Graham Cherry

After all the hype and expectation I'm afraid I was left disappointed. I couldn't help comparing this first episode to the film version and thinking the film was better in almost every way. The casting is very strange and smacks off BBC correctness. Can't help thinking James McEvoy & Ruth Wilson ) have been enlisted to give it some pulling power (although Daniel Craig & Nicole Kidman were more convincing in my humble opinion) and having a mega budget for special effects does not make up for the disjointed direction. And why did the first episode finish 5 minutes early to be followed by 5 minutes worth of "highlights" from next weeks episode. Another in a growing list of BBC drama disappointments I fear. If episode 2 is no better I think I'll stick to the book. Would be very interested to hear Philip Pullman's thoughts.