A BBC drama on the 1984 miners' strike should not be screened in the run up to the general election, the Conservatives have said.

The programme, Faith, is to be screened on Monday, prompting anger from the Tories who said it fails to give a balanced picture of events that shook Britain.

Shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale described it as "the latest in a long line of left-wing dramas" produced by the corporation.

The programme depicts the strike from the point of view of two sisters, one of whom is married to a miner and the other to a local policeman.

A statement from the BBC said that the timing of the programme was linked with the 20th anniversary of the end of the strike.

"No date for the general election has yet been announced and Faith is a fictional drama inspired by the real events of the 1984-85 miners' strike," the statement added.

"In it we chose not to tell the broader political story of the strike but rather to approach the drama from the point of view of a number of characters within a single mining community."

Balance

However, Whittingdale said the programme failed to present both sides of the story.

"Faith presents a wholly partial and one sided picture of the miners' strike," he said.

"It contains consistently negative images of the police, security services and Margaret Thatcher's government while ignoring the violence and intimidation suffered by those who wanted to work, as well as the political motivation of the leaders of the strike.

"It is the latest in a long line of left-wing dramas screened by the BBC without any attempt to provide balance or the alternative view.

"At any time the BBC’s decision to screen or to transmit such a politically controversial drama in prime time on BBC One would be questionable.

"To do such just 10 weeks before the likely date of the general election is a disgrace.

"This looks like a ploy by the BBC to use drama to circumvent the rules on political impartiality before a general election and is another example of the institutional bias of the BBC of which Conservatives have long complained."