it BBC drama Bodyguard kept an average 10.4 million viewers on tenterhooks as the series drew to a close on Sunday.
The audience reached its peak - 11 million - in its final five minutes.
The overnight ratings make the show - the brainchild of Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio - the most watched drama of the year so far.
In fact, it is the biggest overnight drama figure since 10.5 million saw Downton Abbey's series two finale in November 2011.