Viewers react to 'creepy' Channel 5 drama The Cuckoo but left distracted by one element

Channel 5's brand new psychological thriller The Cuckoo made its debut on Monday, April 8, and has gone down a storm with viewers. The cast list includes The Holiday and Waterloo Road star Jill Halfpenny, as well as Lee Ingleby, Claire Goose, Freya Hannan-Mills, and Majorie Yates.

Filmed on location in Ireland, The Cuckoo follows Jill's character Sian, a lodger who moves in with a family but is hiding secrets of her own. She is taken in by Jessica, played by Claire, and Nick, played by Lee, as a means to help with their dwindling financial situation, but it's not long before Sian begins sewing discord within the family resulting in dark secrets surfacing, bringing tension to the household until the family reach breaking point.

Many tuning in at home took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to praise the fast-paced first episode, with many calling Jill's acting "creepy" as they were left on the edge of their seat. One viewer wrote: "First episode of #TheCuckoo soooo creepy. Definitely left on a bit a cliffhanger! My daysss @halfpennyjill brilliant already!"

READ MORE: Channel 5 The Cuckoo start time, cast list, filming locations, plot and how many episodes

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While another added: "How creepy was that?! #TheCuckoo," and a third commented: "Really enjoyed the first episode of #TheCuckoo Looking forward to seeing how this pans out! Never trust anyone who pops up at your window! Then @channel5_tv offer up The Intruder: He's Watching You From Within. Yeah, I'll give that a miss thanks, given I have to sleep soon."

And while some admitted they were "hooked" within the first 10 minutes, others said the show was a bit on the slow side for them as one wrote: "A slow burner, but enjoying it so far and so good to see Jill Halfpenny play a bit of a nutter for a change instead of always being nice," while another added: "It is going too slowly for me."

Despite seemingly being divided over the new drama, there was one element of the show that viewers were all left distracted by as one wrote: "So, what I’ve established from the first episode of #TheCuckoo is that @halfpennyjill can do creepy as f**k excellently but also her character seems to just sleep in her clothes. Does Sian not understand how amazing a good pair of jamas are?"

As another echoed: "Hasn't Sian got any pj's...she always seems to sleep in her clothes? Apart from that...loving #TheCuckoo @halfpennyjill is playing her part brilliantly, as always," while a third pointed out: "This woman just sleeps in her clothes."

The Cuckoo continues this week Monday to Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.