The Au Pair viewers have made the same complaint just minutes into first episode of the new Channel 5 series. Seamstress Zoe Dalton (Sally Bretton) is happily married to successful husband Chris (Kenny Doughty), and they live together with two stepchildren, Amber and Noah, in a stunning countryside home in an English town.
But when she hires an au pair, Sandrine (Ludmilla Makowski), the young French woman disrupts their peaceful home life and their lives will not be the same again.
Sir David Suchet, who played Hercule Poirot in 70 Agatha Christie adaptations over 25 years, plays George, a diabetic father who moves next door to his daughter Zoe.
The first episode of the Channel 5 drama aired at 9pm on Monday evening (March 10), with viewers watching new au pair Sandrine become obsessed with the family.
Some viewers were unhappy with the format and style of the show and took to social media to share their opinions.
Sandrine (Ludmilla Makowski) with George (Sir David Suchet) in Au Pair (Image: Channel 5)
One viewer said: “I was looking forward to this after the Graham Norton Show announced it at the weekend. But I don’t think I can watch much more”.
Another commented: “This is so bad and totally unbelievable…. and I’m absolutely loving it!!”
A third said: “This feels like it might be an hour of my life I’ll never get back… time to switch over?”
Another commented: “Poor David Suchet. I hope he got a good wage for this rubbish.”
Other viewers pointed out that the Channel 5 series was clearly not filmed in England and appeared to be filmed abroad.
The series was shot in the Republic of Ireland, in collaboration with Irish co-producers MK1 Studios. Although the series is based in both France and the Cotswolds, the actual filming took place approximately an hour south of Dublin.
The Victorian mansion featured in the show is the real-life Lis na Carrig, located in Foxrock, a posh suburb of Dublin.
Zoe and Chris’ lives are turned upside down when their new au pair starts scheming (Image: Channel 5)
One eagle-eyed viewer wrote: “Is this going to be another Channel 5 show I watch and then wish I hadn’t? I see they’ve done the usual thing of filming it abroad and trying to pass it off as England, despite it being obvious it isn’t and just making things feel jarring.”
A second viewer said: “Settled down to watch the new Channel 5 series The Au Pair tonight. It’s set in the Cotswolds.
“I thought the village looked decidedly uncotswoldy. No Cotswold stone cottages were a dead giveaway.
“On closer inspection, it’s filmed in Ireland. Ridiculous.”
Au Pair airs nightly at 9pm on Channel 5, with episodes to be released on streaming service, My5.