Charles Dickens' classic tale of Scrooge has been given a gritty modern makeover, but viewers who tuned into A Christmas Carol last night were left disappointed by 'mumbling', and accused the BBC of 'butchering' the classic tale.

Episode one of the BBC series began with a boy urinating on the grave of 'skinflint old b******' Jacob Marley, played by Stephen Graham, as the dead man lies in the soil with pennies on his eyes.

And viewers were not impressed to see Dickensian dialogue done away with in favour of a script littered with expletives, including Scrooge, played by Australian star Guy Pearce, dropping the F-bomb in place of his customary 'Bah humbug'.

'I turned over when Scrooge/Mike from Neighbours said f**k. And I'm proper sweary!' one irate viewer wrote, while another branded it 'completely soulless and unwatchable'.

But it was the sound quality that left others fuming, with many taking to Twitter to say that they were expecting complaints from the neighbours because they had to turn up the volume so loud to hear anything.

Another tweeted that the mumbling was so bad that they had to mute the TV and try to 'lip read' what the actors were saying in the adaptation by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight.

British Twitter users took to the social media site to say that the sound was poor and the actors seemed to be mumbling. Pictured: Bob Cratchit in the TV show last night

Oh my! It shocked fans from the off, opening with a scene in which a young boy urinates on the grave of Jacob Marley, calling him 'a skinflint b*****d'

Viewers have accused the BBC of 'butchering' A Christmas Carol by making Scrooge drop the F-bomb

Another gritty scene saw Marley chained up and dragged along by horses to meet Jesus, who ordered him to make Scrooge see the error of his ways.

The first episode, of the three part mini series, saw Guy Pearce's Ebenezer Scrooge character visited by the first of three ghoulish visitors, in an attempt to make him repent of his miserly ways.

However, it was early on in the episode, when Scrooge was talking to Bob Cratchit about why he hates Christmas, that many people started to complain on social media.

One person who was watching the adaption said: 'Once again the BBC don't know how to record sound, or hire actors that can talk without mumbling.... Volume turned way up.'

While another said of the trendy new BBC adaptation: 'More BBC mumbling at #ChristmasCarol or am I going deaf?'

F-bomb! Those tuning into episode one of the three-part drama found the sudden expletive out of place in the story - which is set in Dickensian London

In defense: The show’s cast have tried to justify their version of the Christmas classic, published first in 1843, which will be shown over three consecutive nights [pictured Stephen Graham]

Many took to social media to say that they couldn't hear the sound very well and the actors were mumbling

Others went on to complain:' #ChristmasCarol. I agree with the complaints about the mumbling so we're deafening the neighbours here!'

While one more said: 'Sorry BBC but I couldn’t stick with this adaptation. Could barely hear the sound , the Jacob Marley scenes were unnecessary and Cratchit unconvincing. Bored after 15 minutes in. Keep it tight and spare. '

Another gave suggestions to the BBC: 'Bit slow. And why doesnt the Beeb employ decent sound recordists?'

While others just complained how boring it was: 'How can the BBC have made such a brilliant story so boring?'

Many also went on to say that they found it boring and that they preferred the Muppets version of A Christmas Carol

While some even compared it against the Muppets Christmas Carol: '#ChristmasCarol as much as I like Guy Pearce... I have to say I much prefer the Muppets version.'

Another added: 'New bbc adaptation of a #ChristmasCarol is awful. Not scary, not funny, not sad, but boring and as usual ticks all the required boxes for diversity no matter how incongruous. Muppets did it better.'

Earlier in the month is was revealed that Tiny Tim, in the adaptation, would be played by Lenny Rush, 10, who has a rare form of dwarfism.

He revealed that he hopes his appearance on the BBC series will inspire other people with disabilities.

The first episode, of the three part mini series, aired last night and saw Guy Pearce's Ebenezer Scrooge character visited by the first of three ghoulish visitors, in an attempt to transform him into a kind man.

Earlier in the month is was revealed that Tiny Tim, in the adaptation, would be played by Lenny Rush (pictured) 10, who has a rare form of dwarfism

The 10-year-old Essex actor, who has Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia congenita (SEDc), which affects bone growth, wants viewers to see that 'anything is possible if you try hard enough'.

Talking to the Daily Mail, Lenny said: 'I think why not cast a disabled actor in the role of a disabled person if they are good at what they do? It raises awareness and shows that everyone is different.'

He added: 'I hope that in five years I’ve been able to work with some more amazing directors and actors, and that I am still acting as I love it so much.'

The mini-series will continue tonight and conclude on Christmas Eve on BBC One.