“Better Than The Hand That Rocks the Cradle?! BBC’s ‘Suspenseful’ 4-Part Thriller About a Mother, a Perfect Au Pair, and a Family Under Siege Is Being Called the Most Addictive Stranger-Danger Drama Since You — Viewers Warn You Won’t Sleep Until You’ve Binged All Four Hours in One Night”! The BBC’s newest French import is already drawing comparisons to The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Netflix’s You, with viewers calling it “a paranoid masterpiece” and “the most gripping psychological thriller of the year.” In just four hour-long episodes, it pulls you into the nightmare of Paula, a mother of three who hires a perfect-seeming au pair, Tess — only to watch her life unravel when accidents, suspicions, and sinister secrets begin to threaten her children. Fans are raving that the twists are so relentless, you’ll stay up until dawn finishing it in one sitting.

he BBC has acquired a new French series, The Intruder, and it sounds like the ultimate quick-binge watch for fans of the thriller genre. The four-parter, which aired in France earlier this year, follows mother-of-three Paula, who hires an au pair, called Tess, to help her as she prepares to return to work after maternity leave. While Tess initially seems like the perfect fit, a series of domestic accidents makes Paula out to be a bad mother, and she becomes paranoid. Is Tess all that she seems?

With just four 60-minute episodes, The Intruder sounds like the ultimate one-night binge, and who doesn’t love a gripping stranger-danger thriller? Keep reading for all we know about the show so far, including the intriguing plot, who stars in the thriller, the creative team behind the drama and what the Head of BBC Programme Acquisition has said about the series.

© BBC

What is The Intruder about?

The series, which is billed as a suspenseful psychological thriller full of twists, sees a mother let a stranger into her home, with unforeseen consequences. The story follows Paula, a mother of three, who is reaching the end of her maternity leave. The synopsis continues: “Paula is supposed to return to work, but is not ready. To help, she hires Tess as an au pair. Tess seems perfect. Everyone adores her. But Paula quickly feels uneasy with the young girl, as a series of domestic accidents makes her appear to be a bad mother. No one believes her when she claims that Tess intends to harm them. Maybe postpartum blues have made her paranoid? Or does Paula herself have something to hide? As for Tess, she didn’t enter their home by chance.”

© Laurent VU/SIPA/Shutterstock

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, teased the show as a “stylish” thriller which will have viewers “addicted” until the end. Sue said in a statement: “The Intruder is a stylish psychological thriller which gradually builds to a nail-biting race against time, ensuring that viewers will be addicted to the very end.”

Who stars in The Intruder?

The thriller, which is created by Nathalie Abdelnour, written by Abdelnour with Nathalie Saugeon and directed by Shirley Monsarrat, stars Mélanie Doutey (Post Partum, Le Bal des actrices) as Paula, alongside Lucie Fagedet (Mr & Mme Adelman, The Sense of Wonder) as Tess. They’re joined by Éric Caravaca (Plot 35, C’est quoi la vie?), who plays Jérôme, and Hélie-Rose Dalmay (Girlsquad) in the role of Camille.

The BBC has yet to announce a release date for The Intruder.