Downton Abbey actress 'proud' of controversial rape scene Fellowes, who pointed out that Downton has tackled serious issues in the past, added of the reaction: "It is a compliment actually, people are being raped and murdered every night in triplicate but you don't read about them in the newspaper, because people haven't engaged with those shows and they have with Downton Abbey." Froggatt, who plays Anna, said during an interview with BBC Breakfast: ""I was really proud of the show for tackling a subject like this. It's a really brave thing to do and I really do believe that Julian's written that in a way that is not gratuitous at all - he does very much go on to explore the emotional journey of Anna and Bates. He's done a beautiful job of hitting the right note with it. I think we all just felt a big responsibility to get it right. The actress, who was made aware of the storyline a week before she was given the script, said Fellowes was "adamant that we wouldn't depict that kind of violence against a woman," a stance she described as "an incredible thing in this industry in this day and age." The story is shocking enough, as it should be for a story of that essence," she said. She prepared for the role by looking at the testimonies of women who had been through a similar ordeal in those days - as well as modern women who had been reluctant to report attacks. She said the programme's historical advisor had pointed out that women still had few rights back then, which made them reluctant to report such an attack as they were in danger of losing everything due to the stigma. Fellowes echoed her comments, adding that how Anna copes with the aftermath and picks up the pieces, and whether she tells Bates who will "try and avenge it," will be a plotline that continues "until the end of the year." ITV warned viewers about upsetting scenes before the start of the episode, which was watched by an average of 9.2 million people, but by last night they had received around 200 complaints. Ofcom, who last put their complaints figure at 30 on Monday, have refused to give a "running commentary" on the issue and are due to release the latest figures today.