The BBC’s latest drama, Two Weeks in August, premiered on Saturday night.
Written and created by Catherine Shepherd, the eagerly anticipated series boasts a stellar cast and centres on a group of friends who reunite for a summer getaway.
“Set in Greece, Two Weeks in August tells the story of a woman who goes on holiday with her family and friends to rediscover joy in her life. But here in paradise, what starts with an illicit kiss quickly turns the dream vacation into a nightmare,” reads the official synopsis.
“Zoe begins to act on her deepest desires and the holiday she hoped for becomes a reckoning for a group of adults who refuse to grow up. When they discover they are trapped on the island, and become faced with real life-or-death situations, the group soon turn on each other to find out who is to blame.
“Is Zoe responsible for the drama and destruction around her or, as heaven turns to hell, are bigger forces at play? We are in Greece after all, the land of the ancient Gods…”
View 3 ImagesTwo Weeks in August premiered on the BBC(Image: Various Artists Limited/BBC/Robert Viglasky)
Heading up the cast is Call the Midwife favourite Jessica Raine, who steps into the lead role of Zoe. The cast also includes Damien Molony, Hugh Skinner, Tom Goodman-Hill, Leila Farzad, Nicholas Pinnock, and Antonia Thomas.
The first two episodes premiered on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday night (May 23), with viewers quickly sharing their frustration on social media.
“They’re all loathsome so I’ve given up halfway into the first episode,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter), with another adding: “Not grabbing me so far, really weird.”
A third said: “Another boring predictable story,” with another viewer similarly sharing: “Two Weeks in August is dire and boring! Not even filmed in Greece but filmed in Malta. We gave it 20 minutes.”
Someone else commented: “I’m finding #TwoWeeksInAugust a very uncomfortable watch,” with a sixth viewer writing: “What the hell is this rubbish.”
Meanwhile, other viewers noticed an issue with the sound, with one person writing: “Why, in all BBC dramas, is the sound so muffled & unintelligible, it’s such a struggle.”
View 3 ImagesCall the Midwife star Jessica Raine leads the cast(Image: Various Artists Limited/BBC/Colin Hutton)
Another added: “Sound is so muffled. Can’t hear what anyone is saying. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll be switching off.”
While many viewers issued complaints, there were others who enjoyed the drama. “Quite enjoying this,” someone wrote, with another adding: “SO nice to see Jessica Raine in Two Weeks in August on BBC1. We don’t see her often.”
The drama opened with Zoe and her family arriving on a remote Greek island to reunite with friends, but her husband Dan’s dark secret soon threatened to ruin everything. At the end of the first episode, a hedonistic first night party set off a chain of events that would change the group forever.
The holidaymakers later took an ill-fated group trip, with Zoe trying to pretend that her husband’s late-night kiss didn’t mean anything. However, Dan’s behaviour threatened to push her over the edge.
What happens next? Fans can either binge-watch all eight episodes on iPlayer to find out, or wait until new instalments air every Saturday night on BBC One.
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Two Weeks in August is available to stream on BBC iPlayer