The Queen Vic pub, victim of racist graffiti. Image: Matt Pearson

An Eastenders scriptwriter has defended his episode after public backlash over its content.

Following a racism and xenophobia themed episode, during which the words ‘Poles go home’ were graffitied on the Queen Vic, writer Leo Richardson has taken to twitter to address some of the public outcry over the episode.

Some viewers accused the episode and the BBC of having an ‘anti-Brexit agenda’.

#eastenders are ‘avin a giraffe if they think I’m watching it on my custard & jelly anymore.

‘Poles’ go home’ agenda created by the BBC

— Mr Wows (@WowWows) February 21, 2017

@leo_richardson Why do you connect it to Brexit? Racism was the same before Brexit. Trying to smear Brexit is your goal here, not racism.

— Dougal’s Hole (@Snoddbadd) February 22, 2017

Writer Richardson was quick to fire back at critics, however, defending his storyline as ‘a very real problem in Britain today.’

So are you saying that racism doesn’t exist? And that this isn’t a very real problem in Britain today? https://t.co/Mek11gIfmu

— Leo Richardson (@leo_richardson) February 21, 2017

What you saw on screen was a fictional character expressing his own belief. The side of a under represented group of people, I might add. https://t.co/R05bFWHSRx

— Leo Richardson (@leo_richardson) February 21, 2017

This troll. Criticising the show I work on because it did a story about the very real racism Polish people have experienced post-Brexit. 🚮https://t.co/Mek11gIfmu

— Leo Richardson (@leo_richardson) February 21, 2017

Others were on hand to leap to the scriptwriter’s defence as well, praising Richardson and Eastenders for tackling relevant societal issues.

@leo_richardson It was brave & relevant to highlight the issue, soaps are meant to represent what is currently happening in society.

— Linda Starfish (@LindaStarfish) February 21, 2017

In the scene, Danny Dyer’s character Mick Carter is seen jet washing the offensive message off the door of the pub.

Denise Fox (Diane Parish) asks “what on earth is going on in this place?” before Konrad Topolski (Piotr Baumann) replies: “It is the Britain we live in now.”