His Dark Materials Divides Viewers With 'Confusing' First Episode

While some complained the adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel was hard to follow, many were full of praise for the big-budget BBC series.
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His Dark Materials made its long-awaited debut on BBC One on Sunday night, but there were mixed feelings about the big-budget adaptation. 

The new series, based on the the trilogy of fantasy novels from Philip Pullman, divided viewers with its first episode, despite glowing reviews from critics.

The show follows a young girl called Lyra, whose quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a secret organisation’s sinister plot, forcing her to protect dangerous secrets as she encounters a number of mythical beings. 

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Ruth Wilson is one of the stars of His Dark Materials
BBC/Bad Wolf/HBO

However, some complained that the events of the first episode were confusing and hard to follow...

But the show still had a large number of fans singing its praises...

And the hard-core fans were pleased the show had (so far) stayed faithful to Pullman’s books...

Although, there was one thing (read: person) in particular certain viewers were enjoying...

His Dark Materials is said to be one of the most expensive British scripted series ever made, with reports claiming it cost £40 million to produce.

The show, which is a co-production between the BBC and US network HBO, also boats an all-star cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy.

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A second series of His Dark Materials has already begun filming
BBC/Bad Wolf/HBO

While only one episode has aired, the BBC and HBO have already committed to a second series, with filming already having begun on the eight additional episodes. 

Series two will see Fleabag star Andrew Scott (aka Hot Priest) joining the cast.

His Dark Materials continues on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One, with the first episode available to watch on BBC iPlayer.