The BBC’s latest drama, Gunpowder, has been lauded by viewers following the airing of the first episode.

The three-part drama stars Game Of Thrones actor Kit Harington as Robert Catesby, a Warwickshire man who was the mastermind behind the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5 in 1605.

Viewers on Twitter labelled the early action “gory” but praised it for not censoring the more gruesome parts of history.

Jackie Saunders wrote: “#Gunpowder: gory, graphic & gripping.Loved it but feeling a bit queasy from early scenes so will need a week to recover for next episode.”

Lisa Higgs tweeted: “What a superb new show – totally gripping.”

@Temny5 posted: “Full of blood and Gore, Fantastic performance from Kit Harrington one of my favs.”

Others shared the sentiment and praised Harington for his depiction of Catesby, who is one of his ancestors.

Jen Sullivan tweeted: “Great start to new BBC series Gunpowder tonight..Solid acting all around including GOT star #Kit Harington.”

And another viewer posted: “At least we had Kit Harington to take our minds of the gore.”