Anger at EastEnders coffin scene

Tanya Branning drugged her husband Max in the show

A scene in BBC One soap EastEnders which showed a character being buried alive has prompted 167 complaints.

The episode, shown at 2000 GMT on Friday night, showed character Max Branning being buried alive in a coffin by his wife and her lover.

Viewers complained that it should not have been shown before the 2100 watershed because children could find it disturbing.

The BBC said the number of complaints was proportionately small.

"EastEnders is known for its dramatic and gripping storylines and, from a total audience of 10 million, the number of complaints is relatively small," a spokeswoman said.

Gang attack

In the episode, viewers saw Max's wife, Tanya, spike his drink, causing him to collapse.

She and her lover, Sean Slater, then drove Max to woodland where they buried him alive in a coffin.

Last month, Ofcom ruled that the soap had breached TV regulations in an episode showing a gang attack on the Queen Vic pub.

It said EastEnders had shown "sustained violence, intimidation and menace" inappropriate for a pre-watershed audience in the scene.