya Nazir stabbed and almost killed.

 

In the episode, an event was being held to highlight the work of Weatherfield refugee drop-in centre, with Maria making a speech to welcome new refugees and offer them support.

However, Max Turner, who had recently been groomed by a far-right group, was listening to a speech on his phone from a character called Blake, who had also been manipulated by far-right groups.

He is then seen moving through the crowd at the event with a knife in his pocket.

Alya sees him trying to get to Maria, and steps in to protect her, as a struggle breaks out.

Gary Windass tackles Blake to the ground, but Alya has already been stabbed and seriously injured.

Blake is then taken away by the police, but credits Max for inspiring the attack.

Ofcom says: “Viewers and listeners in the UK have long enjoyed a rich heritage of broadcasting and quality programming. But sometimes you may see something on TV – or hear a programme on radio – which you find offensive or think is harmful.

“Every time Ofcom receives a complaint from a viewer or listener, we assess it under the Broadcasting Code to see if it needs further investigation.

“The Code sets standards for television and radio shows and broadcasters have to follow these rules.”