Michael Sheen’s drama The Way flops on the BBC
Michael Sheen‘s drama The Way has change into the BBC‘s largest flop after getting the bottom viewers figures ever recorded for a prime-time drama finale, in line with studies.
The drama is a few brutal authorities crackdown in Wales with folks changing into refugees and being hounded by English fascists.
It is directed by Sheen, a Welsh nationalist, and follows the Driscoll household as they attempt to escape the UK.
But solely 697,000 viewers watched the ultimate episode and it was trounced within the scores by the launch of Celebrity Big Brother on ITV, which had an viewers of two.3 million, The Telegraph reported.
Michael Sheen directed the BBC drama a few brutal authorities crackdown on the Welsh
The drama got here out simply weeks after Tata Steel mentioned virtually 2,000 jobs have been in danger
Also, The Way launched with only one.7million viewers which is under the common for a chief time slot.
But the company claimed that viewers behaviour had modified and many individuals would have watched the collection on iPlayer reasonably than at 9pm.
A spokesman for the broadcaster mentioned: ‘The Way has been out there to view in full on BBC iPlayer for greater than a fortnight.
‘Overnight scores not present a full image of all of those that have watched in an on-demand world.’
Other dramas out there as on-demand field units have outperformed The Way resembling ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which had a launch viewers of three.9million in January and added tens of millions extra through catch-up.
The Daily Mail’s TV critic, Christopher Stevens, was additionally unimpressed with The Way, giving it zero stars out of 5.
He wrote: ‘Actor and director Michael Sheen’s spittle-flecked revolutionary rant The Way (BBC1) started with incoherent fury and have become ever extra deranged.
‘These three hours spent denouncing England’s oppression of the Welsh ultimately blundered to a detailed in a multitude of disconnected scenes.
‘Sheen’s clout as a revered actor is the one motive this drivel was filmed.’
The Way, which depicts a crackdown on protests over job cuts on the Port Talbot steelworks, comes simply weeks after Tata Steel mentioned virtually 2,000 jobs have been in danger, resulting in demonstrations within the city.
Sheen, 55, who lives near Port Talbot, admitted that the present might be seen as political and that he had feared it will be pulled by BBC bosses.
A scene from BBC’s The Way, directed by Michael Sheen. The drama has triggered controversy
The actor mentioned he had ‘big sympathy’ for the steelworkers however insisted it was a coincidence that the present he devised in 2016 was launched after the job cuts have been introduced.
‘We wished to get this out shortly,’ he advised The Times. ‘The concern was that if it was too near an election, the BBC would get nervous.’
But the present attracted criticism with one senior Tory MP saying: ‘This is typical politicisation of the BBC’s drama output.
‘Riots and dysfunction and it is all of the fault of the Conservative Party. Sheen ought to simply run for workplace.’
Lee Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield, mentioned: ‘This comes as no shock because the BBC is the official opposition lately.’
