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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have taken part in their third and final TV debate ahead of November's presidential election.

The trio of clashes have been unlike any other in the history of US elections.

There have been personal attacks, sneers, accusations, claims of flat out lying - and at one point Donald Trump threatened to throw Hillary Clinton in prison if he got elected.

But while they may not show the democratic process in the most edifying light, they've been watched by record numbers of Americans as they try to decide who they want as their next President.

The first two debates came as Donald Trump faced a torrent of claims after he bragged about grabbing women "by the p***y".

So how were the debates set up, and who won the final showdown according to polls and the media?

Here's everything you need to know about the US Presidential debates.

Who won the final debate?

(Image: REUTERS)

Hillary Clinton had established a lead in the polls and the final debate echoed that - sort of.

A CNN/ORC survey immediately after the showdown gave her a 13-point lead.

Of the 547 registered voters questioned, 52% thought Clinton did the best job and 39% thought Trump did.

But CNN said this was much tighter than in a similar poll after the first two debates.

The first debate poll gave 62% to the Democrat and just 27% to her Republican rival, CNN said.

New York Times writer Nicholas Confessore said neither candidate had their best debate but added: "It was a tall order. And Mr. Trump did not deliver."

poll loading Who won the final US Presidential debate? 500+ VOTES SO FAR DONALD TRUMP HILLARY CLINTON

What were the 5 highlights?

1. Rigged election - Trump claimed the US election is rigged against him after making claims earlier in the week of "large-scale voter fraud".

2. Trump may REJECT election result - The Republican candidate refused to say if he would accept losing the election after making claims earlier in the week of "large-scale voter fraud". He added: "I will tell you at the time, I will keep you in suspense."

3. US has some 'bad hombres' - Trump defended his call for deportations by citing the "millions and millions" of people who have been kicked out during the Obama years. One of his turns of phrase stood out: "We have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out.

4. Clinton campaign 'made up' groping allegations - Trump sensationally accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of fabricating the allegations of sexual assault against him. "I think they either want fame or her campaign did it - and I think it's her campaign," he said.

5. Putin wants a puppet for president - Clinton said that Putin would "rather have a puppet as president of the United States." "You're the puppet," Trump said, sounding like a variation of, I know you are but what am I?

When were the debates?

(Image: Getty)

Monday September 26 - Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York

The debate calendar started on Monday night, with a fiery face-off between the two candidates on NBC.

It was hosted by NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt.

You can read our coverage of the debate here .

Tuesday October 4 - Vice Presidential Debate - Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia

The only debate between vice presidential hopefuls Tim Kaine (Clinton) and Mike Pence (Trump).

They spoke for 90 minutes, covering topics in nine segments of 10 minutes each.

It was moderated by CBSN anchor Elaine Quijano.

Sunday October 9 - Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

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The format was 'town meeting' style.

Half of the questions came from a moderator - CNN's Anderson Cooper - the other half from the audience.

Wednesday October 19 - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The final debate in a glitzy setting had the same format as the first - with six fifteen-minute segments.

The moderator was Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace.

The debates all aired in the US at 9pm - which is 2am UK time.

What was the format?

The presidential debates were split into six 15-minute segments on major topics.

Each section started with a question, and candidates had two minutes to answer.