Happy Valley’s heart-stopping finale watched by 7.5 million people is voted the best TV moment of 2023

Its heart-stopping finale when Sergeant Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce finally came face to face had Happy Valley viewers on the edge of their seats.

And now the dramatic scenes from February’s episode have been named the Best TV Moment of 2023 in a poll.

Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax to the BBC1 drama, which saw James Norton’s escaped convict Royce set himself ablaze in the kitchen of the embattled officer played by Sarah Lancashire – making it one of the most-watched single shows of the year.

The poll of 75,000 Digital Spy viewers also named Sky’s video game adaptation The Last of Us as best drama, This Morning host Alison Hammond, 48, as best presenter and Strictly Come Dancing the best reality TV show.

Meanwhile Greta Gerwig’s Barbie beat Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer to be picked as best film while Margot Robbie, 33, was named best film actor.

Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax to the BBC1 drama, which saw James Norton’s escaped convict Royce set himself ablaze in the kitchen of the embattled officer played by Sarah Lancashire (pictured) – making it one of the most-watched single shows of the year 

James Norton’s Tommy Lee Royce peers in to the home of Sergeant Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, as she dozes in an armchair

Happy Valley was also the most-watched drama of the year, with an average of 11.9million viewers watching across 28 days, according to the BBC (pictured: Sarah Lancashire as Sgt Catherine Cawood)

READ MORE: ‘No guns, no knives, no punches but a superb battle of words’: Happy Valley viewers hail finale as ‘a masterpiece’ and call for Sarah Lancashire to ‘win all the awards’

And British LGBT teen drama Heartstopper, which is streamed on Netflix, was also a huge hit with viewers, with Joe Locke, 20, hailed as best TV actor.

The hit programme was also named best British TV drama and its co-star Kizzy Edgell, 21, was crowned British rising star. 

‘As the BBC faces more political headwinds than ever, the cultural force of its prestige prime-time drama has yet to waver, as Happy Valley’s long-awaited, bleak and brutal showdown between Tommy Lee Royce and Catherine Cawood finally played out after years of waiting,’ said Laurence Mozafari, editor-in-chief of Digital Spy.

‘The two masterful actors captivated audiences right at the start of 2023, and those powerful scenes stayed front of mind, all the way until the end of the year.’

Happy Valley was also the most-watched drama of the year, with an average of 11.9million viewers watching across 28 days, according to the BBC.

Seven out of the top ten most-watched programmes of the year were shown on the BBC, with the King’s Coronation coming out on top with 12.8 million viewers.

Happy Valley was 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.

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