Updated: Allsopp slams 'Enders pre-watershed rant

Kirstie Allsopp has criticised EastEnders bosses for airing an anti-gay tirade prior to the watershed.

The presenter was referring to Zainab Masood's confrontation with homosexual Christian Clarke in Friday's episode of the BBC One soap. During the argument, Zainab - whose son Syed is having a gay affair with Christian - said: "Take your perverted obsession elsewhere. What you do makes me feel sick."

Allsopp, who helms Channel 4's Location, Location, Location, said that the script was "totally unsuitable for 6.30pm".

The 36-year-old wrote on Twitter: "I don't want kids watching that kind of rant - in time they'll know about bigots but please not yet."

This morning, however, the BBC defended the comments in the episode.

A spokesperson told DS: "Since this storyline began, EastEnders has always shown a balance of opinions to ensure that we capture the many different views of the characters involved. Zainab has always been an extremely opinionated character but her views do not go unchallenged and it is within these conflicts that the drama unfolds."

They added: "We have taken great care in portraying this sensitive storyline and we always ensure that our episodes are suitable for the timeslot in which they are shown"