A social experiment has revealed the shocking differences in the sexes when it comes to domestic violence and how it is perceived.

The BBC wanted to test how the public would react when a man hit a woman, and how they would behave when the roles were reversed.

They sent two actors to stage an angry confrontation in a busy public park at lunchtime, making bystanders believe they were a real couple.

The hired actors stage an argument over a text message in a busy park in the social experiment for a BBC documentary which airs tonight

When the man slaps the woman across the face after an argument about a text message, bystanders are caught on hidden camera looking shocked

Using hidden cameras, they captured the scene as the couple argued over a text message. In the first scenario, the man angrily asks his girlfriend who she is getting a text from.

When she says it is just her boss and he 'shouldn't be so paranoid', he retaliates, 'don't be paranoid?' and slaps her across the face.

Bystanders are seen looking shocked and more than one of them them chase after the pair to tell the man his behaviour is unacceptable and to check if the woman is okay.

The first woman who intervenes runs after the couple and shouts out to them: 'Leave her alone. Are you slapping her? Leave her alone.'

She asks the woman: 'Are you okay love?' and tells the man, 'Jesus that is not cool, alright.'

The actor struck the woman, who people watching assumed was his girlfriend, after she told him not to be paranoid about a text she had received

Shock and concern can be seen on the faces of onlookers as the man slaps the woman in front of them

In an interview afterwards the woman told the BBC why she felt compelled to get involved: 'As they walked off around the corner, I didn't know where they were going and if she was alright. So I thought I needed to check, so I legged it leaving all my stuff behind.'

Another group of people followed the couple to a locked courtyard and a second woman intervened.

She expressed the same concern towards the woman while condemning the man, asking her: 'Are you okay love?' and then telling him: 'You shouldn't be doing that, yeah? You don't hit women, okay!'

Interviewed afterwards the group said: 'It was a surreal moment actually. I couldn't quite believe what was happening. And obviously when they went round the corner, we thought something could have happened there. That's when we decided we were going to come and see what was happening.'

The hidden camera doesn't capture the woman who pursued the couple on screen but she can be heard asking if the girlfriend is okay and telling the man to 'leave her alone!' after witnessing the slap

The roles were then reversed with the same couple, but this time the woman strikes the man after they stage the exact same argument but the other way round

Later, the BBC then set up exactly the same scenario where the couple had the same argument. They follow the same script and use the same strength of slap.

But this time, it was the woman getting angry over the text message. She then slaps the man across the face when he protests his innocence.

While some people see what is going on, there is almost no reaction and nobody intervenes to check if the man is okay, or tell the woman her behaviour is unacceptable.

When the BBC interviewed one woman who witnessed the fight, she said: 'It crossed my mind that it was getting a bit out of hand, their argument but I just kind of thought to just sort of turn away and ignore.'

Another man added: 'It was a minor skirmish, she pushed him around, that's what I noticed. If it was the other way round, yes it would have felt awkward.'

After the man has been slapped, nobody rushes to ask if he is okay - although it is clear that many strangers witnessed what happened

Bystanders don't react when the man is slapped by the woman, highlighting the difference in the way domestic violence is perceived when it comes to gender

The TV channel carried out the social experiment as a new BBC Three documentary airs this evening investigating the rise of female violence.

As women account for 15 per cent of arrests in England and Wales, but less than five per cent of the prison population, they ask if females get off more lightly than males when it comes to punishment.

The programme, presented by BBC reporter Alys Harte, asks if society as a whole takes a different view of female on male violence to male on female violence as part of the channel's 'Breaking the Mould' season of documentaries which challenge our perception of gender.

As well as women who beat their boyfriends, the documentary speaks to women involved in drunken brawlers and teenage girl gangs to find out if girls are getting angrier and, if so, why?