Broadchurch Named As The Most Watched Drama Of 2017


The final ever episode of ITV drama Broadchurch was the most watched episode of a TV drama on UK television during 2017.

A whopping 11.6 million tuned in to ITV on Easter Monday 2017 to see Trish Winterman's attacker finally revealed. The previous leader was BBC One's Sherlock which was seen by 11.3 million.

The final series of Broadchurch saw David Tennant and Olivia Colman reprise their roles as DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller, this time investigating a serious sexual assault in the Dorset community.

Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan returned to play Beth and Mark Latimer and were joined by National Television Award winner Julie Hesmondhalgh, BAFTA winners Lenny Henry and Georgina Campbell along with Sarah Parish, Charlie Higson and Mark Bazeley.

Chris Chibnall, the creator of the award winning series, admitted he shed a tear whilst writing the final episode, which saw us say goodbye to the series for good.

“Sitting down to write the final episode was very emotional and I admit I actually had a bit of a weep doing it. Obviously it is a very emotional story we are telling and there are lots of complex shades of emotion. There is the resolution to the story of the attack on Trish, which goes to a lot of dark places, but there is also the small matter of saying goodbye to the show and all these characters.” he told The Sun.

“There is pressure with every script, but I am really proud of the final episode. Hopefully there are some surprises, but I also hope it is satisfying. I think there is a sense of completion and lots of nods to where we started in series one.”

In total, five episodes of the series were included in an analysis of the top 40 biggest audiences of 2017 by the Press Association.

The Top Ten most watched shows across all genres was as follows:

10. The Moorside BBC1, 14 February, 10.23 million 
9. New Year Fireworks BBC1, 31 December, 10.40 million
8. Call the Midwife BBC1, 19 February, 10.63 million 
7. Sherlock BBC1, 1 January, 11.33 million 
6. Britain’s Got Talent ITV, 6 May, 11.51 million 
5. Broadchurch ITV, 17 April, 11.61 million 
4. One Love Manchester BBC1, 4 June, 11.63 million 
3. I’m a Celebrity… (launch) ITV, 19 November, 12.69 million 
2. Strictly Come Dancing (final) BBC1, 16 December, 13.01 million 
1. Blue Planet II (ep 1) BBC1, 29 October, 14.01 million


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