The Au Pair (review)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 25 March 2025

CONTAINS SPOILERS!

There’s thrilling twists and turns in this fast-paced Channel 5 original drama.

Zoe is struggling to adapt to her role as stepmum in the family with her husband Chris and his children Amber and Noah, especially as she lost her own child at birth as a teen and has desperately wanted her own since. The family hires French au pair Sandrine, though the young woman brings with her a sinister motive.

Initially, the plot sounds similar to prior Channel 5 drama The Cuckoo as both feature a family who welcome a stranger with a secret agenda into their home, though it soon outperforms the former.

The pacing is very rapid with many events happening per episode and progression occurring earlier than expected in places, so much so that it is surprising everything was fitted into the four-part miniseries, which makes for constant compelling viewing. When the family discovers that Sandrine is evil and she reveals that she is Zoe’s daughter, neither revelation was expected this early on and the remainder of the series cleverly takes a different path. Furthermore, George’s role in the adoption followed by Chris’ involvement in the true operation keeps the narrative in high gear and the drama continues until the final moments as Chris is arrested in front of his family.

Sarah Bretton earns praise for her performance, particularly the scene in which her mother reveals that her baby didn’t die, as does Ludmilla Makowski for portraying both convincing malice (which draws comparison to Killing Eve’s Villanelle) and vulnerability.

Without a lull, this miniseries is truly gripping and supersedes expectations from a Freeview production.

8/10