The gritty drama Showtrial returned to BBC screens on Sunday, October 6 and it had viewers squirming right from the start, despite a stark warning given pre-show.
Before the drama kicked off, the aired a cautionary voiceover message: "Cranking up the tension on BBC One now with very strong language and scenes which some of you may find upsetting, as a brand new case is brought to trial. Press red now to watch in Ultra HD on BBC ."
It didn't take long for the action to heat up as, within moments, fans were gripped watching a cyclist frantically trying to outpace a car bearing down on him. The chase intensified with the car eventually ramming into the cyclist, catapulting him onto the windscreen and then dumping him brutally onto the road.
The gruesome aftermath revealed why viewers had been forewarned, as a ghastly scene unfolded showing the cyclist motionless, with a shocking bone break evident his bone jutted out from his flesh, reports .
The graphic display sparked an instant backlash online. A viewer vented on X/ : "#ShowTrial strong scene, the car crash!"
Another viewer cynically remarked: "'Scenes which you may find upsetting... Press the red button if you want to see it in Ultra-HD'. 'Cos that's what people need. Potentially upsetting scenes in as much definition and detail as possible. #ShowTrial."
And yet another tweeted their shock: "#ShowTrial eek 3 minutes in and we're seeing an exposed leg bone already!"
One disgruntled viewer didnt hold back on their views about the BBC drama as they posted online: "I try and give these programmes a chance but #showtrial is just garbage. Not a patch on things like Taggart/Rebus. What's happened to drama these days?"
Showtrial, the BBC's acclaimed crime series, returned this week for its second season, with the gripping case of an officer entangled in the murder of a climate activist.
With a stellar cast including Sherwood's Akheel Aktar and crafted by the minds behind Line of Duty, Showtrial made its anticipated comeback with a five-episode season originally making waves when it premiered in 2021.
Spanning five episodes, the latest season delves into the mysterious death of high-profile eco-campaigner Marcus Calderwood, who meets his end in a brutal hit-and-run, leaving law enforcement scrambling to piece together the grim puzzle.
Showtrial is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
