Line of Duty viewing figures: How many people watched the final?

4 May 2021, 08:05 | Updated: 4 May 2021, 08:06

The Line of Duty finale aired on Sunday. Picture: BBC

How many people watched the Line of Duty finale? Viewing figures for the BBC series revealed...

**Warning Line of Duty spoilers below**

Line of Duty season six came to a dramatic end on Sunday night, with viewers finally finding out the identity of criminal mastermind H.

After years of waiting, the Fourth Person was unveiled as none other than Ian Buckles, who had been acting as an informant for the OCG.

But while we’re still coming to terms with that bombshell, how many people watched the Line of Duty final? Here’s what we know…

Line of Duty season 6 has finished on BBC. Picture: BBC

How many people watched the Line of Duty final?

The final episode of Line of Duty was watched by an average of 12.8 million viewers, which is unsurprisingly a record for the series.

The BBC has since said it was the most watched episode of any drama since records began in 2002, but this doesn’t include soaps.

According to overnight figures, the show finale commanded 56.2% of the UK's TV audience,

With the five-minute peak audience at 13.1 million, between 21:45 and 21:50.

This coincides with the end of the tense interrogation of Ian Buckles.

Line of Duty | Series 6 Finale Trailer

Almost four million more people tuned in to the episode, compared to series’ five’s finale in 2019 which was watched by 9.07m people.

The last time a TV drama got higher overnight viewing figures was during an episode of ITV's Heartbeat , which had an overnight audience of 13.2 million in February 2001.

Created by writer Jed Mercurio, Line of Duty starred the likes of Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Kelly Macdonald.

In a statement, the BBC has since hinted AC-12 could be back for a seventh series as Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, said: “Addictive event television, Line of Duty has kept the nation guessing for the last seven weeks, so it’s no surprise that last night’s jaw-dropping finale set a ratings record.

“Jed Mercurio is a master of his craft, and I would like to congratulate him and the entire cast and crew for delivering such an incredible drama series. I’m looking forward to having a conversation with the team about where we go next and what the future of the series might be.”

Now Read: Line of Duty season 5 recap: What happened at the end of the last series of Line of Duty?