Blimey! Line of Duty smashes Bodyguard and becomes the biggest show of 2019! Contains Line of Duty spoilers!
Line of Duty exploded back onto our screens last night, not only becoming the most watched show of the year so far, but also getting its best ever overnight viewing figure.
The action-packed opener even outgunned the opening episode of 2018 megahit Bodyguard, which was also penned by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio.
A whopping 7.8 million people tuned in to the BBC1 thriller on Sunday evening, compared to the 6.8 million opening figure for the first episode of Bodyguard last August, according to Broadcast.
These numbers will only improve once catch-up figures are included. Could Line of Duty remain the biggest show of the year?
The ratings are mighty impressive for a drama that is now into its fifth series. Last night’s opener saw a typically tangled tale, with AC-12 called into action when a gang hijacked a load of drugs and shot dead three police officers.
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The gang is run by John Corbett (Stephen Graham), with Lisa McQueen (Rochenda Sandall) as his deputy – the question posed was whether either of them are acting on behalf of the police or are they simple crooks?
Meanwhile, Ted (Adrian Dunbar) reckons they’ve finally cracked who “H” was, the corrupt police mastermind who's been causing so much carnage. But Steve (Martin Compston) and Kate (Vicky McClure) are wondering whether they’ve really unmasked “H?”
The six-part drama then is already shaping up to be another corker. Meanwhile, over on ITV Victoria pulled in a respectable 3.1 million viewers and Coronation Street – unusually on a Sunday evening – managed 4.8 million.
Line of Duty continues on BBC1.
