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Ofcom has rapped E4 for screening a live feed of the fight on June 17. The fight began after Emma, along with Geordie Michelle, returned to the house following a mock eviction.

Ofcom said that it received 328 complaints referring directly or indirectly to the fight, 55 of which concerned the live coverage. Some viewers were so concerned about the broadcast that they had called the police, and eventually it was broken up when Channel 4 called security into the house.

In a lengthy adjudication today, Ofcom said that Channel 4 was in breach of the programme code covering general offence, because the intensity and repetition of verbal and physical violence exceeded viewers' expectations.

It said: "While accepting that security men may have been positioned, the production team's eventual intervention appeared to be too late, particularly since the confrontation had turned physical."

In a statement Channel 4 said it was pleased that of a number of complaints made about 'Big Brother' only one was upheld.

It said: "The producers at the Elstree studio were very confident that the situation in the house was under their control and that all the 'Big Brother' competitors were safe.

"Although these were not comfortable scenes to watch, they decided that the events in the house should be relayed to viewers until the shouting had abated to reassure viewers that the outcome was not as bad as they might otherwise have imagined. Ofcom took a different view and we must accept its decision."

Another 240 complaints about 'Big Brother 5', which was billed by Channel 4 as the series where Big Brother would get evil, were resolved. These included 25 complaints about a scene where the housemates were shown playing truth or dare, and another eight complaints about the episode where Michelle and Stuart appeared to have sex under a table.