British period drama criticised for airing 'rape fantasy'

LONDON -- A controversial "rape" scene on Sunday night's episode of Poldark has left viewers shocked, with many calling for a boycott of the show.

The scene -- broadcast Sunday evening -- showed the show's eponymous character Ross Poldark kicking down the front door of Elizabeth's house before entering her bedroom and refusing to leave.

Elizabeth -- Poldark's cousin's widow -- struggles as he tries to kiss her and she repeatedly says "no". Poldark then throws Elizabeth on the bed and pins her down. Pinned to the bed, Elizabeth then ceases to resist his advances.

The BBC drama -- set in 18th-century Cornwall -- is based on a series of historical novels by Winston Graham. The third book in the series contains a scene in which Elizabeth is raped by Poldark.

The scene has prompted outrage after viewers felt it blurred the lines between rape and consensual sex, and romanticised rape.

Sexual violence campaigners have spoken out against the controversial scene, stating that its portrayal feeds into a culture of victim blaming and presents rapists in a moral, likeable like. "The Poldark ‘rape’ scene would not be out of place in a porn film -- a strong man who knows what must be done and a woman who apparently resists but wanted it really," Sarah Green -- End Violence Against Women coalition -- said in a statement emailed to Mashable.

"Ideas like this are underneath lots of excuses for not believing women when they report rape," Green continued.

Green stated that television's portrayal of perpetrators of rape is also "part of the problem in our society", specifically in fuelling beliefs that "only clearly bad, dirty, outsider, criminal men" commit sexual offences.

"[Rape is] often used to titillate, to scare and to push myths like these. The creators of these programmes need to talk to those who provide counselling for real life rape survivors," Green continued.

Fay Maxted -- chief executive of the Survivors Trust -- told the Guardian that the scene highlights the lack of understanding of consent.

"We have a society where consent is not very well understood and I think the BBC are reflecting that,” Maxted said.

"This is some sort of rape fantasy where the man is overcome by his lusty passions and the woman resists but she really wants him after all. It’s a complete rape myth," Maxted continued.

"We've always been aware that the scene in question has been called controversial and that the controversy is all the more acute when an isolated instance is taken out of context. During the script process this was one of several scenes we discussed with Andrew Graham [the author's son]," said Karen Thrussell, the programme’s producer.

"In the scene as written and performed, Elizabeth and Ross have a fiery encounter which concludes with a consensual act – one which had been coming for a long time and was borne out of a relationship which in one form or another had existed since their youth," Thrussell continued.

Viewers were left shocked by the scene, with many in agreement that the scene depicted sexual violence.

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And, some viewers said they would not watch the show again.

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