Question after question flew at Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.
And they both were pressed in areas of vulnerability.
The prime minister on problems partly of her own making, like her policy on social care, and the public spending cuts of recent years and their impact on the NHS.
She was tearfully confronted by one audience member over shortcomings in mental health treatment.
But perhaps the more hostile moments were particularly for the Labour leader, whose views on nuclear disarmament and unwillingness to use weapons if Britain was under attack was questioned by the audience again and again.
It's no secret that for years he has believed in nuclear disarmament. Yet that view tonight seemed to breed hostility among much of the audience.
After a bumpy few days, Theresa May seemed to be more on the front foot this evening, trying to reassert her authority over her campaign.
In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn who had been lapping up the political attention, and setting much of the momentum, seemed almost irritated by the end.
Yet in truth, tonight saw neither of the rivals drop a dramatic clanger, nor neither of them turn out a surprisingly stellar performance.
Minds will have been changed tonight.
But it's not clear if tonight's debate will transform the fortunes of either main party in this campaign.
The great British public was not messing around.