Sheridan Smith hailed over Shannon Matthews case dramatisation The Moorside – But fans slam attempts at Yorkshire accent

Sheridan Smith has been lauded for her lead role in a BBC drama based on the Shannon Matthews kidnapping hoax.

The Bafta award-winning actress made a compelling return to television on Tuesday evening in the first part of The Moorside as the mother who led the community search for the nine-year-old almost a decade ago.

Viewers heaped praise on Sheridan for her “stunning” portrayal of Julie Bushby, although a number of fans complained over the show’s “awful” Yorkshire accents.

Fans of Sheridan’s performance included I’m A Celebrity winner Scarlett Moffatt and glamour model Jodie Marsh.

Schoolgirl Shannon was discovered 24 days after she disappeared from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, hidden and drugged at her stepfather’s uncle’s home, less than a mile away.

Her mother, Karen Matthews, was jailed after a court heard that she planned the 2008 disappearance in an attempt to claim a cash reward.