The BBC said it considered its Bafta coverage "very carefully" after viewers complained about bad language used by host Stephen Fry.

The comic and actor, who is the regular host of the film awards, made a series of risque remarks including telling the audience it was "pissing down with stars" inside the ceremony.

He also introduced Tom Cruise as "Tom f***ing Cruise" when the Mission Impossible star come on stage to present an award.

A statement on the corporation's complaints website said: "We received complaints from viewers unhappy with some of Stephen Fry's language while presenting the Baftas."

It went on: "The Baftas is not a BBC event, but during our coverage of the awards ceremony we try to find a compromise between presenting the events of the night as they happened, while remaining within the expectations of the majority of the viewers at home - which saw over 5.5 million people tuning in to watch. Attitudes to strong language vary enormously and we considered very carefully how to reflect this.

"Stephen, whose irreverence and style is extremely well-known to viewers, has presented the Baftas for several years. Any strong language was used after the watershed, and there was a presentation announcement at the start of the programme warning viewers that the broadcast would contain language of this nature.

"We accept that some viewers disagreed with this approach, and this feedback has been noted."