ITV Share By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 Emmerdale hit by even more Ofcom complaints after Bear’s special episode amid reports the show is getting ‘too dark’ There have been a lot of complaints recently Bear Wolf Celia Daniels Ray Walters Share By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 In recent months Emmerdale has been getting hit with quite a lot of Ofcom complaints, as some fans argue the storylines are getting “too dark”. For the last while, Emmerdale has been using the platform it has to raise awareness for quite serious topics, including drug grooming and most recent Modern Slavery. And while it’s incredibly important to highlight these issues, recently there were debates on whether it should be so much at once. Although, a recent Emmerdale Insider poll suggests not everyone feels that way. But now, the soap faces fresh backlash with even more Ofcom complaints. Bear’s special episode brought in more complaints (Credit: ITV) Emmerdale receive more Ofcom complaints Last Monday, Emmerdale made soap history by beginning a Modern Slavery storyline involving Bear Wolf. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Viewers were heartbroken as they watched the character fall for Ray and Celia’s lies, as they kept him captive on their field. After the episode there were quite a lot of calls for more uplifting scenes in the soap. And it seems fans were so affected by what they saw that they went to Ofcom to complain. For those who don’t know, Ofcom is the body that keeps record of things viewers deem inappropriate for TV and radio. And following Bear’s horrific standalone episode, a reported total of 105 people complained to the company. Viewers were disgusted at scenes involving April (Credit: ITV) What other storylines have been getting complaints? Just a few weeks before that, Emmerdale viewers headed to Ofcom to complain about April’s storyline. Currently, April is embroiled with the same criminals as Bear – they just have no idea the other is involved. But the specific episode that 60 viewers complained about aired on TV on Thursday October 30, 2025. In the episode, April was sold for sex by Celia. And was sent to meet Callum, the man who paid to sleep with her. April didn’t want to go through with it, but Callum told her it was happening whether she wanted it or not. Terrified, April whacked him over the head, and believing she killed him, ran away. But a few episodes later it was confirmed he was still alive. And not long before that, Ofcom received around 279 complaints from Emmerdale viewers regarding the assault on Vinny Dingle. But that isn’t even all. An episode aired on August 21, which saw John Sugden hunt down Mackenzie Boyd with a bow and arrow. As a result, Ofcom got 158 complaints from Emmerdale fans. Read more: Emmerdale ITVX early release airs outcome of April’s shock arrest Share Good to Know Share By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Nov 17 2025 Previous Story Next Story
