The top 10 Christmas Day shows across UK television makes for interesting reading.While nine of the ten most-watched programmes aired on the BBC, viewing figures are significantly down on previous years.When it comes to historic Christmas Day highs, the numbers are surprisingly contested. Grok disputes the often quoted 30+ million audience for EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, suggesting this figure includes repeat broadcasts in the following days and that the actual same day audience was... Read more
The top 10 Christmas Day shows across UK television makes for interesting reading.
While nine of the ten most-watched programmes aired on the BBC, viewing figures are significantly down on previous years.
When it comes to historic Christmas Day highs, the numbers are surprisingly contested. Grok disputes the often quoted 30+ million audience for EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, suggesting this figure includes repeat broadcasts in the following days and that the actual same day audience was closer to 19–20 million. Google’s Gemini, however, remains convinced the 30 million figure was achieved on the day itself. Either way, it was an enormous audience by any standard.
Grok instead identifies the highest confirmed Christmas Day peak as the BBC One premiere of Crocodile Dundee in 1989, which attracted 21.77 million viewers.
Other notable Christmas Day highs include:
* Only Fools and Horses (“If They Could See Us Now”, 25 Dec 2001) – 21.35 million (BBC)
* Only Fools and Horses (“Heroes and Villains”, 25 Dec 1996) – 21.31 million (BBC)
* Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show (1977) – estimated 28 million, though measured using an unreliable system (BBC)
What’s clear is that the BBC has historically dominated Christmas Day television.
Even in more recent years, despite long term declines, the BBC scored a major win with last year’s Gavin & Stacey finale, which pulled in 12.3 million viewers… the highest Christmas Day figure in over a decade.
So when this year’s peak tops out at 6 million, and the tenth placed show attracts just 2.6 million, the obvious question is: what changed?
In my opinion, the answer is simple: the Christmas specials just aren’t special enough anymore.
Shows like The Wheel, The 1% Club, and The Weakest Link feel interchangeable with their regular episodes — programmes we can watch any night of the week with a bit of tinsel added.
By contrast, Christmas specials of Only Fools and Horses, Doctor Who, or Gavin & Stacey felt like genuine events. They offered something unique… content people actively looked forward to, and content many would probably have paid to watch if it had debuted on streaming.
That said, the BBC will no doubt be satisfied that it still owns Christmas Day.
However, with Stranger Things Christmas Day/Boxing Day viewing figures yet to be released and previous episodes drawing 60 million viewers globally within five days… it’s likely to dwarf anything UK broadcasters can deliver. That said, because time zones meant the episodes technically dropped on 26 December in the UK, the BBC’s Christmas Day crown may remain intact.
Christmas Day viewing figures in full:
* The King’s Speech – 6.0 million (BBC & ITV)
* The Scarecrows’ Wedding – 4.3 million (BBC)
* Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special – 4.2 million (BBC)
* Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel – 3.7 million (BBC)
* Call the Midwife – 3.4 million (BBC)
* Gladiators: Christmas Special – 3.2 million (BBC)
* Amandaland: Christmas Special – 3.1 million (BBC)
* EastEnders – 2.8 million (BBC)
* The 1% Club – 2.7 million (ITV)
* The Weakest Link – 2.6 million (BBC)
While nine of the ten most-watched programmes aired on the BBC, viewing figures are significantly down on previous years.
When it comes to historic Christmas Day highs, the numbers are surprisingly contested. Grok disputes the often quoted 30+ million audience for EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, suggesting this figure includes repeat broadcasts in the following days and that the actual same day audience was closer to 19–20 million. Google’s Gemini, however, remains convinced the 30 million figure was achieved on the day itself. Either way, it was an enormous audience by any standard.
Grok instead identifies the highest confirmed Christmas Day peak as the BBC One premiere of Crocodile Dundee in 1989, which attracted 21.77 million viewers.
Other notable Christmas Day highs include:
* Only Fools and Horses (“If They Could See Us Now”, 25 Dec 2001) – 21.35 million (BBC)
* Only Fools and Horses (“Heroes and Villains”, 25 Dec 1996) – 21.31 million (BBC)
* Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show (1977) – estimated 28 million, though measured using an unreliable system (BBC)
What’s clear is that the BBC has historically dominated Christmas Day television.
Even in more recent years, despite long term declines, the BBC scored a major win with last year’s Gavin & Stacey finale, which pulled in 12.3 million viewers… the highest Christmas Day figure in over a decade.
So when this year’s peak tops out at 6 million, and the tenth placed show attracts just 2.6 million, the obvious question is: what changed?
In my opinion, the answer is simple: the Christmas specials just aren’t special enough anymore.
Shows like The Wheel, The 1% Club, and The Weakest Link feel interchangeable with their regular episodes — programmes we can watch any night of the week with a bit of tinsel added.
By contrast, Christmas specials of Only Fools and Horses, Doctor Who, or Gavin & Stacey felt like genuine events. They offered something unique… content people actively looked forward to, and content many would probably have paid to watch if it had debuted on streaming.
That said, the BBC will no doubt be satisfied that it still owns Christmas Day.
However, with Stranger Things Christmas Day/Boxing Day viewing figures yet to be released and previous episodes drawing 60 million viewers globally within five days… it’s likely to dwarf anything UK broadcasters can deliver. That said, because time zones meant the episodes technically dropped on 26 December in the UK, the BBC’s Christmas Day crown may remain intact.
Christmas Day viewing figures in full:
* The King’s Speech – 6.0 million (BBC & ITV)
* The Scarecrows’ Wedding – 4.3 million (BBC)
* Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special – 4.2 million (BBC)
* Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel – 3.7 million (BBC)
* Call the Midwife – 3.4 million (BBC)
* Gladiators: Christmas Special – 3.2 million (BBC)
* Amandaland: Christmas Special – 3.1 million (BBC)
* EastEnders – 2.8 million (BBC)
* The 1% Club – 2.7 million (ITV)
* The Weakest Link – 2.6 million (BBC)
Not far behind Crocodile Dundee in 1989 was the Jolly Boys Outing of Only Fools and Horses. Do sitcoms have holiday episodes nowadays or are they just normal episodes in the series? The likes of OFAH, One Foot In The Grave, Birds of A Feather etc had them at Christmas and they also felt special because they had extended runtimes.