Emmerdale: Ofcom investigating soap following motorway pile-up complaints
EMMERDALE is to be investigated by Ofcom after four viewers complained about its dramatic car crash storyline, broadcast on October 20.
Emotional moment Emmerdale's James Barton dies
The end of the explosive week concluded with Emma Barton (played by Gillian Kearney) pushing her husband James Barton (Bill Ward) from a bridge onto the motorway below.
No Return Week, as it was named, was a ratings success for the ITV soap as a whopping 6.8 million viewers tuned in to watch Emma exact on her revenge on her wayward husband.
The episode revealed that James' body falling onto Ashley Thomas' (John Middleton) car windscreen below was the cause of so many characters being involved in the ensuing pile-up.
Emmerdale is being investigated by Ofcom over its dramatic car crash storyline
Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) and Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) sustained injuries during the crash
We're investigating whether scenes showing a multiple car accident were acceptable
James later died in hospital while Emma played the grieving widow.
Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) survived the brutal collision, however, they still sustained significant injuries.
The TV regulator is now investigating whether the scenes were suitable to be shown at 7pm.
An Ofcom spokesperson told Digital Spy: "We're investigating whether scenes showing a multiple car accident were acceptable before the watershed."
The dramatic week, which saw James Barton (Bill Ward) killed off was a ratings hit
Yesterday Coronation Street was cleared of breaking the broadcasting code after a scene involving Eva Price (played by Catherine Tyldesley) garnered hundred of complaints.
The TV watchdog investigated an episode of the ITV soap that aired in August in which barmaid Eva compared her roots to Kunta Kinte's.
Emmerdale continues tonight at 7pm on ITV.