Emmerdale has received hundreds of Ofcom complaints following abuse scenes towards Piper the dog.
As Tom King’s insidious abuse of his wife Belle Dingle continues, he cruelly plotted to poison Belle’s beloved dog Piper in an attempt to try and get Belle released from a mental health crisis centre.
Emmerdale promptly reassured viewers about the welfare of Minnie, the dog actor who plays Piper, saying on social media: “These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set!
“We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.”
Emmerdale has received hundreds of Ofcom complaints following abuse scenes towards Piper the dog.
As Tom King’s insidious abuse of his wife Belle Dingle continues, he cruelly plotted to poison Belle’s beloved dog Piper in an attempt to try and get Belle released from a mental health crisis centre.
Emmerdale promptly reassured viewers about the welfare of Minnie, the dog actor who plays Piper, saying on social media: “These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set!
“We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.”
However, this did not stop Ofcom from receiving 313 complaints after the scenes aired on Monday (May 27).
The Ofcom website stresses “the number of complaints received is not an indication of how serious an issue is”.
It also notes that every time a complaint is received, it’s assessed under the organisation’s Broadcasting Code, to establish if it meets the threshold for a full Ofcom investigation.
James Chase, who plays Tom, recently addressed the horrific scenes.
“I love playing villainous roles, and this one is definitely the most challenging I have ever played,” he said.
“Certain scenes like syringing the dog was not… I really didn’t like it, which is a good sign.”
Belle’s ongoing abuse storyline has seen Tom alienating her family, as he tries to make it appear that she is being violent toward him.
Tom’s coercive control, physical violence, emotional abuse and technology-facilitated abuse has escalated sharply since he married Belle earlier this year.
Recently, Tom tampered with Belle’s medication to make her believe she was forgetting to take it and as a result of this, Belle made the decision to refer herself for urgent mental health care.
Eden Taylor-Draper, who plays Belle, has opened up about the “responsibility” of the storyline and how her relationship with Tom deteriorates.
