ITV has axed its crime drama Out There after just one series, with lead actor Martin Clunes revealing he was “keen to do it”, although the show failed to attract enough viewers.
Clunes starred as Welsh farmer Nathan, whose family is drawn into a violent county lines drugs operation.
He said: “We were keen on doing a second series but ITV aren’t, it seems. It didn’t quite pull the numbers they wanted, unfortunately.”
An ITV spokesperson said: “We are really proud of Out There and would like to thank Martin and the production team for delivering a brilliant series.”
“We do always hope to see our series return and we are sorry we didn’t get this drama to connect with a big enough audience to see that happen.”
Despite Clunes’ hopes for a second series, the show struggled with backlash over its violent content- particularly a grim murder scene in episode three.
In this episode, viewers saw Nathan’s son Johnny (played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis) stab a drug dealer to death after a failed rape attempt.
However, some viewers called the scenes “gratuitous” and “too violent and dark,” with some comparing it unfavorably to Clunes’ long-running role in Doc Martin.
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One viewer tweeted: “Yeah. That was awful and gratuitous. Doc Martin is suddenly seeming very appealing.”
“Omg, he’s killed him, there’s so much blood…” another wrote, while others mocked the show’s unrealistic clean-up scenes, with viewers calling it “slapdash” and “far-fetched.”
One person said: “They’re lucky they don’t live in Luton. The Bedfordshire Constabulary would be all over that slapdash clean-up job.”
Another chimed in: “That clean-up job won’t fool SOCO… They wouldn’t have a chance of getting away with that.”
Additionally, viewers took to social media to bash Clunes’ Welsh accent. Fans claimed the 63-year-old Wimbledon native had got the dialect wrong.
“As a Welsh person, this welsh accent is poor. Martin, you’re great but the accent is really off putting. I can’t watch it #OutThere,” one person shared.
Another admitted: “Really wanted to watch this but I’m not getting it so far & Martin’s attempt at a Welsh accent is grating #OutThere.”
“Uh oh…. Dodgy Welsh accent alert! #outthere,” a third commented.
Ultimately, the mix of graphic violence, far-fetched storylines, and questionable accents left viewers cold, with one viewer summing it up: “#Out There is a little bit… out there.” (sic)
