Viewers of The Au Pair have blasted the "ridiculous" ending of the Channel 5 drama, which reached its conclusion on Thursday night. The Channel 5 drama saw the peaceful world of Zoe Dalton (Sally Bretton) with her husband Chris (Kenny Doughty) turned upside down when an au pair is hired at the family home.

The French au pair Sandrine (Ludmilla Makowski) stirs trouble and teases her wanting revenge. The series debuted on My5 on Monday (March 10), with Zoe learning Sandrine is her daughter, and her family seems to be coy about the circumstances of her birth.

The finale aired on Thursday evening, with viewers eager to learn the truth about Zoe and Sandrine and why they were apart after so many years.

Chris was arrested by police after it was revealed he had been illegally selling the babies of vulnerable young women to families in France - including his wife's child Sandrine. George (David Suchet) was revealed to have known about the baby, but didn't know his son-in-law had sold his grandchild.

Yet viewers of the Channel 5 drama felt the plot and its ending was "ridiculous" and "rubbish". Many viewers took issues with the basic plot which became unneedlessly complex and over-the-top over the course of the four-part drama.

One viewer said: "Just when I thought The Au Pair couldn't get any more bizarre and nonsensical, the finale tops it off. Zoe's dad gave Sandrine up for adoption; her husband helped him sell her for profit and has been involved in an illegal baby-selling ring for years.

"What a ridiculous show. I'm unsure if I like it."

One disgruntled viewer said: "What a load of absolute cobblers!"

A third person shared: "After My5 finally started to work again, I just finished the final episode of this comedy. What a load of rubbish.

"Decent basic plot turned to ludicrous melodramatic farce. Some decent acting but what a waste. Poirot would have solved it quicker!!"

Another person on social media commented: " All I can say is the cast must have known this was a farce and had a really good laugh making it".

The Au Pair has widely received negative reviews from critics and viewers, who took issue with the plot, acting and various mistakes.

Another scene saw a pregnant Zoe, feeling ill, rushed to the hospital for an emergency scan. Accompanied by Sandrine, Zoe underwent an ultrasound while still wearing her hospital gown-a detail that did not go unnoticed by the audience.

All episodes of The Au Pair are available to stream on streaming service 5.