'It's like Wolf Hall without all the words and thinking!' BBC's saucy period drama Versailles gets viewers hot under the collar (for the lousy acting as much as all the sex) 

The BBC's racy period drama Versailles has been panned by viewers who called its writing 'lousy' and the acting 'wooden'. 

The programme about France's Sun King Louis XIV on BBC2 tonight shocked viewers with its seven sex scenes including frontal nudity and even a dwarf inside the Queen's skirt.

But the script failed to live up to expectations with many saying the dialogue ruined the enchanting scenery and stunning costumes.

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Not for the faint-hearted: The BBC's new French-made series on Louis XIV, Versailles, served up some of the most graphic sex scenes ever seen on British TV including this at 9:32pm

Racy: The first episode included gay sex, a cross-dressing prince, and Queen Marie-Therese (pictured), who has a penchant for dwarves

Zut alors! Noemie Schmidt, who plays Henriette, emerged from the water wearing a see-through garment...inspired by Mr Darcy, perhaps?

The show has been panned by viewers who called its writing 'lousy' and the acting 'wooden'

Romping, 17th century style: By the end of the first hour of Versailles, viewers had already witnessed plenty of sex scenes

Richard Hornsey was less than impressed with the acting, tweeting: 'The dialogue really is as wooden as the Trojan Horse'

Twitter user Laura rejected the slow storyline, saying: 'So far, the Queen's pregnant, a lady doctor drew a uterus, and the King's building a lake. That a fair plot summary?' 

And David Wyllie sarcastically compared the show to recent Tudor drama Wolf Hall: 'Versailles is great. It's like Wolf Hall without all the words and thinking.'

In one amusing reference to the saucy scenes, Tom Freeman joked that 'you can tell Versailles isn't a porn video because the dialogue is too clunky.' 

And in one savage assessment twitter user Stephanie said: '#Versailles is dreadful, no character, no atmosphere, all the men are ugly, acting is stilted, dialogue is dull.'  

Made by the French for an English audience, the £24million production depicts life in the King's 17th-century Machiavellian court.

The hedonistic French aristocrats were naked and romping within just two minutes of the show.

It aired at 9.30pm tonight and by 9.32pm, the sex-crazed king, played by British actor George Blagden, was having graphic sex with topless French actress Alexia Giordano.

At 9.47pm, Queen Marie-Therese was seen with an African dwarf inside her skirt.

Just a minute later, Swiss actress Noemie Schmidt, who plays Henrietta, emerged from a pool of water in nothing but an entirely transparent white negligée.

She and the king were seen rolling around naked in an extravagant bed inside the French palace just 60 seconds later at 9.49pm.

There were even more sexual scenes in tonight's opening episode, which is the first of ten in a series that could rival the BBC's War and Peace for sex and nudity.

Viewers were shocked by the saucy scenes but many were equally impressed with the hair and make-up, as well as the stunning panoramic shots. 

 

Elizabeth Goodwin tweeted: I have never had a hair day as good as anyone on Versailles right now. Serious wardrobe envy'

Elizabeth Goodwin tweeted: 'I have never had a hair day as good as anyone on Versailles right now. Serious wardrobe envy.'

Catherine Fletcher was also impressed by the costumes by said the writing ruined them. She wrote: 'The shoes are fabulous, shame about the script.'

Meanwhile, twitter user Kevin, observed that so many people were commenting on the boring script that they may as well have been talking about the Tory Party Conference. He said: 'Funnily enough, if you were to replace #Versailles with #ToryPartyConference, the majority of tweets would still makes sense.'

And Tari Lang summed up show brutally by writing: 'Ok I tried! Nice costumes, lovely palace, whale music, dreadful script, all gore, bonking and eye-rolling.'  

Viewers were shocked by the saucy scenes but many were equally impressed with the hair and make-up, as well as the stunning panoramic shots

David Byrne joked about how much hair there would be in shower plug holes of Versailles, while Josef O'Shea said 'Tis a wonder they had any time for the gardening #RumpyPumpee' 

Much like War and Peace did for James Norton, Versailles is set to make a huge star of Vikings actor George Blagden, who dons a frilly shirt, wig and heels to play the rampant Sun King. 

