Roadkill viewers blast ‘total cop-out’ ending as they accuse show bosses of ‘giving up’ on series finale
ROADKILL’s finale has left fans “disappointed and confused” – with many claiming the political drama’s bosses ran out of steam before the show wrapped. The BBC series proved to be divisive from its first episode, with many critics accusing the show of political bias and even branding it “anti-Tory propaganda.” Hugh Laurie takes the lead […]
ROADKILL’s finale has left fans “disappointed and confused” – with many claiming the political drama’s bosses ran out of steam before the show wrapped.
The BBC series proved to be divisive from its first episode, with many critics accusing the show of political bias and even branding it “anti-Tory propaganda.”
Hugh Laurie takes the lead as Conservative MP Peter Laurence, while Helen McCrory plays Prime Minister Dawn Ellison, and Pippa Bennett-Warner stars as barrister Rochelle Madeley.
When revelations about Peter’s public and private life come to the surface, his every move are picked apart by his enemies.
We’ll avoid spoilers here, but audiences – some of who had streamed the finale on iPlayer before its air date – were quick to take to Twitter with their complaints.
Some claimed they were left double-taking after realising that episode 4 was the last in the series, moaning that there were too many loose ends.
“Right, anyone other than me watch Roadkill? That ending, is it set-up for another series or did David Hare just give up and think f*** this, I’m bored,” one user fumed.
“I can only assume that production of #Roadkill was impacted by #COVID19 because the ending certainly wasn’t an ending worthy of the description,” a second added.
A third complained: “Tried to watch episode 5 of BBC’s Roadkill only to find it doesn’t exist. Final episode (4) leaves all sorts of storylines just hanging. Good series, v poor ending.”
While a fourth echoed: “Very disappointed with @BBC TV #Roadkill. Really enjoying it and v involved, waiting for episode 5. Oops. Only 4. Ending is the middle of the story – total copout!”
MORE ON ROADKILL
The ending isn’t the only aspect of the show to garner attention.
Fans previously called out a continuity error in one of the show’s sex scenes.
The scene in question shows Peter waking up to a distressing phone call about a tabloid story showing his daughter doing drugs.
It opens with a shot of the pair in bed through a reflection in the mirror and shows Peter lying on the right of Madeleine.
Just watched the last #Roadkill haven’t got a clue what the ending was about and on a side note if he’d have hit that deer at that speed in that car in episode 3 he’d have been decapitated not just have a black eye
—Rach
(@Pink_Flamingo74) November 5, 2020
But when he gets up to take the call and the camera moves away from the mirror, the pair seemed to have swapped sides in the bed.
While many viewers have panned the BBC drama as a ‘Poundland version of House of Cards‘, writer David Hare has insisted none of the characters in Roadkill are based on a true story.
In a press statement, he said: “So much television drama is now based on documentary events that it is hard to remember the primary trigger for fiction is meant to be the imagination.
“My hero, Peter Laurence, is not based on anyone. Nor are the other characters.
Most read in Drama
“Mine is a parallel world to the real one, and there is no secret passage between the two.”
Writer Hare added: “I first worked with Hugh Laurie in 1987 when he set off on his riveting change of direction from adroit comedian to commanding dramatic actor.
“I can’t wait to see him embody the fictional future of the Conservative party in Roadkill.”
Roadkill is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.