Policeman DS Nick Bailey, who is portrayed by Rafe Spall in new BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings, has hit back at viewers who complained about his wife Sarah’s behaviour.
Airing across consecutive nights on BBC One, the three-part drama is a retelling of the public health crisis that followed the nerve agent attacks in Salisbury, Wiltshire in 2018.
What happened in episode two?
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In the second episode, shown last night (Monday, June 15), Wiltshire Council’s director of public health, Tracy Daszkiewicz (Anne-Marie Duff) and Supt Dave Minty (Darren Boyd) watched bodycam footage of DS Bailey walking through the Skripal house. They realised he and the Skripals were poisoned by Novichok present on the property’s front door.
While Nick was left fighting for his life in hospital, his wife Sarah (Annabel Scholey) tried to remain calm for the sake of their two daughters.
In emotional scenes, Sarah desperately tried to calm her husband down as he deliriously shouted for his kids from his hospital bed.
Later, the mum-of-two took the children to hospital to visit their dad. She was kept waiting, so she sent the girls home with their granddad.
Two people later arrived and told Sarah they were assigned as family liaison officers.
They insisted that Sarah and the kids couldn’t return to their home, telling her: “They have to test in there, Sarah. The stuff could be inside, on Nick’s clothes…”
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But Sarah told them no. “We’ve been living there for a week,” she argued.
The family liaison officers said they made arrangements for the Baileys to stay in a hotel but Sarah refused. She then rushed past them and the nurse in the hallway to see her husband, who pleaded with her to leave out of fear of contaminating her.
What did viewers say?
On Twitter, one viewer said: “Why was the cop’s wife being such an idiot?”
Another tweeted: “The wife is a bit silly, did the real person act like this?”
A third wrote: “#TheSalisburyPoisonings policeman’s wife doesn’t seem very respectful of the potential danger of the nerve agent!”
“I hope it’s not how it really happened,” said a fourth. “But Sarah seems really stupid over this.”
How did Nick respond?
Why was the cop's wife being such an idiot? #TheSalisburyPoisonings
— LittleMoorhen (@LittleMoorhen) June 15, 2020
The wife is a bit silly did the real person act like this #TheSalisburyPoisonings
— maggie cooper (@maggiecooper12) June 15, 2020
I hope it's not how it really happened but Sarah seems really stupid over this #TheSalisburyPoisonings
— Debbie Blackman (@DebbieBlackma14) June 15, 2020
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The real-life Nick Bailey took to Twitter to hit back at the negative comments.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of negativity towards my wife regarding episode two and the way she handled it,” he said. “Those scenes with Sarah could never truly reflect the extreme emotion and trauma she went through that day. Cut her some slack and be kind.”
One Twitter user told him: “What you guys went through is my worst nightmare. You’re both incredible, don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
Someone else replied: “I’d hope also that reasonable people would realise that this is dramatised. [It’s] not a minute-by-minute reconstruction of every single event. But some people aren’t reasonable. Best wishes.”
I’ve seen quite a bit of negativity towards my wife regarding episode 2 and the way she handled it. Those scenes with Sarah could never truly reflect the extreme emotion and trauma she went through that day. Cut her some slack and be kind. #TheSalisburyPoisonings @SarahBailey3
— Nick Bailey (@DSNickBailey) June 15, 2020
What you guys went through is my worst nightmare. You’re both incredible, don’t let anyone tell you any different.
— Faye Tryhorn (@fayetryhorn) June 15, 2020
I’d hope also that reasonable people would realise that this is dramatised and not a minute by minute reconstruction of every single event. But some people aren’t reasonable.
Best wishes. 👍— Ian McClellan (@ianmac67_SE) June 15, 2020
– The Salisbury Poisonings concludes tonight (Tuesday, June 16) at 9pm on BBC One
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