Emmerdale has apologised to anyone offended after a character made a joke about the neurological condition hemiplegia.
The soap came under fire from fans after Nicola King made a quip about hemiplegia – which can be a form of cerebral palsy – during a scene which saw her having a drunken chat with Dan Spencer.
She told him: “”You can’t go round like that, all cocked. You look like you’ve got that…” then stuttered over the word. Dan chimed in: “Hemiplegia.”
It sparked outrage among some viewers, who wrote on Twitter that it was “appalling”, “an absolute disgrace” and “disgusting”.
Can't believe the writers, actors + producers of #emmerdale thought it was ok to say that about #hemiplegia - what an absolute disgrace
— Iain Massingham (@iainmassingham) August 30, 2016
Very upset by the Hemiplegia insult on @emmerdale . 1 of the most beautiful girls I know is a sufferer, appalling script writing choice
— Emily Grace (@egparrett) August 30, 2016
Since when is it okay for @emmerdale to compare a drunk person to someone who has hemiplegia??? https://t.co/xMmRtuDfiI
— Chloe Tear (@chloeltear) August 30, 2016
Not good @emmerdale a little respect for #cerebralpalsy #hemiplegia people live with this daily more research please pic.twitter.com/3yOztehXxU
— Elizabeth Morgan (@Elizabeth_Ann_M) August 30, 2016
@nicola_wheeler ...I'm totally disgusted that you can liken Hemiplegia sufferers to drunkenness on [email protected] @HemiChat
— John Wallbank (@johnwalt2) August 29, 2016
@emmerdale. Hemiplegia jokes? Really? How low can you go for a laugh!
— Kate McDonagh (@mcdonagh_kate) August 31, 2016
@emmerdale Absolutely disgusted at the comments made last Thursday about cerebral palsy , my son , 10 has hemiplegia , how dare you !!!!!
— Karen Kelly Thomson (@kthomson575) August 31, 2016
TV watchdog Ofcom has also received complaints about the comment, which was made during an episode last week.
It said: “Ofcom has received 19 complaints about this episode of Emmerdale.
“We will assess these complaints before we decide whether to investigate or not.”
An Emmerdale spokesman said: “The character Nicola has hemiplegia, or partial paralysis affecting one side of her body.
“She is a character well-known for her acerbic humour and it is in keeping with her personality to make light of her own condition in this way.
“We apologise if anyone found the line offensive.”
