Celebrity Gogglebox kicked off a brand new series on Friday evening, featuring the likes of Denise van Outen, Rylan Clark and Gyles Brandreth settling down on their sofas to share their views on the week's TV.
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However, many viewers were left feeling uneasy at the start of the programme, thanks to Channel 4's bold new marketing stunt for one of its upcoming dramas.
WATCH: Channel 4's advertisement for The Undeclared War left viewers confused
Right before the new episode of the celebrity spinoff show began, a 'message' from the government headquarters was broadcast, warning viewers of an "imminent cyber-attack" on the UK that "could dismantle our very way of life". The clip also appeared across Channel 4's other channels, including E4, Film4 and More4, at the same time.
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However, as the clip neared its end - and even began to look like it had come under attack from hackers itself by glitching in places - it was revealed that it wasn't a real emergency broadcast at all but an advertisement for new political thriller The Undeclared War.
© Photo: Channel 4The advertisement freaked viewers out
Despite this, viewers took to Twitter in their droves to complain about the terrifying moment. One said: "Excuse me @Channel4 - Is it not against Ofcom rules to broadcast an advert or feature that could be mistaken for a real-life news emergency broadcast....? The Undeclared War advert might have just breached that.. #UndeclaredWar."
Another wrote: "Curious trailer for The Undeclared War on C4 last night. Faux press conference with doomy faces. Wasn't exactly Orson Wells' radio broadcast scaring Americans that the Aliens had landed. But still...."
© Photo: Channel 4Many Gogglebox viewers were left unhappy about the clip
A third added: "I didn't like that advert for the new CH4 show The Undeclared War, it was quite scary until I realised it was Simon Pegg," while many more said they were likewise left confused as to whether the announcement was real or not.
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As well as Mission Impossible actor Simon Pegg, the advert also featured Trigger Point's Adrian Lester, who is set to play the Prime Minister in the new show.
The six-part series, which also stars Ed Stoppard, Kerry Godliman and Mark Rylance, is set in a post-pandemic 2024 as another British general election looms and follows a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ secretly working to ward off a cyber-attack on the country's electoral system.
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