The BBC has apologised to viewers for a Good Friday edition of EastEnders in which a character was apparently buried alive in a coffin. The broadcaster did not wait for Ofcom to investigate the programme, which sparked 167 complaints.

Viewers said the scenes of philanderer Max Branning being placed unconscious into a coffin by his wife Tanya and her lover, were inappropriate for a pre-watershed programme watched by families.

The BBC said: “The burial is in no way glamorised or glorified, rather we see that when pushed to the edge, Tanya’s behaviour becomes out of character, and indeed that it’s Tanya herself who ultimately suffers because of her actions. Once again we are sorry that you did not enjoy these episodes.”

The scenes were “carefully filmed and edited in order that Max’s ordeal was in the main implicit, rather than explicit, whilst still retaining their powerfulness”. The character ultimately escaped alive.

Ofcom censured EastEnders last month for an episode showing a gang attack the Queen Vic pub in which one of the characters went into premature labour.

The regulator said the soap had shown “sustained violence, intimidation and menace” inappropriate for a pre-watershed audience.

Ofcom will still investigate the coffin sequence, which the BBC said it had sought to warn viewers about in pre-programme publicity.

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