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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Entertainment
Abbie Meehan

BBC Control Room: Viewers divided over first episode of Glasgow-based drama as chaos unfolds

A brand new BBC drama set in Glasgow aired its first episode on Sunday night, and left fans divided over the show.

The first instalment of The Control Room, a three-part thriller, aired at 9pm on BBC One, with the synopsis reading: "Call handler Gabe receives a desperate call from a woman who appears to know him. Under pressure to work out who she is, he makes a decision that may have devastating consequences."

Read more: Gerry Cinnamon fans 'refused entry' to Hampden show after tickets deemed 'invalid'

Main character Gabe, played by Glaswegian actor Iain De Caestecker, spent a majority of the first episode running around the streets of the city in a trance, after a ghost from his past appears in plain sight. The episode was full of twists and turns, from flashbacks to car crashes and even a police chase.

Viewers were split down the middle when it came to The Control Room. One Twitter user said: "Well I know it got a lot negative tweets but I thought that 1st episode of #thecontrolroom was brilliant."

Another wrote: "Please give Iain de Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham every award they are eligible to win for #TheControlRoom, thanks."

And a third said: "#TheControlRoom I quite like how this is going - not sure why so many people don't like it."

Those 'negative tweets' were coming thick and fast after the show concluded at 10pm on Sunday, July 17. One Twitter user wrote: "Watching the Control Room and I’ve already dozed off once. I still don’t understand the point of it so I don’t think I’ll be watching episode 2! #bbc #controlroom #trees."

Another said: "I’ve wasted plenty hours in my life. But that hour spent watching “The Control Room” on BBC 1 is up there, absolutely awful."

And a third wrote: "The BBC can do better - the “The Control Room” is poorly scripted and poorly acted drivel." More comments read: "Sorry BBC but what a load of absolute rubbish … The Control Room … is.

"Life’s too short & too miserable these days to waste on such drivel & following on from 'Westminstenders'! What a diabolical Sunday evenings viewing. Thankfully recorded so now deleted!"

Others disagreed with this statement, as one viewer tweeted: "The Control Room on BBC One started tonight at 9. I'd highly recommend it. The writing and acting are brilliant. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. I'm so looking forward to the next two episodes. :) #TheControlRoom #BBCOne"

And one viewer was solely focused on recognising the streets of Glasgow in the show, writing: "Watching The Control Room on BBC and playing the guess the location game and identifying continuity anomalies: “that’s surely a one way street,” “there’s not a lane near that street”and “why is that suddenly Edinburgh”."

The second episode of The Control Room airs on Monday, July 18 at 9pm on BBC One. All three instalments are available right now on BBC iPlayer, for those who can't wait to see the ending.

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