The Casual Vacancy fake lingerie shop angers Cotswolds visitors: 'It belongs in Amsterdam'

The TV adaptation of JK Rowling's novel is due to air in February on BBC1

Keeley Hawes plays lingerie shop owner Samantha Mollison in The Casual Vacancy (BBC)

A fake lingerie shop set up in a Cotswolds village for the BBC adaptation of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy has been causing uproar with locals.

Samantha’s Boudoir, run by Keeley Hawes’ character, has been branded “wholly unsuitable and degrading” by Painswick visitors, with some formally complaining to the council.

Somewhat amusingly, Rowling’s novel follows the conflict within a picturesque English village and now, the events of her story are being realised.

Director Jonny Campbell revealed at a first episode screening that the team’s arrival on set had irked villagers from the off.

“They said [the underwear store] was a disgrace on the one hand, but on the other a couple of little old ladies with white hair came walking past, looking in the window and said ‘we’ve already got all that stuff’,” he said.

Painswick was chosen for its stunning views and heritage and residents were warned about the filming in advance.

A local parish newsletter reportedly published an article confirming that “not everyone was delighted with the new ‘shop’”, with some tourists describing the window display as looking “like it should be in Soho or Amsterdam rather than in a Cotswold village”.

Complainants have been contacted individually with an explanation about the situation and BBC producers have visited local meetings to help improve relations.

The Casual Vacancy airs on BBC1 on Sunday 15 February at 9pm.