Coronation Street hit with 104 Ofcom complaints after viewers hit out at racial profiling storyline 

Coronation Street hit with 104 Ofcom complaints after viewers hit out at racial profiling storyline

Coronation Street has been hit with Ofcom complaints following an episode which aired scenes of racial profiling.

104 people complained to the media watchdog following the March 17th episode, with the total number of Ofcom complaints about the ITV soap coming in the week between 16th and 22nd of March. 

The episode, which saw pregnant character Grace Vickers (Kate Spencer) accosted by a security guard as she purchased items for her gender reveal party, attracted several responses from viewers at home. 

Backlash: Coronation Street has been hit with Ofcom complaints following an episode which aired scenes of racial profiling

A representative of the broadcasting regulator told The Mirror: ‘We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’

It is not made clear how many complaints were specifically in relation to the racial profiling plot. 

MailOnline has contacted Coronation Street and Ofcom for comment. 

The provoking scenes saw a heavily pregnant Grace attempting to leave the supermarket with her shopping bags, only to be stopped by a security guard who demanded to see her receipts. 

Shocking: The episode, which saw pregnant character Grace Vickers (Kate Spencer) accosted by a security guard as she purchased items for her gender reveal party, attracted several responses from viewers at home

Shocking: The episode, which saw pregnant character Grace Vickers (Kate Spencer) accosted by a security guard as she purchased items for her gender reveal party, attracted several responses from viewers at home

As the flustered mum-to-be struggled to find a receipt as proof of her purchase, she was subsequently brought into the security office where she was locked in by the guard.

Amid the stress of the situation, she began to have sharp pains in her stomach and called Ronnie to help her as she began having contractions. 

Later at the hospital, the security guard paid a visit to Grace who promptly produced her receipt, with the security guard apologising for his actions.

However, Ronnie slammed the guard and accused him of ‘racially profiling and illegally detaining a pregnant women of colour.’

Complaints: 104 people complained to the media watchdog following the March 17th episode, with the total number of Ofcom complaints about the ITV soap coming in the week between 16th and 22nd of March

Complaints: 104 people complained to the media watchdog following the March 17th episode, with the total number of Ofcom complaints about the ITV soap coming in the week between 16th and 22nd of March

As Grace later gave birth to her and Michael’s baby girl, an astounded Michael remarked: ‘it’s meant to be the moment of my life, tarred forever by some racist.’ 

Watching the scenes unfold, viewers took to Twitter to air their dismay over the racial profiling storyline. 

‘OMG….. the racial profiling is unreal. How dare that security guard lock a PREGNANT woman in a room!!! I am LIVID watching this scene. How awful’ commented one person.

While another fumed: ‘so apparently black people in Manchester can’t walk down a street without racial profiling. This is pathetic.’

Reaction: Watching the scenes unfold, viewers took to Twitter to air their dismay over the racial profiling storyline

Reaction: Watching the scenes unfold, viewers took to Twitter to air their dismay over the racial profiling storyline

‘I cried when what happened to grace Black people should not be stopped from police or even security. i think it is disgusting I have family who are black #corrie @itvcorrie Michael gonna make a fab daddy’ wrote a third.

A fourth watcher questioned: ‘no no no seriously the security guard stopping grace because of her colour?’

With another questioning the handling of the plot, writing: ‘Yeah, again they just glossed over it and didn’t really explore what racial profiling was. Many viewers were left confused and still none-the-wise. Disappointing.’

Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.