Did you feel sorry for Happy Valley killer Tommy Lee Royce in the heart-wrenching BBC finale?

HAPPY Valley had die-hard fans gripped with its final ever episode on Sunday night.

The finale saw viewers witness a final showdown between Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), with many hailing it as the best drama series ever to air on British TV.

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However, a surprising outcome for some Happy Valley viewers was that they found themselves feeling sorry for twisted criminal Tommy in the end.

Over the three series, Tommy had revealed himself to be a serial rapist, drug dealer and murder among other crimes.

Yet his emotional final showdown with Catherine in her kitchen gave some at home a different perspective on the crook.

Taking to Twitter, one wrote: "I never thought I’d end up feeling sorry for Tommy but a little bit of me did."

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Another added: "I’m such a kind loving, forgiving (maybe just a complete push over) but felt really sorry for Tommy Lee. Just wanted to give him a cuddle ….."

A third tweeted: "10 years of wanting Tommy Lee Royce dead, and it ended me actually believing he loved Becky and felt sorry for him #HappyValley brilliant!"

However, others were not so easily swayed by his tears, as one wrote: "Anyone feeling sorry for Tommy because of the last scenes needs to give their head a serious wobble."

Another agreed, writing: "The most satisfying part was that Tommy suffered for hours prior to setting himself a light and suffered even in his final hours ……pay back."

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Meanwhile a third added: "It’s worth noting the scene at the table wasn’t “bad writing”. Tommy didn’t redeem himself.

"He attempted to manipulate Catherine and turn himself into a victim and returned to his true colours when she saw through it. He’s a psychopath. That’s how they work."

So where do you stand? Did you feel sorry for Tommy despite everything he had done? Or do you think he got what he deserved? Vote in our poll now.

Happy Valley is available on BBC iPlayer.