'Buried alive' storyline criticised

1:36pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

Two controversial episodes of EastEnders have been criticised by the BBC's complaints unit.

The episodes saw Max Branning being drugged and buried alive before finally being released by his wife Tanya.

Viewers complained that the scenes were inappropriate for a pre-watershed drama series with a family audience.

The plot-line, screened in March, prompted more than 150 complaints.

The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit said the episodes contained no explicit violence.

But it said: "The nature of the response .... suggested that the emotional impact of the storyline was somewhat stronger than had been considered likely, and that it had caused upset among a segment of the audience which was neither anticipated not intended. The complaints were upheld."

Earlier this year, media watchdog Ofcom ruled that the soap had breached TV regulations in an episode showing a gang attack on the Queen Vic pub.

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