Bosses at BBC have defended a controversial scene in soap opera, Eastenders, which racked up almost 50 complaints.

The scene, in which characters Ben and Paul get intimate in a funeral home in front of an open casket, was met with mixed reactions online – with some social media users calling it “a disgrace” adding that writers have “lost the plot”.

In the scene, hairdresser Paul is styling the dead woman’s hair before getting hot and heavy with Ben. The couple are interrupted by a knock at the door, Paul’s grandparents.

“Best knock first. I wouldn’t want to put him off his stroke,” his grandfather declared. “I think he must be finishing off.” Ben has to then hide under the casket to avoid being seen.

Ofcom received 48 complaints after the show, but it is understood that the complaints were more to do with the location of the sex and not the sexuality of men.

The BBC are standing by the choice to include it, saying the scenes were “implied and not explicit” and that EastEnders fans “know and expect dramatic storylines”.