BBC bosses have been forced to apologise after an episode of forensic pathology series Silent Witness airing on BBC One depicted brutal and graphic scenes of violence.

Emilia Fox and Tom Ward star in Silent Witness (Picture: BBC)

The BBC received almost 500 complaints about Silent Witness, which stars Emilia Fox and is in its 15th series, after Sunday’s episode featured violent rape and assault scenes.

The programme aired after t he 9pm watershed, but many viewers still complained that the scenes of a man being sexually assaulted with a broom, as well as of a drug-dealer being beaten to death in a toilet cubicle.

After receiving 483 complaints from angry viewers, the BBC has now apologised for the episode, conceding that although viewers had been warned about the graphic content before the start of the programme, they could understand that some Silent Witness fans thought they had got it wrong.

‘We acknowledge that certain scenes may have been challenging but we filmed and presented them in such a way as to make sure that although as a viewer the implication was there, it was never actually shown,’ the broadcaster said in a statement.’We don’t feel the content of these episodes would have gone beyond viewers’ expectations.

‘As programme makers we take our responsibility to the audience extremely seriously and try to make sure we strike the right balance between compelling drama without being unnecessarily graphic.’The statement concluded: ‘We’re sorry if you felt we got it wrong on this occasion.’