Viewers switch off after being left 'traumatised' by new BBC drama starring Keeley Hawes

People are saying they've been left 'traumatised' by a new BBC drama that debuted this week.

Crossfire, the hard-hitting BBC series starring Keeley Hawes, 46, tells the story of a tourist whose relaxing holiday to a luxury resort in the Canary Islands gets turned upside down at the hands of a gunman.

Check out the trailer for it here:

A synopsis of the thrilling new TV series reads: "Sunbathing on her hotel room balcony while on a dream holiday with her family and friends, Jo’s world is turned upside down when shots ring out across the complex.

"Gunmen, out for revenge, have, in an instant, turned a slice of paradise into a terrifying heart-breaking hell.

"A story of survival and resilience, Crossfire is an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting thriller yet also emotional, intimate and relatable.

"With the unsuspecting holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make monumental split-second life or death decisions, the consequences will linger long after the final shots are fired."

The three-part series, written by Louis Doughty, has been met with rather mixed reviews since episode one first aired on Tuesday night.

While some viewers have been raving about the 'thrilling' storyline and the 'amazing' performances, others admitted that they had to 'turn off' the new drama.

One person complained: "As if covid hasn't hurt the tourism industry enough, the BBC is currently putting me off ever going to a holiday resort ever again."

A second tweeted: "Mother of god, just had to turn off new drama #crossfire on BBC1 - way too traumatic for me."

Meanwhile a third admitted: "Never knew how long I could hold my breath for. Turns out it’s an hour."

And a fourth joked: "I think I actually just passed away #Crossfire".

Others couldn't help but point out that the plot of Crossfire is eerily similar to the horrific 2015 Sousse attacks in Tunisia, where 38 tourists were shot dead at a hotel.

"This is a bit too close to what happened in Tunisia #crossfire", tweeted one concerned viewer.

Another noted: "Just watched New #BBC Drama #Crossfire and can't help but feel it's a little insensitive to make a drama out of those" who lost their lives in Tunisia Beach shootings especially."

Crossfire also stars Josette Simon, Anneika Rose, Lee Ingleby, Daniel Ryan, Vikash Bhai, Hugo Silva, Alba Brune, Shalisha James-Davis and Ariyon Bakare.

Crossfire continues on Wednesday 21 September at 9pm on BBC One.