Chernobyl beats Game Of Thrones and Breaking Bad to top IMDB TV chart

New TV series Chernobyl has quickly become the top-rated show on entertainment website IMDB, jumping ahead of long-running fan favourites shows such as Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad and The Wire.

The five-part Sky Original series is a chilling dramatisation of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine and its aftermath, following the stories of those affected by the explosion as well as those in charge of the operation.

Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson and Jessie Buckley, the show has received widespread critical acclaim and a host of five-star reviews since its debut on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on 7 May.

Almost two million people tuned in to watch the first episode.

And in less than three weeks, Chernobyl has jumped to the top of the charts on film and TV internet database IMDB, peaking with a score of 9.7 out of 10.

Currently, it is scoring 9.5 - placing it joint top alongside the 2016 David Attenborough series Planet Earth II - from almost 40,000 ratings.

Game Of Thrones, which has more than 1.5 million ratings, Breaking Bad (1.2 million), Band Of Brothers (316,000) and the first Planet Earth series (147,000) all score 9.4, while The Wire and Our Planet score 9.3.

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Speaking about Chernobyl's success, Sky's director of programmes Zai Bennett said: "This jaw-dropping Sky Original is gripping viewers across the UK and beyond for good reason - the writing and production are second to none, and the story is both fascinating and utterly tragic.

"This is must-watch TV, and we're delighted that audiences are enjoying it as much as we are."

:: Chernobyl airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on Tuesdays, with the fourth episode coming up on 28 May