EastEnders ended with Dr Harold Legg seeming to succumb from the shock and heartache of seeing a swastika painted on his door.

In an episode which dealt with the tragic past of the Jewish people, Dr Legg slumped weeping into his chair and appeared to lose consciousness.

Dr Legg, played by Leonard Felton, had previously suffered the pain of seeing his mother’s grave daubed with anti-Semitic graffiti, and the latest episode returned to the dark theme.

The BBC account for EastEnders tweeted that the act was an example of: “The destructive power of hate.”

After trying to reason with the youths responsible for the attack on the grave and accepting their apology, Dr Legg returned home to see the Nazi symbol painted on his front door.

Even the villainous Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) was seen desperately trying to wash away the symbol which provoked the potentially fatal shock for Dr Legg.

The episode cut to the credits without revealing the fate of the retired GP, who has been a recurring character on the show since 1985.