Happy Valley’s heart-stopping finale watched by 7.5 million people is voted the best TV moment of 2023
The heartbreaking finale, when Sergeant Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce finally came face to face, kept Happy Valley viewers on the edge of their seats.
And now the dramatic scenes from the February episode have been voted the Best TV Moment of 2023 in a poll.
Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax of the BBC1 drama, which saw James Norton's escaped prisoner, Royce, set himself on fire in the kitchen of the embattled officer, played by Sarah Lancashire – making it one of the most watched single shows of the year.
The survey of 75,000 Digital Spy viewers also named Sky's video game adaptation The Last of Us as best drama, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond, 48, as best presenter and Strictly Come Dancing as best reality TV show.
Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig's Barbie beat Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to win best picture, while Margot Robbie, 33, was named best film actor.
Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax of the BBC1 drama, which saw James Norton's escaped prisoner, Royce, set himself on fire in the kitchen of the embattled officer, played by Sarah Lancashire (pictured) – making it one of became the most watched single shows of the year.
James Norton's Tommy Lee Royce peers into the home of Sergeant Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, as she dozes in an armchair
According to the BBC, Happy Valley was also the most watched drama of the year, averaging 11.9 million viewers over 28 days (Picture: Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood)
And British LGBT teen drama Heartstopper, streaming on Netflix, was also a big hit with viewers, with Joe Locke, 20, being praised as best TV actor.
The hit program was also named best British TV drama and co-star Kizzy Edgell, 21, was crowned Britain's rising star.
'With the BBC facing more political headwinds than ever, the cultural power of its prestigious primetime drama has yet to falter, while Happy Valley's long-awaited, bleak and brutal showdown between Tommy Lee Royce and Catherine Cawood finally played out after years of struggle . wait,” said Laurence Mozafari, editor-in-chief of Digital Spy.
“The two masterful actors captivated audiences at the beginning of 2023, and those powerful scenes remained in the memory until the end of the year.”
According to the BBC, Happy Valley was also the most watched drama of the year, with an average of 11.9 million viewers over 28 days.
Seven of the ten most watched programs of the year were shown on the BBC, with King's Coronation coming out on top with 12.8 million viewers.
Happy Valley came second, followed by the Eurovision Song Contest, The Great British Bake Off and I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, which ended this month with Sam Thompson crowned king of the jungle.