New BBC drama Gunpowder aired last night and it’s got viewers hot under the collar.
And that’s not because its lead actor, Kit Harrington of Game Of Thrones fame, has quite the female following, it’s because the graphic and brutal scenes were just too much for some people.
The period drama chronicling the attempt to blow up the House of Lords in 1605 stars Kit as Robert Catesby, the mastermind of the whole plot.
Many fans had tuned in just to see Kit, but the shock of just how brutal life was in the 17th century had people hiding behind their sofa cushions.
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Scenes included a young priest being hung drawn and quartered alive, and a lady being stripped naked, tortured and crushed to death.
Sharing their thoughts on Twitter, many said they really didn’t need to see such graphic detail.
But there were plenty more who loved it and felt the Beeb was doing exactly the right thing being so explicit in its portrayal of how awful things were back then.
A few hit out at those moaning, suggesting they just switched off.
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The drama, which also stars Liv Tyler, is set over three parts, and Kit is a producer as well as the star.
He recently told The Press Association: “I was involved from the very start. I understand now what they mean when they say it’s my baby.”