Broadchurch viewers have been in raptures at the return of the acclaimed ITV drama.
They have taken to Twitter in their droves to make the show the top trending subject in the UK.
The hit crime drama starring Olivia Colman and David Tennant as DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy returned to ITV on Monday night with a chilling case of sexual assault.
Viewers have hailed Julie Hesmondhalgh for giving a ‘masterclass in acting’ as she appeared in the first episode of the third series.
Harrowing scenes, in which Trish (Julie) recounts being raped by a mysterious attacker, had the former Coronation Street actress being celebrated as a ‘scene stealer’.
Julie has said she hopes Broadchurch makes “great strides in raising awareness as well as being a good piece of TV drama”.
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She told BBC Breakfast: “[the show was] making it really clear, just by casting me, as an ordinary middle-aged woman, (that) it can happen to anybody obviously, that it isn’t an act of sex, it’s an act of violence”.
The episode also saw Lenny Henry appear as farm shop manager Ed.
This has prompted many viewers to believe that he could be at the centre of the rape allegations.
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There was also a huge spotlight on Trish’s work colleague Cath and her husband Jim, played by Sarah Parish and Mark Bazeley.
What’s for certain is that we are in for a rollercoster ride over the next seven weeks and most were agreed on one thing.
Bring on the second episode!