THE BBC has spoken out after scenes of a woman pleasuring a horse in The Jetty resulted in over 200 complaints.
The drama, starring Jenna Coleman, caused uproar when scenes showed a school girl performing a sexual act on a horse.
In the scene, character Amy tells her friend the animal is going to be shot so her family can claim insurance money.
She then asks if her pal “wants to see something funny” before moving her hand down to the horse’s groin.
While it’s not shown on screen, it’s heavily implied she is sexually manipulating the horse, before leaving the barn.
Since then 208 people have filed official complaints with the BBC, making it the most complained about drama on the channel so far this year.
A statement read: “The Jetty is a post-watershed, detective thriller which also explores power imbalances and troubling behaviour in sexual relationships.
“Amy is a complex character who experiences abusive behaviour but also behaves in an abusive way herself.
“The scene is intended to be shocking and establishes how distorted Amy’s own sexual boundaries have become and how transgressive her behaviour is.”
“The act is implied, and not shown on screen,” they added. “We always aim to make sure that any such scenes are never gratuitous and are filmed and edited in such a way as not to exceed viewer expectations.
“Information is provided to viewers to make them aware of such content where appropriate.”
Fans had been complaining about the show online, saying they felt it “inappropriate and unnecessary”.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), one fan wrote: “Disgusted @BBCOne thinks a scene which intimates a schoolgirl is pleasuring a #horse is something viewers need to see.
“Will be writing to @Ofcom. The scene added nothing at all to the storyline. It may inspire others to abuse #horses. What next BBC? Edit the scene OUT!”
“#TheJetty bloody hell. Was there any need for that horse scene,” said a second. “Turned my stomach. I’m ready for turning off. No likeable characters.”
The Jetty airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
