Can You Keep a Secret? aired on Wednesday night starring Dawn French and Mark Heap.
BBC viewers appeared distinctly underwhelmed on Wednesday evening following the debut of a fresh sitcom on the channel.
Can You Keep a Secret? stars Dawn French and Mark Heap as married couple Debbie and William Fendon.
The plot centres on widow Debbie, who goes to extraordinary lengths to safeguard her family following the sudden death of her reclusive husband.
But there’s a shocking revelation: she’s not actually bereaved, as William is very much alive. After being wrongly pronounced dead, Debbie takes the audacious step of going along with the charade and pocketing his life insurance payout, provided he stays hidden from view, reports the Express.
When their son Harry (Craig Roberts) discovers the reality, he’s understandably shaken to find his supposedly deceased father alive and kicking.
As the programme began, BBC viewers wasted no time heading to X to voice their reactions, with many clearly unimpressed.
One viewer remarked: “Makes Mrs Brown look like a comedy masterclass. Wish the bbc had kept it a secret!” Another posted: ” Waiting for the comedy on @bbc #CanYouKeepaSecret.”
A third viewer admitted: “Not sure not raised a half hearted smile so far #CanYouKeepaSecret.”
whilst another simply declared: “Just awful.”
Yet not everyone shared the same view, with some thoroughly enjoying the new programme, as one person noted: “That was lucky. I kept the TV on after #Traitors and Dawn French humour is cracking me up.”
While another viewer enthused: “Same here. This is hilarious!”
Yet the comedy appears poised to shift into darker territory, as the episode’s closing moments revealed someone has discovered William’s survival, with a menacing letter addressed to him being pushed through the letterbox.
A teaser for upcoming episodes showcased a montage of scenes making it abundantly clear the family’s closely guarded secret has been exposed, with the mysterious individual demanding hush money – but whose identity remains unknown?
Discussing her role in the sitcom, Dawn French explained: “Right from the off I could see that she’s one of those people that absolutely believes she’s always right. I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my life, been sat firmly in that righteous place the way Debbie is.
“I may have often imagined that I could be right, but I’ll err on the side of thinking, ‘I’m probably wrong about this’. Debbie just doesn’t have that anxiety or filter. She’s made a split decision in a mad moment, and once the decision is made, unless she’s prepared to go to prison, she knows she’d better man up and deal with it.
“I mean, I’ve never been in this situation, but I guess once you make a life-changing decision like that, and you jump into the dilemma of it, you’ve got to gird your loins and get on with it because once you’re in, you’re in.”
Can You Keep a Secret is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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