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Rellik or Liar? Viewers deliver their verdict on BBC and ITV dramas

Rellik or Liar? Viewers deliver their verdict on BBC and ITV dramas

Both were brand new dramas, both were written by the creators of The Missing, and both had pretty different reactions from RadioTimes.com readers...

Rellik Liar BBC ITV

Frances Taylor

Published: Tuesday, 12 September 2017 at 9:20 am

So, which one did you watch: Rellik or Liar?

Fans of British drama were left torn on Monday night when BBC1 and ITV went head-to-head in the schedules with two brand new dramas, Rellik and Liar.

The decision was made all the more difficult because both were from the same production company and the same writers - The Missing creators Harry and Jack Williams.

But which mysterious crime drama came out on top?

According to the majority of RadioTimes.com readers, ITV's Liar starring Joanne Froggat and Ioan Gruffudd proved the more gripping, enjoyable and understandable of the two.

Rellik by contrast, a story of a serial killer told in reverse, proved a little trickier for viewers to get to grips with. Check out some of the reactions online below.

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Reader Sheila Stone, who said she opted for Rellik on Facebook, described it as "slow, tedious and boring" and with a "terrible cliche of the older detective with a much younger sidekick who's his lover! Hard to feel any interest in the characters."

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Many others said that Rellik was "too weird" and "too much like hard work", with Andrea Meling commenting: "Turned Rellik off half way through - the rewind thing was annoying and the story full of cliches."

However, some enjoyed the Richard Dormer and Jodi Balfour series, and the chance to see a crime drama told in a different way

Vicky Hurst wrote on Facebook: "Watched Rellik and unlike most I really enjoyed it. Loved the rewinds bringing you bits of the story in a different way. Look forward to seeing where the plot is going next week."

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The majority of the favourable comments about the two dramas did however go to Liar.

Fray Street said: "Very well written and acted. Can't decide who I think might be lying. I feel really sorry for both characters," while Nicole Bush said she was "hooked" by the ITV drama.

"Watched Liar, can't resist a bit of Hornblower on my TV," said Jenna Hill. "Also it did interest me more with the plot idea."

Lesley Dickinson was less impressed with Liar. "The plot is outdated," she said. "A surgeon with a god complex. A needy teacher. All evidence relying on DNA? Yawn! And the sister I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. It's a like a photo copy of a photo copy."

At the time of writing, a RadioTimes.com poll on Twitter found that 62 per cent of followers chose to watch Liar over the 38 per cent who plumped for BBC1's Rellik.

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Twitter users too found the Rellik time flip tricky – and, according to one viewer, "tedious".

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Although others appreciated the fact that the drama forced viewers to "think a bit more".

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Liar on ITV had viewers working hard too, trying to piece together who exactly is lying.

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Still not sure what to choose? Well, there's always the chance to catch up. Rellik is now available on BBC iPlayer, Liar on ITV Hub.

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Authors

Frances Taylor wears a black open-necked shirt, is smiling and looking at the camera

Frances Taylor

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