Ofcom has received 55 complaints from Coronation Street viewers over a sex scene that aired before the 9pm watershed on Friday night. The regulator confirmed the complaints related to "sexual content shown pre-watershed" after the ITV soap's hour-long episode, which began at 8pm and ended at 9pm.
The scene in question saw Carl Webster, played by Jonathan Howard, end up in bed with James Bailey. Carl, already having an affair with his sister-in-law Abi Webster, was seen in a towel while James was under a duvet. Earlier in the episode, the pair had been flirting in the pub and discussing a potential fitness session together.
The storyline comes amid a blackmail plot, with Tracy Barlow demanding money from Carl and Abi. Speaking about the twist, Jonathan Howard said: "Carl likes living life on the edge, he is a hedonist and a free spirit, he is attracted to a person regardless of their gender and if he sees something he wants he goes for it with no real thought to the consequences of his actions."
While the scene provoked complaints to Ofcom, some viewers on social media responded positively. One wrote: "Carls face as James lifted the bedsheets. Impressed and ready to dive in/on. Love it," while another said: "knew basically nothing about coronation street before this but now i'm willing to watch every episode if they give us carl and james."
This is not the first time the soap has faced criticism over intimate scenes before the watershed. A previous episode featuring Steve McDonald and Cassie Plummer in a compromising position drew complaints from viewers on social media, though Ofcom recorded no formal complaints on that occasion. Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm.
