Channel 5's The Cuckoo under fire from viewers for 'alarming' error in second episode

New Channel 5 drama The Cuckoo has come under fire from viewers at home, after an 'alarming' error in its second episode.

Hot on the heels of Love Rat and Coma, which took over the primetime schedule with their all star casts last month, the new four part thriller made its debut in the same 9pm slot on Channel 5 on Monday night, featuring some well known faces from TV dramas - Jill Halfpenny, Lee Ingelby and Claire Goose.

The presumed villain of the story is Jill's character Sian, who arrived in the lives of husband and wife Nick and Jessica as an artist, who needs somewhere to live so expressed an interest in renting their spare room. Minutes after meeting Jessica and before any decision was made on her being lodger, Sian came to Jessica's rescue, when she was faced with a hefty plumbing bill. However, it soon transpired that the main reason for Sian gaining Jessica's confidence is that she believed the couple's adopted daughter Alice was her child.

READ MORE: Channel 5's The Cuckoo 'forces' popular show off air as viewers complain

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Sian's behaviour caused more concern for Nick and Jessica and viewers watching The Cuckoo on Tuesday night, when she was seen ricking up to Alice's school and leading her away, without any sort of checks from staff as to if she was a parent or had permission to take Alice. And it was that scene that quickly caused a bit of a stir online, as some people argued that 'would never be allowed' to happen.

Making that point on X, one critic wrote: "so she's pretending to be the kid's mum now and the school didn't notice?" as another reacted: "Wait why didn’t they phone the mum’s mobile phone first?" As other viewers declared they were ready to 'switch off' a third blasted: "How many more of these pathetic attempts at entertainment are #channel5 going to churn out"