A Cruel Love viewers ‘give up’ just minutes into new ITV drama after major problem
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story viewers were quick to point out an issue just minutes into the new drama as they admitted ‘it’s confusing’.
The four-part series focuses on the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain and the story behind it.
On April 10, 1955, Ellis shot her lover David Blakely outside The Magdala pub in London. She was immediately arrested by an off duty police officer and executed on April 28, the same year.
Ruth and David had been in an abusive relationship for some time, which was a key motivation behind the crime, although this was not given significant consideration by authorities at the time.
The show delved into the relationship between Ruth, who is played by Lucy Boynton and David (Laurie Davidson) and viewers got to see how David was abusive towards her.
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After the shooting, Ruth admitted to the murder and the police believe it to be an open-and-shut case, but things take a turn once Ruth's solicitor John Bickford starts to understand some of what she has suffered.
As Bickford tries to understand how love turned to murder they come to realise that there is more to David's death than meets the eye and he starts to question what Ruth is hiding and why.
Throughout the episode, the show switched from past to present however viewers watching at home didn’t like the concept as they admitted that it was ‘confusing'.
It didn’t take long for fans to share their reaction online as one viewer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Just tried to watch the first episode of #ACruelLove on ITVX What's the thing about switching from past to present in a single scene? It's confusing. Gave up..”
Another wrote: “#acruellove Wish they would just start at the beginning and go through till the end. I hate jumping back and forth to past and present. Confusing. Why would she admit to a murder she didn't do?”
A third commented: “Back and forth, cigarette by cigarette. #acruellove.” Another said: “#acruellove Unpopular opinion but this just isn't gripping me. Too much jumping back and forth and I don't find her likable at all. Hoping the next episode livens up.”
Meanwhile other viewers who tuned in are loving the new series as one fan added: “@ITVX #ACruelLove absolutely brilliant performance from all involved had to watch it all.”
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story premiered on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Wednesday 5th March 2025
