The Third Day – Autumn: Live 12-hour episode stream starring Jude Law has fans both confused and mesmerised

‘The most eventful thing that’s happened so far is a man on the back of a pick up truck eating a sausage sandwich but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t transfixed’

Punchdrunk, the immersive live theatre pioneers, have collaborated with Sky Arts for a one-take, “real-time live event” special of drama mini-series The Third Day.

Jude Law stars as Sam, a man whose reality begins to mix with visions of horror.

In the previous segment, Summer, he attempted to escape the eerie goings-on of Osea Island in Essex.

The Third Day: Autumn also features performances from Law’s castmember Katherine Waterston, as well as singer Florence Welch in her TV acting debut.

Welch’s music was used in the first episode, and she is heard singing in Autumn.

You can watch live below:

According to the event’s description, “in one continuous and cinematic take” the stream will reveal “the rituals and traditions of the islanders… as the line between what is real and what is not increasingly blurs”.  

The episode, which was still broadcasting at the time of writing, is receiving mixed reactions from fans.

A number of viewers are praising the tense atmosphere and cast performances, while others complained about the mumbled dialogue and confusing plot.

One fan called the episode “beautifully creepy in a way horror films almost never are”.

“Mega impressed by Sky Arts' The Third Day: Autumn on Freeview,” another said. “Beautifully filmed, amazing coordination, perfect volume eerie background mood music. Respect to the actors doing hard physical work, in unpleasant conditions, for so long too! Utopia connections evident.”

In a more mixed reaction, another viewer tweeted: “Watching The Third Day: Autumn (albeit nearly five and a half hours behind) and I’m an hour in and the most eventful thing that’s happened so far is a man on the back of a pick up truck eating a sausage sandwich but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t transfixed.”