First it was Emily Maitlis and her calf-flashing antics on a trailer for the 10 O'Clock News.

Now Fiona Bruce has raised the bar - and the hemline - in the competition to see which female BBC newsreader can show the most leg.

To present Crimewatch on Monday night the 43-year-old chose a knee-length dress which probably looked fine when she slipped it on.

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Fiona Bruce presenting the Crimewatch update programme on Monday in a rather short skirt

Emily Maitlis caused a similar flurry of complaints when she crossed her legs provocatively during a trailer for 10 o'clock news

But when she perched on a desk during the programme, the dress - teamed with high heels and flawless make-up - served only to distract some viewers from all thoughts of crime-solving.

Writing on the BBC's official Points of View website, one said: "I caught the Crimewatch update last night and found it impossible to concentrate on what was being said while Ms Bruce sat there perched in her short dress.

"Now I would not normally complain about this, far from it, but surely there is a time and place.

"If this is the BBC's attempt at making things sexier then shame on you. Surely neither the news nor Crimewatch are appropriate programmes for this type of initiative. But hell, what do we expect from dumbdown-Beeb."

Another wrote: "First it was Emily Maitlis, now Fifi La Bruce. What will the BBC do next I wonder? Have Jordan replacing David Dimbleby on Question Time?"

A third complained that Miss Bruce's attire undermined Crimewatch.

"We can all air our differences any time, what we don't wish to see is them being flaunted on what is supposed to be serious programme," they wrote.

Emily Maitlis suffered a wardrobe malfunction at the Royal Television Society awards earlier this year

"What next? Funny hats? Red noses?" One viewer, however, was unconcerned, writing: "Seeing Fifi La Bruce perched seductively on the edge of a desk in her high heels sent me to bed very happy."

This latest development comes only 24 hours after the Daily Mail revealed the stir caused by 36-year-old Miss Maitlis on a trailer for the 10 O'Clock News, also on Monday.

Again speaking to viewers while sitting on the edge of her desk, her choice of skirt led to scores of internet complaints about her "unprofessional" and "titillating" appearance.

Two months ago it emerged that the BBC had forced out Crimewatch's original host, Nick Ross, in an effort to modernise the show and attract a younger audience.

As part of the revamped format, the 60-year-old presenter's contract was not renewed and the set, music and titles were given a modern makeover.

Ross admitted that his age had played a major part in the decision to edge him out of his job, leaving Miss Bruce, an Oxford graduate 17 years his junior, to anchor the programme alone.

"It's a hugely patronising view to say young people only want to watch young presenters," Ross added.