EMMERDALE actor James Chase has spoken out after distressing scenes he was involved in sparked hundreds of Ofcom complaints.
His character, Tom King, was seen poisoning the beloved family dog in a bid to get to see his wife – and James has now admitted he didn’t enjoy filming it.
In a hard to watch moment, he loomed over adorable Piper with a syringe in his hand.
He then bitterly said: "Don't worry, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you... then again, maybe not."
The cameras cut away as the pup started whimpering.
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The scenes resulted in 313 complaints sent to watchdog Ofcom.
Speaking via video link today on This Morning after his character was awarded Best Villain in This Morning’s Soap Awards, he said: "Best villain, that's kind of a dream come true in a way I think.
“I love playing villainous roles, and this one is definitely the most challenging I have ever played.
"Certain scenes like syringing the dog was not... I really didn't like it, which is a good sign.”
Last night 2iewers were so distressed at the idea of the pet coming to harm, show bosses had to clarify the dog was OK on X (formerly Twitter).
"These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set!
"We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever"
"First time ever i had to turn off emmerdale its hard to watch," wrote one fan.
"You shouldn’t show such disturbing scenes, the Human abuse is bad enough, needs to be over asap," complained another.
Getting the dog sick is part of Tom's latest disturbing plan to get control over poor Belle.
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His wife (Eden Taylor-Draper) is taking time in a mental health facility as a result of his controlling and abusive behaviour.
So far he has tried to convince those around him that she's the one abusing him, antagonising her to the point she pushed him to the ground in front of them.
Wanting to make sure that she's OK, Belle checked herself into a crisis centre to get better.
But Tom doesn't want that, convinced she could spill the beans to those caring for her, and wants her out as soon as possible and back under his watchful eye.
So he's resorted into making the dog sick in order to get her to come home.
