BBC: 'All-black' 'Enders 'not unreasonable'

The BBC has insisted that last week's seemingly-controversial 'all-black' episode of EastEnders was 'not unreasonable'.

Tuesday's instalment of the Albert Square drama, which averaged 8.37m (35.6%) viewers, focused entirely on the Trueman and Fox families, most notably Patrick Trueman's (Rudolph Walker) backstory.

Since its transmission, the public broadcaster has received 183 complaints about the episode's "unnecessary" content, while some viewers felt aggrieved by the nature of an 'all-black' cast. Some 57 complains, meanwhile, were logged before it aired.

The BBC responded to the concerns raised in an official statement on its complaints website, describing the episode's concentration on 'all-black' characters as "not unusual" and the references to the Notting Hill riots as "absolutely legitimate".

The statement read: "It is not unusual for EastEnders to devote a whole episode to a single storyline or set of characters, and this episode was one of these occasions.

"This was an opportunity to explore in some depth the background and experiences of Patrick Trueman, one of EastEnders' longest-standing and most popular characters."

It went on: "There have been many 'all-white' episodes in the show's 24-year history, and we do not believe there is any reason why an 'all-black' episode should not be included within the series.

"Some viewers felt it was unnecessary to raise the subject of the Notting Hill race riots. These form part of the character's experience, as well as British history, and we feel it was absolutely legitimate for these characters to discuss them."