Stacey Solomon ‘horrified’ by BBC viewer fury after sparking ‘defund licence fee’ row with new reality series
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are facing intense backlash following the launch of their new BBC reality show, with viewers branding Swash “useless” after he was five hours late for childcare.
The couple’s series, which began airing on Tuesday, follows their family life at Pickle Cottage in Essex, but sources have since claimed the pair have been left shocked by the negative reaction to the programme, which shows Solomon balancing her career alongside raising their blended family.
The “warts and all” docuseries has prompted harsh criticism on social media, with some viewers expressing sympathy for Solomon while condemning Swash’s behaviour.
The couple reportedly wanted to create a “more down-to-earth version of The Kardashians” but are struggling with the level of criticism after one scene from the show captured Solomon being left fuming after Swash was significantly late picking up their children.
She had been looking forward to her first meeting about creating her debut fragrance, but it was disrupted by her crying children and told the camera: “Joe was supposed to come to this meeting but he’s been delayed indefinitely it seems.”
When Swash finally arrived, he apologised for being 20 minutes late due to traffic, leaving his wife to quickly correct him and point out he was actually closer to five hours late.
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One viewer commented on X: “Watching #staceyandjoe is enough to ensure I never have 5 kids because what is this chaos along with a useless husband.”
Another added: “How hard was it for Joe to be on time!! Gosh, he’s like another child for Stacey!”
A third expressed: “This show is making me exasperated for poor Stacey.”
According to a source close to the couple, Swash is particularly struggling with the criticism and told OK! magazine: “Joe can be very sensitive to criticism and gets very upset by it, so doing the show is not as easy as it seems.”
The source added that while sharing their life “sounds like a great idea in theory”, the reality has proven more challenging and said: “The trolling can be non-stop which then can cause upset in the family.”
Despite being accustomed to sharing their lives on social media, the couple reportedly underestimated the pressures of a primetime BBC One show.
“They are so desperate to be this superfamily who can do it all and share their life with the world. But with that is coming pressures that are difficult to deal with,” the source claimed.
Some viewers have also complained the programme is “utter garbage” and a waste of the TV licence fee – with a further blow being bookmakers predicting a bleak future for the show.
BetIdeas has given odds of 2/7 against Stacey & Joe being renewed for a second series, with the betting company also offering odds of 4/6 that the current series will be dropped from its primetime slot on the BBC.
Spokesperson Shane Orton said: “It’s difficult to remember the last time a high-profile BBC show got such a kicking from the viewers.”
“We think there’s no way that the BBC will film a second series. Especially with the licence fee such a sensitive issue at the moment.”
He added: “They can’t say the show is value for money when so many viewers hate it.”