Brian Capron plays the Coronation Street killer

Maxine Peacock's crowbar killing at the hands of Coronation Street killer Richard Hillman was deemed too explicit to show before the watershed.

Trevor's abuse of Little Mo in EastEnders was also censured by the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) for being too violent to air before 2100.

The watchdog upheld complaints against both shows.

Granada, which makes Coronation Street for ITV1, pointed out that clear warnings were aired before the attack, which was screened in January.

But the BSC said it was "concerned by the domestic context of the violence".

It pointed out the attack took place in the home "on a babysitter and on a mother" and that the show would have "attracted an audience including a substantial number of children".

The problem had been made worse, said the BSC, by cutting to a shot of a bloody joint of meat immediately after the attack.

Outburst

The BBC said emotional rather than physical violence had been used in the EastEnders editions in question, which were screened in October.

The BSC thought the issue was an important one but said it was "concerned by the unrelenting nature of the violence, both physical and verbal... at a time when large numbers of children could be expected to be watching".

Channel 4 also received a slap on the wrist from the BSC for Jamie Oliver's swearing in Jamie's Kitchen.

The show featured Oliver's latest project - the setting up of a non-profit making restaurant in east London where he trained 15 underprivileged youngsters to become chefs.

His outburst prompted 21 complaints, which were upheld by the commission.