The first episode was watched live by 1.4 million viewers, which was described by
Broadcast magazine as a "solid start". However, Channel 4 is unlikely to make money from the series; according to outgoing chief creative officer
Jay Hunt, the channel needs to cross-subsidise such dramas with more populist programmes such as
Great British Bake Off. The figure increased to 2.33 million taking into account catch-up viewing over the next seven days, and 2.49 million after a month. The series was widely praised by viewers and critics.
The Guardian wrote that "this Isis drama is ... gripping and genuinely enlightening", and
The Telegraph noted that "viewers on Twitter praised its stars and creators for 'capturing how barbaric and evil ISIS are'." Before the drama aired,
Richard Kemp, a former advisor to the UK government on counter-terrorism, warned that it would be a "recruiting sergeant" for ISIS, a view prominently reported by several tabloid newspapers. However, the idea that the drama made ISIS glamorous or attractive was rejected by most reviewers. Most reviewers found the drama powerful, immersive, and compelling, with both its direction and acting widely praised. However, many questioned the portrayal of the protagonists' apparent initial ignorance and naivety, and of their subsequent antipathy to brutality and hatred, and doubted that either were representative of real jihadis. On the other hand, as former Conservative minister
Baroness Warsi commented, "There are many proud parents who cannot understand why their children find an affiliation with Isil... So often we have lazily defined those attracted to violent ideologies promulgated in far-off countries as mad, bad misfits and yet the reality is far more complicated." ==Cast==