Rules of the Game viewers were left in tears after their favourite character, Audrey the cat, died in the show.
Watch the heartbreaking clip below:
The BBC drama does not revolve around the lives of animals playing deadly playground games, however. The series stars human actor Maxine Peake as Sam Thompson, a stalwart manager who works at a family business.
Sam arrives in the office one day and finds a dead body in the reception and begins to reflect on some of the shady events at the company.
New HR officer Maya (Rakhee Thakrar) had already started investigating the historic cases of misconduct and the toxic work culture there, but so far Sam has resisted her findings.
Maya has moved into a new house with her Sphynx cat Audrey. The cat goes missing in the first episode, which aired on Tuesday, and Maya searches far and wide to find her beloved pet.
During the search, Maya is invited to have wine and cheese at her neighbour Liz’s (Kate Lamb) house and viewers see that Audrey has actually been hiding in plain site on the bonnet of a blue Mini Cooper.
The next day Maya is still searching for her cat and leaves food outside to try and get her back to no luck.
Viewers were left at the edge of their seats waiting to see if Audrey would be found safe and sound. One viewer tweeted: "If anything happens to Audrey I’m writing to Ofcom."
A second Twitter user shared: "Is Audrey the cat OK? I've been worrying about her since yesterday."
A third wrote: "I’m going to be worried about Audrey now until they show us she’s ok."
It worked and in episode two we see Audrey safely snuggle up in Maya’s living room. But when Sam arrives to apologise about the mess unfolding at work, Audrey runs out of the front door.
Moments later neighbour Liz knocks at the front door with Audrey’s body wrapped in a blanket.
“I left Harriet’s blanket in the car and she [Audrey] was just lying there. She must’ve been run over,” says Liz.
Traumatised, Maya takes Audrey’s body from Liz and carries it indoors.
Viewers at home were heartbroken after realising their favourite character would no longer be on the show.
"Audrey was the only decent actor, now she’s gone, God rest her soul," said one viewer after the upsetting scene aired.
Another Twitter user said: "Justice for Audrey."
A third person tweeted: "Awwwww Audrey."
At the start of the episode, one Audrey fan said: "Is Audrey the cat OK? I've been worrying about her since yesterday."
But after realising her fate, the Twitter user added: "No! Poor Audrey. I knew it."
We love you, Audrey!
All episodes of Rules of the Game are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: TV And Film, BBC, Animals
Gregory Robinson