Channel 4 thought showing a Fear the Walking Dead trailer during Rango was a good idea

The network's been hit by a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

Families watching Channel 4's Sunday afternoon screening of Rango got more than they bargained for during two of the film's advert breaks.

An intense trailer for US zombie series Fear the Walking Dead - the first season of which is available to watch on Amazon Prime - was shown, sparking a complaint from one unsettled viewer.

The trailer in question was shown at 5:35pm and again at 6:40pm; reports state that its content includes "a shadowed figure, people running in distress, people in bio-hazard suits and a frightened woman in a plantation holding onto a fence" as the voiceover of character Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) asks: "What the hell is happening?"

Channel 4 defended itself stating that the advert had been deemed suitable considering it contained no graphic content. The network went on to offer an apology for any distress caused, reassuring viewers it took its responsibilities as a broadcaster "very seriously."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stated that the look and sound of the trailer "created a build-up of suspense that could be distressing to younger children." The watchdog told Channel 4 to schedule its adverts more "sensitively" in the future.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "We are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again."

Fear the Walking Dead is a spin-off to The Walking Dead which returns for a seventh season in October.

Computer-animation Rango was released in 2011 and stars Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Bill Nighy as well as its director Gore Verbinski.