ITV viewers have complained about "dark and dingy" scenes in its latest drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.
The four-part series about John Darwin, now 71, who faked his own death in a kayak accident to claim life insurance in 2002, has left viewers squinting at their screens this month.
One viewer said their TV looked "pitch black" during a recent episode, with them further commenting about it: "I literally can't see The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe."
They weren't alone in their disappointment though, with another expressining frustration, writing: "Why is it so dark! I feel like I should adjust my tv, it's very distracting."
The new ITV drama - which continues tonight - was filmed on location in Seaton Carew, within County Durham, where the real life John and his wife Anne Darwin, now 69, lived.
One viewer has said that the show's representation "isn't what the North East looks like," with them adding that the production has "made [the area] look dark and dingy."
Others said the seaside resort had been made to look "bleak," with one viewer saying: "Never been to the North East, but ITV are determined to make it into some grey dark dingy s*** hole resembling the USSR.”
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Eddie Marsan, 53, who plays John, and Monica Dolan, 53, as Anne, have been praised for their performances in the new series, written by acclaimed screenwriter Chris Lang.
It tells how the Darwins claimed £500,000 insurance and lied to their sons that John was dead. They then moved to Panama, but John returned to the UK in 2007, telling police he had amnesia.
The Mirror broke the story, publishing a photo of John and Anne at a Panama estate agent in 2006, when John was presumed dead.
The couple were jailed for six years. The series was inspired by a book by ex- Mirror reporter David Leigh.
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe continues tonight on ITV at 9pm. You can catch-up now through the ITV Hub.
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