The first instalment of a fresh take on Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations aired on BBC One tonight, with fans left unimpressed by one major aspect of the new series. The 18th retelling of the Victorian novel sees Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman play the role of jilted bride Miss Havisham and adds a darker tinge that's laced with sex, violence and swearing.
Viewers across the country tuned in to see Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight's version of events unfold, although not everyone was thrilled about the Wiltshire-filmed series finally landing on screens tonight, March 26. Whilst some were excited to see Great Expectations through a different lens, others slammed the BBC for adapting the novel for television a second time within a decade.
Prior to tonight's first episode, a trailer had been released by the BBC, depicting the darker, sexier themes of the new series, with Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) starring as lovesick Pip with Shalom Brune-Franklin (War of the Worlds) as his Estella. But some viewers criticised the new retelling shortly after it began airing, due to one seemingly fatal flaw.
