Emmerdale boss addresses reaction to dog scenes with update on Belle and Tom abuse plot 'end'

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has spoken about the huge reaction to recent scenes in the horrifying abuse plot between Tom King and his new wife Belle which sparked hundreds of complaints as it involved the couple's fictional dog, Piper.

Viewers of the long-running show have been struggling to watch as an abuse storyline plays out between Tom and Belle with the former's behaviour progressively worsening in recent months, with the first concerning scenes airing back in October when Tom popped the question to Belle and didn't take her turning him down very well.

Since they tied the knot, Tom's coercive control over his new wife has only escalated with him putting a tracker on his wife's phone, forcing them into owning a dog and setting up a 'pup cam' in their home, secretly caused problems for her in her new job at Take A Vow, is also slowly isolating her from her family and made her think her mental health was at fault.

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However, after leaving for a mental health facility, Belle quickly returned home upon the news their dog, Piper, was ill and may have to be put to sleep, unaware it was Tom causing the dog's unusual, slowed behaviour. Viewers watched as the abusive character used a syringe to poison Piper in an effort to either see Belle or get her home.

Before administering it, Tom says: “Don’t worry, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. Actually, maybe not.” This resulted in 513 complaints to broadcasting watching Ofcom on May 27 and 363 complaints the following day on May 28.

Now, producer Laura Shaw has