The return of Line of Duty last night pulled in the show's record overnight audience, according to early figures.
The first episode of series six - delayed six months due to coronavirus-related production problems - averaged 9.56 million viewers, a 44.5% audience share, for BBC One in the 9pm hour.
The figure represents an increase on the overnight number of 9.1 million for the finale of series five in May 2019 - a record for the Jed Mercurio drama at the time.
The audience is expected to swell significantly in the coming weeks as on-demand viewing through iPlayer is taken into account. The series five finale eventually rounded out at 13.67 million viewers.
Earlier on Sunday, BBC One also enjoyed success with Top Gear, which drew an impressive 5 million (25.2%) in the 8pm hour.
Neil Wilkes
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