The Day Of The Jackal is the biggest ever new series to launch on Sky, new figures reveal.

The show is based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel of the same name and the subsequent 1973 film starring Edward Fox.

Written and created by Ronan Bennett, the show stars Eddie Redmayne as ‘the Jackal’, a cold-blooded professional assassin who is pursued by Lashana Lynch’s MI6 investigator. While the original novel depicts a plot to take down French president Charles De Gaulle, the new version brings the story to the present day.

The show is airing on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK and Peacock in the US, with the first five episodes having premiered on November 14. Subsequent episodes aired weekly, with the tenth and final instalment set to arrive on December 12.

The show has been a critical success and currently sits on an 84 per cent critics score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and a 78 per cent audience rating.

Now, new figures from Barb (via The Hollywood Reporter) reveal that the first episode reached an audience of 4.5 million after 26 viewing days, making it the most popular new series to ever launch on Sky, scripted or unscripted.

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In the US where it aired on Peacock, the show was among the top five original streaming series for its opening weekend, based on data from Nielsen.

In a statement, Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer for Sky said: “2024 has been an extraordinary year for Sky’s original programming across all genres. We’ve delivered an unmissable line-up of shows, exemplifying our renewed strategic focus on creating premium content that we are truly proud of.

“This year marks our best performing year for Sky Original drama in our history, which is particularly gratifying at a time when audiences are spoiled for choice. It’s a privilege to bring Sky customers such compelling, high-calibre programming, and I’m excited to show our audiences what is coming next.”

Both Peacock and Sky renewed The Day of the Jackal for a second season last month.

The show’s theme song also proved a hit with fans. ‘This Is Who I Am’ is by British R&B singer Celeste and was released back in November to coincide with the show’s debut.

However, Celeste explained that the track has indeed been around for a while. “This song has existed for a long time, and it felt almost unjust that circumstances didn’t allow it to come out four years ago,” she said.

“Now, with everything aligning, this moment serves as a powerful acknowledgement of something that, back then, felt unresolved.”

Produced by Beach Noise (Kendrick Lamar), ‘This Is Who I Am’ follows on from the BRIT-winning and Mercury-nominated artist’s 2022 single ‘To Love A Man’.