The Replacement viewers hit out at ‘disappointing’ and ‘rushed’ final episode

The Replacement came to a frantic conclusion as the tense rivalry between Morven Christie’s Ellen and Vicky McClure’s Paula reached a crescendo.

While the first two episodes of the BBC drama left viewers asking if Ellen was merely paranoid or whether Paula was really out to get her, we finally got an answer in Episode 3.

Opting for the pulpier answer, Paula was revealed to be – spoiler alert – the architect of Ellen’s maternity woes after all, and the killer of her boss Kay.

Not only that, but Paula’s supposed daughter turned out to be her niece, following the revelation that her actual daughter had passed away.

From there, the final instalment of the one-off drama series kicked into overdrive, with a tense ending that saw Paula force Ellen to take an overdose of sleeping pills and kidnap her baby.

Ellen managed to pull through while Paula was caught and confessed to her actions.

Some viewers were unimpressed with the OTT conclusion to the tense thriller, labelling it ‘disappointing’ and ‘rushed’.

One even claimed it was ‘the worst ending ever’, calling the final moments a ‘real let down’.

Some viewers did seem to enjoy the ‘gripping’ conclusion though.

While some felt the ending left room for a second series, the show’s creator Joe Ahearne has claimed that The Replacement is ‘self-contained’ and won't be back.

Speaking to the Radio Times, he said: “It’s very much a self-contained drama.

“I am very much a fan of beginning, middle and end, and quite a lot of drama on telly both here and in America they want it to be all middle. They like it to go on forever.

“I think it’s quite good to leave people wanting more. And also, I think it would be quite difficult to get those two characters together without either amnesia or plastic surgery.”

BBC One, 9pm