Viewers mock Sheridan Smith’s Yorkshire accent in Shannon Matthews drama The Moorside despite ‘amazing’ performance
VIEWERS of BBC's Shannon Matthews drama The Moorside have mocked Sheridan Smith's Yorkshire accents, despite praising "amazing" performances of the cast.
The two-part series follows the story of missing Shannon, who was drugged and hidden under a bed by her mother Karen Matthews in a bid to claim the reward money for her return.
It has an all star cast of Sheridan, Downton Abbey’s Siobhan Finnerean and Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan, who plays mum Karen.
And while fans praised the show as a whole, many were baffled by the accents.
One Twitter user wrote: "Is Sheridan meant to be doing a Yorkshire accent? It's just she sounds a little like she's from Carlisle."
While another added: "You just can't fake a Yorkshire accent #Moorside."
And one wrote: "Sheridan's Dewbury accent wasn't up to much was it #Moorside."
However plenty more praised the star as one wrote: "Watching Moorside Sheridan Smith is bloody awesome at anything she does including a Yorkshire accent."
The Moorside retells the harrowing story of the manhunt from the perspective of the friends of Karen Matthews.
Sheridan plays the leading lady of neighbour Julie Bushby, the chair of the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon.
The show immediately had viewers gripped, with fans taking to Twitter to praise the drama and its actors.
They were also impressed by the sensitivity that was taken in portraying such an emotional story that had gripped the nation.
One Twitter user wrote: "Sheridan Smith is absolutely amazing!!"
And one added: "This Shannon Matthews drama is utterly bizarre. Sheridan Smith amazing as per."
One fan said: "This is without doubt the best drama of 2017 so far. #themoorside"
Another commented: "#TheMoorside has been excellent. Great acting from #SheridanSmith as always, and a sensitive portrayal of the local community."
This one tweeted: "Sheridan Smith and Gemma Whelan on #TheMoorside are outstanding. Despite the horrific story, I am really enjoying their performances."
Fans also rushed to praise leading lady Sheridan for her performance.
The story centres around the events of 2008, when schoolgirl Shannon went missing after disappearing after a swimming trip.
Her mum Karen was seen pleading on TV for the safe girl’s return as West Yorkshire Police spent £3.2million to find her safe.
Hundreds of neighbours also joined in the 24-day search for the nine-year-old.
She was eventually discovered drugged inside the base of a double bed in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
It was then revealed that Karen had orchestrated the plot, so she could bag the £50,000 reward money with her accomplice Michael Donovan.
When is The Moorside next on BBC and what is it about?
Episode two of The Moorside will air on Tuesday 14 February at 9pm.
For anyone who missed the first part of the show, you can catch up now using BBC's iPlayer.
The Moorside retells the story of the manhunt from the perspective of the friends of Karen Matthews.
Sheridan Smith plays neighbour Julie Bushby, the chair of the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon.
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