It arrived on BBC on Sunday night after a lot of hype, but it took just moments for many viewers to make the same complaint about new Sean Bean. And it's all to do with the show's theme tune, with some annoyed online critics claiming they had to turn it off.
Just over a year on from his critically acclaimed and BAFTA award winning star turn in gritty prison drama Time, Sean is back on the BBC in the new show, with the Marriage cast also including The Split and Unforgotten star Nicola Walker, herself a big favourite with fans and critics alike. The acting greats play opposite each other as married couple Ian and Emma, who have been together for 30 years.
Marriage looks at the highs and lows and tender moments and squabbles of their long-standing relationship, with Sunday's first episode featuring a rather bizarre argument about a jacket potato as the couple were boarding a plane to head home from a holiday abroad. There was also a rather fraught exchange between Ian and the new boyfriend of the couple's daughter Jessica.
And, while many viewers reckon there is more to that tension that meets the eyes, it is the music used at the beginning and end of the show that has become the biggest talking point on Twitter. Not in keeping with anything else in Marriage, the theme involves people loudly saying instructions like 'to the side' and 'around', with other dialogue also being heard at the same time as the drama's title flashed up on screen.
Some disgruntled BBC viewers took exception to the music from the get-go, with others racing to Twitter after it was reprised at the end to air their frustration and confusion. One ranted: "To the side, to the make it f**king stop…..," with another, in firm agreement, tweeting: "don't know about "to the side" or "to the middle", but this music can get "in the bin."
Being slightly more open minded about whether or not to stick with the show, a third posted: "What’s with the ‘around the side, through the middle, around and around’ nonsense. Had to turn the sound off, hurt my ears. Having said that, I’m into it. There’s obviously more to be revealed as to why Sean is being a bit creepy."
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