The period drama debuted with an average 6.6m viewers from 8pm to 8.30pm.
Rather than screening the eight-hour serial on Sunday nights for an hour like similar BBC dramas, the corporation decided to show it in half-hour episodes on Thursday and Friday with cliffhangers like Dickens' intended.
'Bleak House' was adapted for television by writer Andrew Davies, who penned the BBC's popular adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and BBC Two lesbian drama 'Tipping the Velvet'.
The debut episode of 'Bleak House' benefited from the coveted 8pm slot after 'EastEnders', which garnered an average 11.5m viewers or 55% of the available audience last night.
The soap has been enjoying a ratings boost this week with the return of the Mitchell brothers, Phil and Grant. Monday night's episode, which saw the duo together for the first time in six years, peaked at 13.1m while Tuesday gained an equally respectable 13m.
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