His Dark Materials suffers second week slump but continues to dominate competition

It is likely that the decrease is driven by fans who were tuning in for the first episode out of curiosity and not returning, and as such it seems that the week two figures will give a better prediction of how the show will fare for the rest of its run.

Despite this decrease – which is not unusual following a debut episode – the Phillip Pullman adaptation continued to dominate when compared to shows broadcast on other channels at the same time.

Furthermore, the figures are also likely to increase when catch-up viewing is taken into account – with the show currently available to view on iPlayer.

The second episode of the show has proven relatively divisive – with some fans unhappy about changes which have seen events from the book brought forward to occur earlier in the series.

However, the show has continued to draw praise for its visual realisation of Pullman’s world, as well as for performances from actors including Ruth Wilson and Dafne Keen.

Pullman himself praised the show on Twitter as he defended the widely criticised film adaptation.

His Dark Materials airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC One