Downton Abbey: viewers complain to ITV about rape scene

ITV has received dozens of complaints from shocked Downton Abbey viewers after the period drama featured a violent rape in the storyline this week.



The episode aired on Sunday night included a plot line in which Anna Bates, a lady’s maid, is raped by a visiting valet.

The scene, which did not explicitly show the sexual violence, had prompted 67 complaints to the broadcaster by last night, while the television watchdog Ofcom had received 30 complaints.

Bidisha, a writer and broadcaster specialising in gender, was also critical of the dramatic plot development, saying she was not “campaigning for rape survivors by day, watching it served up for entertainment at night.”

She wrote on Twitter: “What is it with male writers scribbling in a quick rape of a woman to spice things up? ITV/Downton raped a woman and can never take it back.”

The scene in question was played out when a valet called Mr Green cornered Anna in the servants’ hall while the rest of the household was listening to a performance by the opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.

When Anna resisted Green’s advances, he hit her and then dragged her off to carry out his attack.

In the final scenes, Anna was seen with cuts and bruises on her face, trying to work out how she was going to explain away her appearance to her husband.