Happy Valley: Yorkshire crime drama was one of the most-watched shows of last decade, BBC reveals

Only four other series since 2013 have achieved higher ratings, including police thrillers Line Of Duty and Bodyguard.

Critics hailed Happy Valley’s concluding episode as “electrifying” and “Bafta-winning”, which saw Sarah Lancashire’s West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood have one last showdown with murderer, sex offender and escaped convict Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton.

The official ratings for the finale, which was broadcast on BBC One on February 5, have been published by the audience research organisation Barb.

They are consolidated ratings, meaning they include people who recorded and watched the programme up to seven days later – the industry standard for measuring TV audiences.

They also include people who saw it on tablets, PCs and smartphones.

In a chart of the most-watched drama series of the 21st century so far, Happy Valley sits in 16th place.