
*Contains spoilers for Happy Valley’s series finale.*
On Sunday night, 7.5 million viewers tuned in to see Happy Valley’s explosive season conclusion.
According to the figures given by Broadcast, an independent source of British TV news, Happy Valley will be the most-watched BBC show in 2023.
Sgt. Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) met her long-term rival Tommy Lee Royce in the’masterpiece’ conclusion (James Norton).
After escaping from prison, Royce broke into Sgt. Cawood’s abandoned house, where the two confronted one other.
Royce set fire to himself after declaring that he no longer wanted to murder her. He had consumed a fatal cocktail of medications and booze. He died as a result of his injuries.
The events were seen by 7.5 million people, according to data from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board and overnight.tv.
Furthermore, with 7.5 million viewers, Happy Valley became not just the most-watched BBC show of 2023, but also the most-watched show on all of British television.
Furthermore, nearly 42% of homes watching TV on Sunday night were watching Happy Valley.
These figures are set to grow as more viewers catch up on iPlayer, with up to 11 million people viewing each episode of the final series so far.
The BBC’s current record holder is its former blockbuster police drama Line of Duty, which drew over 13 million viewers for its series finale in 2021.
The reception to the Happy Valley ending, on the other hand, has been far more favourable than the reaction to the divisive and controversial Line of Duty finale.
Fans of the programme dubbed the most recent episode a “masterpiece,” and urged that the show’s calibre be recognised at the next British TV awards season.
Norton, 37, who has portrayed Tommy Lee Royce since 2014, praised the series’ creators in an interview published Monday in GQ magazine.
‘Sally Wainwright at her absolute best,’ he remarked. ‘Sarah Lancashire is standing beside me, giving her best.’
Norton called them “great heroines” and “queens of our business,” and said it was a “absolute honour” to work with them.
Watch Happy Valley on iPlayer.