Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash’s new BBC reality show debuted last night – but viewers have been left firmly on the fence.
The six-part series, titled Stacey & Joe, follows the Sort Your Life Out host at her Pickle Cottage home, where she lives with her blended family.
Stacey shares son Rex, five, daughter Rose, three, and two-year-old Belle with husband Joe Swash. She’s also mum to sons Zachary, who recently turned 17, and Leighton, who will be 13 next month. Meanwhile, Joe is also dad to son Harry from a previous relationship.
But just one episode in, and some viewers have switched off already…
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash airs on BBC
The first episode of Stacey & Joe debuted last night (April 1) on BBC One.
During the instalment, the couple celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary with a meal with their loved ones.
They also found out Stacey had bagged two NTA nominations, and a row broke out between Stacey and son Zachary, following a party he threw at Pickle Cottage…
Viewers got a glimpse into Stacey and Joe’s romance too, with the pair clashing when Joe was hours late for Stacey’s important meeting…
But fans watching at home were quick to share their complaints.
Joe Swash called out
Many viewers slammed Joe’s “frustrating” behaviour on the BBC’s Stacey & Joe. First up, he headed out all afternoon, while Stacey was setting up the anniversary meal. He was also seen using a spoon to butter some toast, which didn’t go down well with viewers.
He also went on an overnight fishing trip with his mates and came home five hours late for Stacey’s important work meeting. As well as that, he was tasked with buying nappies for their holiday, and forgot.
As a result, viewers had a lot to say.
Switched off.
“Joe is frustrating! How does he keep forgetting things!” fumed one person on X.
Another added: “Firstly, I love Sort Your Life Out and I like Stacey Solomon. Joe Swash hmm. I wasn’t going to watch #staceyandjoe, but I gave it a try.”
“No, no, and absolutely no. Seeing Swash spreading butter on toast with a spoon was more than I could bear. Switched off,” said another.
Other angry Stacey & Joe viewers shared their thoughts too on X.
“I don’t pay a TV licence to have this utter garbage on my TV. And, the funny thing is, you’d take me to court if I stopped paying it. Do better than this utter tripe, which I didn’t watch. I didn’t have to, to know it was nonsense,” a user wrote.
Someone else declared that they want their “TV license money back” and fumed: “Hope you are proud of yourself @bbc giving a show to #staceyandjoe when they exploit their young kids for money when they can’t give their consent. I would like my TV licence money back now, please.”
Stacey praised on BBC show
It wasn’t all negative though! There were plenty of fans who loved Stacey’s new show.
“Don’t know much about #staceyandjoe but loved the first ep. Nice to watch another chaotic family like my own,” said one person.
Someone else penned: “Absolutely love these guys, such a lovely family. I was cracking up at their holiday antics. Well worth a watch.”
A third wrote: “Pleasantly surprised by @StaceySolomon and Joe. Can’t wait until next week.”
Another declared: “I really enjoyed #staceyandjoe! Yes they’re fortunate to have all they have but they’ve worked for it so fair play. Their family life, although a lot bigger than mine, wasn’t glossed up.. we have two teenage sons, I get it. It was refreshingly honest!”
Joe Swash son ‘missing’
Meanwhile, other viewers were left baffled as several family members were missing from the show, including Stacey’s mum Fiona. Stacey has previously revealed that Fiona isn’t a fan of the spotlight.
The episode also opened with the couple talking about their five children. However, during the episode, Joe’s son Harry was not seen and did not get mentioned. Joe shares Harry with ex Emma Sophocleous.
“Also, family of five? What about mentioning Joe’s son Harry,” mused one person on X.
Another said: “Also Joe saying ‘five kids’ in the intro bit totally forgetting he has a son of his own.”
Why was Joe Swash son missing?
Stacey previously shared why Harry sometimes doesn’t appear in family photos on social media.
“I got loads and loads of comments, and I get these comments quite a lot, asking about all of our children in my photos,” she previously said. Unfortunately it’s not something I’m able to do, otherwise I’d do it all the time. All the kids are a massive part of our lives, obviously, and we love them all equally and adore them and, behind the scenes, they’re very much on every stocking, in every book, in every photo.”
She added: “But publicly that’s not something that I can do and I totally respect that. We respect everyone’s wishes, we’re a blended family and sometimes that’s a bit more complicated than it seems. I don’t know if that’s the best way to explain it!”
Stacey & Joe continues on BBC One Tuesdays at 8pm.
So what do you think of Stacey and Joe? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.