Wolf Hall returned to our screens after almost a decade on Sunday night with its sequel series, The Mirror and the Light, and viewers have wasted no time giving their opinions on social media.
Starring Mark Rylance, the period drama traces the final four years of Thomas Cromwell's life, completing his climb to power and wealth under the reign of King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis).
It's safe to say that viewers were delighted with the series opener, with many saying the new period drama was worth the ten-year wait.
One person penned: "First episode of #WolfHall didn’t disappoint! Can’t wait to watch rest. Brilliant," while another added: "It was everything I hoped for and more. Brilliant. Haunting. Congratulations all round."
© Jay BrooksLeading actors Mark and Damien received high praise from fans, who hailed their performances as "brilliant".
One person wrote: "My god, @MarkRylance as Thomas Cromwell, the most powerful and mesmerising TV I've ever seen. Utterly the best actor, script and cinematography I've seen in many years. Can’t stand to see the demise of TC but what a show," while another remarked: "Well, we've all waited a VERY long time for the BBC sequel to the incredible #WolfHall Damien Lewis and Mark Rylance are brilliant. The costumes and locations are perfect and @wisemandebbie's music is perfect (again)."
© Playground Entertainment / Nick Briggs / BBCA third fan penned: "Just watched #WolfHall on BBC. It is fantastic. Mark Rylance brilliant, Damien Lewis an unexpected Henry VIII and the rest of the cast outstanding. Fabulous production. Beautifully directed, the claustrophobia of the court with real undercurrent of threat throughout."
For those yet to tune into the drama, it picks up where Wolf Hall ended in 1536 with Anne Boleyn dead and Cromwell continuing his journey to power, while his ruthless master King Henry VIII settles to "short-lived happiness" with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
© Nick BriggsThe synopsis continues: "Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry having executed his queen, no one is safe.
© Nick Briggs"Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune's wheel turns, Cromwell's enemies are gathering in the shadows.
© Nick BriggsThe synopsis concludes: "The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry's cruel and capricious gaze?"
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light continues on Sunday 17 November at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
