Channel 5 viewers were left cringing while watching the new drama The Teacher starring Sheridan Smith, with many predicting her character is guilty after she was accused of sleeping with a pupil.
Sheridan returned to screens in the new four-part psychological thriller on Channel 5, which aired its first episode on Monday evening.
The star, 40, who became a TV mainstay after roles in Gavin & Stacey and most recently Four Lives, plays senior school teacher Jenna Garvey in the new series.
The first episode saw emotionally troubled Jenna numbing her pain with drinks and hazy nights out - but when she celebrates a promotion with a boozy night at a club, Jenna is accused of an illicit relationship with one of her 15-year-old pupils, Kyle, played by Ackley Bridge star Samuel Bottomley.
A colleague at the school tells her: “There’s been a report of inappropriate behaviour between yourself and a pupil. I need you to stay away from the school.”
But Jenna blacked out the night, forcing her to unearth the truth about what happened herself before the scandal wreaks more havoc on her life.
As the Channel 5 drama left the outcome of her night out at club Lazarus unclear, many viewers took to Twitter to theorise whether or not she was guilty.
One said: "#theteacher on second thoughts...it looks like she's guilty"
Another social media user wrote: "Anybody watching #TheTeacher on Channel 5 and can feel their skin crawling? Horrid."
Another tweeted: "What ever happens to her from now is her mess, cause why is she flirting with a child. If I’m in a club and a 15-year-old comes there, I’m out #TheTeacher"
One wrote: "that club scene made me feel ill just looking at it #TheTeacher", while another said: "anyone else watching behind their hands.. #theteacher"
Another tweeted: "Jenna has the right to go out gallivanting every night if she so chooses, but when it interferes with her school life, and it leads to accusation of sexual assault, it's a whole different ball game #TheTeacher"
Many Channel 5 viewers also flagged her "inappropriate" behaviour earlier in the episode with pupil Kyle.
One wrote: "Even if she didn't sleep with the kid she's so inappropriate on so many levels #TheTeacher"
Another said: "Even IF she didn't sleep with the boy, she has behaved inappropriately on all levels. Does she not get that?!Taking shots with these kids, going into a cubicle with one of her students. Like, where is the code of conduct?? #TheTeacher"
A third tweeted: "How does she get away with eyeing up her student like a piece of rump steak ?#TheTeacher", while a viewer wrote: "Well creepy the way she looks at him #TheTeacher"
However, some fans had other theories with potential twists in mind, with one suggesting the student Kyle "isn’t so innocent" and may have "spiked" his teacher.
The Channel 5 drama also features Sharon Rooney of My Mad Fat Diary fame, former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, and Black Mirror ’s Cecelia Noble as staff at Jenna’s school.
Sheridan said she wanted to be involved in the series after being “gripped” by the script.
She said: “Jenna is such a complex character, there are so many layers to her and I love the fact that you don't know if she's telling the truth or not.
“All these twists and turns came along in the story that I did not expect, and I couldn't put it down, which is rare – I read it all in one go.”
The Teacher will air on Channel 5 at 9pm nightly from Monday January 31 to Thursday February 4.
