‘Where are the songs?’ Les Misérables viewers confused by missing music

'Do you hear the people sing?' Well, not exactly...

BBC1's song-free adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables premiered on Sunday night to rave reviews from critics – but many viewers couldn't help but compare the series to the musical of the same name, also based on the Hugo novel.

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Some viewers admitted to silently singing along to the musical soundtrack while watching the BBC show. "My mind can’t take it," one viewer posted on Twitter, "I’ve started singing every Les Misérables song whenever their line makes a reference to the songs!!"

"Is anyone else singing LOOK DOWN in their head...," another viewer asked.

One fan of the original musical couldn't help but reference the iconic lyrics from 'I Dreamed A Dream', sung by Fantine.

Other viewers added that the series – adapted by Andrew Davies and starring David Oyelowo (Javert) and Lily Collins (Fantine) alongside Dominic West's Jean Valjean – would benefit from a spot of singing, particularly given some of the more 'miserable' (clue's in the name) content.

"I love Victor Hugo and his writing but Boublil and Schönberg’s music adds that glimmer of hope and light in the bleakness of such a morbid and depressive story!" one fan wrote on Twitter.

Still, there is one silver lining:

This article was originally published on 31 December 2018

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