Lara Pulver whose nude scenes in Sherlock have helped the episode to become the most-watched show on the BBC iPlayer so far this year. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire

An episode of detective drama Sherlock featuring actress Lara Pulver nude is the most-watched show on the BBC iPlayer so far this year.

The programme - the first edition of the second series screened on New Year’s Day - drew around 100 complaints from viewers offended by the nudity.

But new figures released by the BBC show the programme was way ahead of all others in the period from January to April of this year.

The episode, called A Scandal In Belgravia, featured Pulver as Irene Adler, filming one notable scene entirely naked except for her high heel shoes.

It was seen 2.5 million times on the iPlayer - 600,000 more than the next most popular show, which was the third instalment of the drama series.

Sherlock proved to be a massive draw in general, taking all of the top three places in the most-watched list.

Top Gear’s India Special, EastEnders and Hustle are among the other shows to feature in the top 10.