Benedict Cumberbatch's 'pretentious' BBC drama The Child In Time slammed by 'bored' viewers

Benedict Cumberbatch’s much-anticipated BBC drama, ‘The Child In Time’, aired last night, with disappointed viewers slamming the one-off show on social media, branding it “dreadful” and “pretentious”.

The show is based on Ian McEwan’s novel and follows Stephen Lewis, played by Cumberbatch, whose four-year-old daughter goes missing from a supermarket.

As Stephen and his wife Julie, played by Kelly MacDonald, struggle to cope with their grief, the pair drift apart – although the “confusing” disjointed timeline failed to win over viewers.

Sharing their response on Twitter, many of the Oscar-nominated actor’s fans vented their disdain for the show, with some even claiming that they had “wasted their time” watching it:

Cumberbatch previously confessed that he’d found shooting the hard-hitting drama incredibly emotional, especially as he has two young children himself.

He told the Radio Times: “There was a point where I said to the director, ‘I’m worried I’m getting a bit too upset in these scenes.’ I suppose it’s easier to imagine [as a father], but it isn’t that difficult to imagine.

“These circumstances are harrowing.

“They’re unthinkable for any parent, for anyone who has children in their life. It’s horrific, and very, very upsetting.”

The Hollywood star has six-month-old Hal and two-year-old Christopher with his wife, Sophie Hunter.

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