Broadcast regulator Ofcom confirmed it had received complaints about the Great British Bake Off after Japanese Week proved controversial with some viewers

The Great British Bake Off has found itself the subject of Ofcom complaints after some viewers branded Japanese Week “racist” and “offensive.”

Tuesday’s show marked a first for the baking contest with the introduction of Japanese Week, intended to celebrate the cuisine of the east Asian nation.

But the show sparked online furore over the “mildly racist crossovers” of Chinese and Japanese food.

Some viewers claimed that the show had become “generalised Asian food week”, after the contestants’ steamed buns were identified as Chinese in origin.

One hopeful baker also decorated her batch as panda bears, native to south central China.