- By Lizo Mzimba, entertainment correspondent, & Sean Seddon
- BBC News
Image source, Getty Images
ITV’s Coronation Street missed out on the top 10 most watched TV programmes of Christmas Day, in what proved to be a mixed day for the soaps.
Emmerdale also failed to make the top 10, but EastEnders enjoyed its biggest festive audience in four years with a much-trailed murder storyline.
The most-viewed show was the King’s Christmas message, which recorded 7.48 million viewers across six channels.
Including the King, the BBC had nine of the day’s most watched shows.
The exception was ITV’s big-money game show The 1% Club, presented by Lee Mack, which ITV opted to run in its prime-time 9pm viewing slot this year, and it came in ninth on the list.
By contrast, Coronation Street and Emmerdale each screened half-hour episodes, rather than the hour-long specials of recent years, and were scheduled earlier in the evening. Special editions of the big soap operas have been a fixture of Christmas TV listings for decades – but they have been attracting dwindling audiences in recent years.
About 2.6 million watched Coronation Street at 7pm on ITV1, down from nearly eight million a decade ago and 2.8 million last year.
All figures are based on “overnight” TV ratings – which do not include viewers who watch Christmas specials on catch-up services during the rest of the festive period.
It is the first time in several decades that the soap has failed to feature in the Christmas Day TV top 10. Emmerdale dropped out for a second year in a row, attracting 1.92 million viewers.
Strictly Come Dancing was the most-watched Christmas Day programme, excluding the King’s message
Almost 3.6 million watched EastEnders on BBC One at 9.45pm to see the climax of a murder plotline that has been running since early 2023 unveiled in a special late evening episode.
Doctor Who fans watched the sci-fi series’ first Christmas special since 2017 in large numbers, while the final ever episode of comedy series Ghosts also proved a hit.
The monarch’s Christmas broadcast was once again the most-viewed programme of the day, attracting almost 7.5 million viewers across several channels.
Top 10 most watched Christmas Day TV shows
- The King’s Christmas Message – 5.89 (BBC One) + 0.58m (BBC Two) + 0.72 (ITV, incl +1) + 0.10 (ITV3) + 0.10 (Sky News) + 0.09 (GB News) – 7.48m
- Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (BBC One) – 5.29m
- Doctor Who (BBC One) – 4.73m
- Ghosts Christmas Special (BBC One) – 4.43m
- Call The Midwife (BBC One) – 4.39m
- Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel (BBC One) – 4.17m
- EastEnders (BBC One) – 3.58m
- Toy Story 4 (BBC One) – 3.46m
- The 1% Club (ITV1) – 3.36m
- Tabby McTat (BBC One) – 3.35m
Source: BARB overnight figures
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
