“Welcome to Hebburn, Pet.”

Hebburn creator Jason Cook and lead Chris Ramsey.

It was the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Last night, BBC2 sitcom Hebburn finally made its way onto our telly boxes, in all its HD glory – and a massive 1.8 million of you tuned in. Throughout the day, micro-blogging site Twitter was swamped with news of locals hosting ‘Hebburn parties’ to celebrate the arrival of the North East sitcom, while some pubs in the area even broadcasted Hebburn for its punters. Fancy. Elsewhere, though, there was apprehension about the show and its ability to fairly and fully represent the region. And Jarrow just looked on in awe.

But what did you think?

Comedy fan Jamie Stubbs, from Northumberland, said: “Hebburn was so, so good. I was in from the moment Big Keith strolled across the street in his vest and braces. The Nan is ridiculously over the top yet completely believable. Same goes for Ramsey and Big Keith. Surreal and totally bonkers but entirely relatable.

“These people do exist – I’ve seen them!”

Steve Hughes, a TV director from Surrey, agreed, tweeting: “Loved Hebburn. Part Royle Family, part Phoenix Nights, part Gavin & Stacy but stands on its own. Big Laughs throughout. More please!”

While Lorraine Malyan added: “Beautifully written and played. Can’t wait for next week.”

The cast and crew were also glued to their social networking accounts, clearly keen to hear the public’s reaction to the show. Chris Ramsey, who plays lead Jack in Hebburn, was inundated with comments on his Twitter account. He said: “Absolutely overwhelmed with the response to #Hebburn tonight. So, so glad you all like it. I’m 100% chuffed #KeepWatchingItGetsEvenBetter.”

Creator Jason Cook, who plays a character called Ramsey, said: “Thanks for all the amazing comments and feedback about the show, ESPECIALLY from the Hebburn residents! Next week’s ep is a proper belter!”

Female lead Kimberley Nixon was also overwhelmed with the response to Hebburn, tweeting: “Bloody hell, you lot! So glad you liked #Hebburn…means a lot. It’s a really wonderful series, so stay tuned and THANKYOU! X”

National newspaper critics, however, were less supportive.

Time Out’s Gabriel Tate thought it was a cheap imitation of Gavin & Stacy, but did praise the performance of Gina McKee as mum Pauline: “McKee is the pick of a solid cast, throwing everything (including her broadest Geordie accent) into her eager-to-please mother, and the climax is a well-mounted mess of vomit, corpses and spilt secrets. You’d struggle to call it ambitious – but it is undoubtedly funny.”

Guardian reporter Sam Woolaston was dismissive of the script, writing: “These people don’t behave or speak like real people, they behave and speak like a sitcom family.”

However Telegraph reviewer Terry Ramsey was slightly more positive. He agreed with Woolaston, saying: “Hebburn felt like pieces of stand-up material stitched together in an attempt to make a comic tapestry. As a way of easing us into the series, it worked. However, a good sitcom needs to have strong characters and smart plotting, rather than just a string of gags.”

But he did add that: “Hebburn is a highly likeable comedy. Perhaps not highly laughable in this first episode, but it looks like a grower.”

It’s difficult to grasp a prevailing opinion on Hebburn – especially only one episode down the line. So many of our friends and followers clearly enjoyed seeing their hometown immortalised on TV; but outsiders – including the national press – aren’t embedded with the same cultural reference points, which could prove problematic in achieving a mainstream audience.

Only time will tell, of course, and we’re looking forward to the journey. As far as we’re concerned, so far so good…

What did you think of Hebburn? Let us know by leaving your comments below.