The mini-series also features Game Of Thrones actress Elisa Lasowski, who plays Marie-Thérèse, in a show that is set to rival the racy scenes shown in the series on Sky.

The womanising king was put on the throne at just four years of age in 1643, and stayed there until his death in 1715, some 72 years later.

This is a production that seems to have a script lathered in artistic license with reviewers suggesting that actual facts often play second fiddle to salacious sex scenes.

Other viewers were impressed by the hair on show. Elaine Jones said: 'How the hell did they get hair like that?' 

Avert your eyes if you're prone to blushing: Early scenes from the ten-part mini-series which promises sauce galore

Mon dieu! The Sun King appears to have romped his way through much of his 72-year reign, at least according to this interpretation  

Blagden says he felt uneasy about disrobing; the first episode sees him bury his head between the thighs of his mistress, played by Sarah Winter.  

He said: 'Sex scenes are always awkward. 

'Anyone that's ever done a sex scene in our industry know that they are the most embarrassing and really awkward as they're really technical, difficult to shoot,' he said. 'I'd not done a lot of them before these series.'

The programme explores the debauched heart of the court of Versailles, a world of skulduggery, political manoeuvres and declarations of war and sex.

The king married young but was free to bed whoever he chose. It was an era was famous for aristocratic romances. 

Louise De la Valliere, the Sun King's mistress is central to the saucy antics; De la Valliere bore Louis XIV five children

The show looks set to make international stars of its cast including George Blagden as Louis XIV and Alexia Giordano as Nymphe

For Blagden, the best part was playing one of the most colourful figures in history, he said.

'It's a bit of a big undertaking. But it's the role of a lifetime,' he said. 'His nickname is the Sun King, and he's known in France as the king who created luxury.'

The show has already proved a massive hit in its native France, breaking television records and subsequently being sold onto 135 different countries.  

The BBC negotiated the UK rights to show Versailles as part of its bid to secure a hit to rival the success of ITV's Downton Abbey.

Before the show, Sue Deeks, BBC head of programme acquisition, said: 'Versailles will be a delicious treat for BBC2 viewers.'

Before the show, Sue Deeks, BBC head of programme acquisition, said: 'Versailles will be a delicious treat for BBC2 viewers'

Versailles chief 'pornographer' is Helen Mirren's naughty nephew 

Racy BBC drama Versailles, which began tonight, is said to have love scenes so saucy one critic described it as 'porn dressed up in a cravat and tights'.

Helen Mirren pictured with her nephew Simon, who co-wrote the racy new BBC series Versailles

It has won over Dame Helen Mirren, whose nephew Simon, co-wrote the series. 'Helen told me she was overwhelmed,' Simon says.

The Oscar-winner attended a screening in the French palace where the drama is set. 'I was the one on stage, not Helen, and that blew my mind,' Simon tells me. 'It was one of the biggest vanity events of my life.'

Mirren, 70, has appeared in ten nude scenes, but declared last year she would not do another. 'That's the good thing about getting older, you don't have to do that sort of thing any more.' 

The plot also follows the king's restless homosexual younger brother Philippe, Duke of Orléans – known as 'Monsieur' in court – pleasuring his nobleman lover Chevalier de Lorraine in a scene shot for maximum shock value.

As the camera pans away from the nobleman's face to the pool of hair in his lap the viewer is likely to assume his lover is a woman until it meets Philippe's face. 

The series has already been described as among 'the filthiest TV ever'. 

Sam Burnett, of Mediawatch UK, said: 'Dressing up pornography and violence in a cravat and tights doesn't make it cultural.'

Makers Canal Plus have also ramped up the violence. Graphic scenes of torture in the opening episode include one of the king's enforcers bludgeoning a man to death with a hammer. In a later episode a man's hand is severed at the wrist.

Before the show aired Tory MP Andrew Brigden hit out, saying: 'There are channels where, if you wish to view this sort of material, you would have to pay for it. BBC viewers don't have a choice.

'They have to pay for it whether they approve or not.

'Is this an example of the BBC dumbing down and seeking more sensationalised programming?

'That's an arms race to the bottom – quite literally in this case.'