Shocked viewers flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the ITV series
Shocked viewers flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the ITV series
ITV’s new drama series Out There surprised viewers with a disturbing scene that came just moments in to the episode.
The show features Martin Clunes as Nathan Williams, a Welsh farmer coping with the repercussions of county lines drug trafficking in his community. Anticipation was high as the first episode launched on Sunday night (January 19), and fans were eager to share their enthusiasm for the series on social media.
But audiences were quickly confronted with a ‘gruesome’ moment soon after Nathan and his son Johnny, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, were introduced.
Following a troubling phone call, Nathan rushes off to meet a distressed woman named Gwen, portrayed by Sharon Morgan. She leads him towards a barn where an elderly man has barricaded himself inside with a shotgun.
Nathan attempts to talk down the man through a slight opening in the door, only for the chilling sound of the shotgun to be heard, succeeded by visuals of the barn splattered with blood, reports the Mirror.
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Startled viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their feelings about the intense sequence. “I know they advertised this as ‘gritty’ but this is depressing,” commented one person, while another stated: “Think this might be too stressful #outthere.”
“A bit topical and close to home this with farm land worries and suicides,” remarked a third viewer, their words underscored by the inclusion of sad emojis, while others labelled the programme as simply “too depressing”. Another viewer succinctly described their feelings, writing: “Grim opening.”
The stark introduction wasn’t the sole source of discontent among the audience. Although Martin Clunes’ acting was lauded by many, his Welsh accent left some viewers less than charmed.
“Really wanted to watch this but I’m not getting it so far and Martin’s attempt at a Welsh accent is grating,” expressed one disgruntled fan. Confusion also reigned for another viewer who wrote: “What accent is Clunsey supposed to have? It varies.”
Yet, not everyone was critical; a supporter of the show, identifying as Welsh, countered: “I’m Welsh. I have no problem with it. There are so many different accents in Wales.”
Out There episode two airs on ITV1 on January 20 at 9pm, with the full box set also available to watch now on ITVX