Television regulator Ofcom has received 73 viewer complaints regarding violent content in an Emmerdale episode broadcast on September 4.
The watchdog confirmed the complaints centred on "scenes of violence and murder" featured in the hour-long special edition of the ITV soap opera.
The episode in question depicted particularly brutal sequences involving character Mackenzie Boyd's (played by Lawrence Robb) imprisonment and attempted escape, culminating in a violent confrontation.
Viewer objections focused on the graphic nature of the violence portrayed during the extended broadcast, which marked a departure from the programme's typical content.
Television regulator Ofcom has received 73 viewer complaints over Emmerdale's September 4 episode
|ITV
The complaints represent a significant response from the audience, highlighting concerns about the intensity of the dramatic scenes shown during the primetime slot.
The disturbing sequences showed Mackenzie Boyd attempting to flee from a bunker where he was held in chains.
His escape plan involved removing a brick from his prison, but captor John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) spotted the attempt through surveillance cameras.
A pursuit through woodland ensued, with Boyd managing to reach a roadway where he desperately sought assistance from passing traffic.
The episode in question depicted particularly brutal sequences involving character Mackenzie Boyd's imprisonment
|ITV
The character's relief proved fleeting when the approaching vehicle's driver was revealed to be Sugden himself, who emerged wielding an axe.
The confrontation between the two characters formed the centrepiece of the controversial broadcast, with Sugden's threatening presence and weapon creating particularly distressing viewing for many audience members.
The programme also featured disturbing scenes in which John Sugden administered drugs to his spouse, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), during the same episode.
Social media platforms became flooded with distressed reactions from viewers who found the content overwhelming and excessively graphic.
"Today's episode was SO intense, felt like a never-ending torture," one viewer posted, whilst another commented: "Emmerdale was a horror movie episode poor Aaron and poor Mack."
A particularly upset fan shared: "I'm spiralling like... I've never been this upset in my life over a soap."
Additional comments described the broadcast as "the scariest, intense thing I've seen on Emmerdale" and simply "intense," reflecting widespread audience discomfort with the violent storyline.
Audience reactions proved sharply divided, with some viewers appreciating the production values despite the controversial content.
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Emmerdale viewers were traumatised by the episode
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"Can we applaud the director of tonight's #emmerdale episode. The writer too who wrote it. The cinematic way it has been shot.
"The eerie music, the camera work was so intense. That was like watching an intense thriller movie, and its not over yet..yikes! Well done @emmerdale," one supporter wrote.
However, numerous viewers abandoned the programme, with one stating: "I stopped watching Emmerdale for a few months because I could not stand the John storyline as it was so slow. I tuned back in this week because Aaron knew, after today's episode I'm off again." (sic)
The controversy follows 158 complaints received for a August 21 episode featuring Boyd being shot with an arrow and struck with a rock by Sugden.