ITV viewers were left speechless during the latest instalment of The Blame, after the drama included real-life police group chat messages. The penultimate episode aired on ITV1 on Sunday night (October 4), ahead of the season finale.
Real police messages shock viewers
During the episode, a suspect was brought in for questioning, and DI Emma Crane sought help from an unlikely ally in her search for Sophie's killer. The instalment also revealed messages from a police officer group chat, featuring disturbing comments about women, sickening "jokes" and photographs from crime scenes.
At the start of the episode, a disclaimer was issued, stating: "The offensive words of the police group chat messages shown in this episode are real messages written by UK police officers."
Viewers react on social media
Viewers quickly took to X to share their shock at the inclusion of the real-life messages. One person wrote: "Real life police messages in this ep." Another simply said: "Unbelievable."
A third viewer commented: "Just finished watching #TheBlame. Fabulous stuff but episode 5 shocked me with all the real life messages. Some men are vile and even worse that they were in positions of power." Someone else wrote: "Just finished watching ITV's #TheBlame. Compelling and often shocking."
A fifth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: "The police group chat messages were real, disgusting." Another viewer added: "Just finished watching #TheBlame the new @ITV thriller with Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth. Good twisty storyline, with shocking real life text messages from former UK police officers included. Great cliffhanger ending too, hopefully another series on the way."
Cast and availability
The six-part series stars Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth as DI Emma Crane and DI Tom Radley, who attempt to expose corruption and deep-rooted misogyny within the police force after the death of a teenage girl. The drama has been adapted by Megan Gallagher with co-writers Ashley Sanders and Namsi Khan from the 2023 novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley.
The cast also includes Nathan Mensah as DC Lewis Brimah, Ian Hart as DCI Kenneth Walker, Nigel Boyle as Neil Shergill, Joe Armstrong as Coach Kyle Frasier, and Matilda Freeman as the murder victim Sophie Madsen. Josh Bolt, Gavin Spokes, and Ceallach Spellman round out the main cast. The Blame is available to stream on ITVX.
