BBC drama Happy Valley has made history after the third season concluded with a huge finale that had 7.5 million viewers gripped.
Now the series has picked up a very special award for lead actor James Norton, as Happy Valley's Tommy Lee Royce has been voted the best villain on TV.
The psychotic and evil killer won the title against other villainous characters from TV including Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Killing Eve and JR Ewing in Dallas.
Also featured in the list of TV viewer's favourite bad guys were Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty and Coronation Street serial killer Richard Hillman.
Bad guy Tommy Lee Royce earned nearly a fifth of votes from Brits, according to research by streaming service Watch TVAbroad.com.
Over 7.5 million viewers turned into the finale of the BBC drama, after waiting seven years for a third series to come to screens.
Lead actor James Norton has been so highly praised for his acting that many fans have suggested he be put forward as the next James Bond.
WatchTVAbroad.com's Jeff Richey said: "Following three brilliant series, millions of Brits will now have a Happy Valley-shaped hole in their hearts. Yet as well as the fantastic Sergeant Catherine Cawood, this research shows that in Tommy Lee Royce, the show also delivered a brilliant and despicable baddy.
"Whether it’s a sci-fi, soap opera or cartoon, a great villain can make a TV show truly memorable long after its final scenes.
"Many of the criminals and creeps that make up our rogues’ gallery are not on our screens any longer but they continue to be the characters we love to hate."
The ending to the third series left mixed reactions from viewers with some branding the finale as "disappointing" and with unanswered questions.
However Tommy Lee Royce actor James Norton disagreed, as he said he thought the ending to Happy Valley was "sort of perfect".
Millions watched as Norton's character set fire to himself and burned to death after clashing one last time with police officer Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire.
Discussing the ending of his character Tommy Lee Royce for the first time, Norton said: "The ending was sort of perfect, in a Sally Wainwright(writer) sort of way.
"It was fireworks but it wasn’t fireworks. It was sitting over a kitchen table and that is where Happy Valley really thrived. That’s the heart of the whole show. Cups of tea over kitchen tables in kitchens in Yorkshire.
"It’s not a big stunt set pieces on wires and jumping off cliffs, and guns and fireworks. It’s gentle, it’s domestic, it’s human."
