ITV’s controversial child-swap thriller Playing Nice has proved too triggering for some viewers. But it’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to television crossing a line

With controversial ITV baby swap drama Playing Nice, it’s becoming increasingly clear that your mileage will vary depending on your stomach for its premise. It revolves around a pair of children who were mistakenly swapped at birth, and the agony the subsequent discovery puts their parents through. It taps into a primal, gut-wrenching fear so profound that I know a lot of people – all parents, it must be said – who won’t even consider watching it.

I have to confess that I’m enjoying Playing Nice, especially the gleeful way it becomes quite self-consciously barmy. But for many others it is a step too far. Even the show’s star, Niamh Algar, acknowledged this in an interview with the Times last week: “Any parent who is going to watch this is going to be terrified.” For many, a baby swap is a line in the sand, and that’s final.