Call Smithy and Nessa! The BBC’s Christmas Day TV ratings plummeted as almost eight million viewers tuned out of a schedule sorely lacking a Gavin & Stacey special.
King Charles’s annual festive message was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day with 4.6 million tuning in on BBC One at 3pm.
But the number represented a huge fall from the 12.3 million who watched 2024’s most popular Christmas programme, the Gavin & Stacey finale.
The James Corden and Ruth Jones comedy special delivered the largest Christmas audience for 20 years and bucked a downward trend, supported by another new family hit, the premiere of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
Without that pairing, viewing numbers slumped for a BBC line-up of tried and tested programmes.
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s farewell to viewers in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special was watched by an audience of 4.2 million.
Strictly was even eclipsed this year by The Scarecrows’ Wedding, the latest Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler animated adaptation. It was seen by 4.3 million BBC One viewers, the second-highest audience of the day.
King Charles topped the Christmas TV ratings with his annual festive message (Aaron Chown/Pool via Reuters)The festive Strictly audience has itself suffered a marked decline since 2016 when 7.2 million tuned in for the special.
On social media, viewers complained about a stale BBC Christmas schedule, filled with repeats and old stagers such as Mrs Brown’s Boys and EastEnders, with many calling for a regular return of Gavin and Stacey.
The days when EastEnders could draw 30 million viewers to Christmas drama in Albert Square – its 1986 peak when Dirty Den served wife Angie with divorce papers – are long gone.
This year 2.8 million watched the soap on Christmas mas night, well down on the 4.4 million that tuned in last Christmas.
Call The Midwife was enjoyed by 3.4 million, down one million from the 4.4 million who watched the Christmas special in both 2024 and 2023.
The rival attractions of streaming platforms such as Netflix, as well as TV screens diverted to YouTube – now the UK’s second-most watched media platform – plus video games unwrapped on Christmas Day, have led to record lows in viewing figures, with the two top shows of the day dipping below five million.
But the BBC still claimed victory in the ratings battle, with BARB figures showing it broadcast nine of the top 10 most-watched Christmas shows.
Christmas Day TV Ratings – all BBC unless stated
The King’s Speech – 4.6 million The Scarecrows’ Wedding – 4.3 million Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special – 4.2 million Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel – 3.7 million Call the Midwife – 3.4 million Gladiators Christmas Special – 3.2 million Amandaland Christmas Special – 3.1million EastEnders – 2.8 million The 1% Club – ITV – 2.7 million The Weakest Link – 2.6 millionAn Amandaland comedy special, reuniting Jennifer Saunders with Joanna Lumley, which aired during the slot dominated by Gavin & Stacey in 2024, entertained 3.1m BBC One viewers.
ITV’s The 1% Club broke into the top 10 list at number nine with 2.7 million viewers.
The King’s message was seen by 45 per cent of all TV viewers at 3pm, but its BBC ratings were down from last year’s 5 million figure. However King Charles was watched additionally by 734,000 viewers on BBC Two and 909,000 more on ITV1.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s chief content officer, said: “We’re proud of the fact that people come together on the BBC at Christmas. Having nine out of the top 10 shows on Christmas Day is a timely reminder that shared moments really do still matter even in a world of so much choice.”
If the BBC Christmas line-up appeared uninspiring, it is expecting a bumper New Year’s Day with the launch of two blockbusters – Claudia Winkleman returns to present a new “civilian” series of The Traitors.
It will be followed on BBC One by Tom Hiddleston reprising his starring role in a new series of spy thriller The Night Manager.
Boxing Day presented more difficulties for the BBC. The broadcaster rejected calls to cancel a Would I Lie To You? special featuring David Walliams as a panel guest.
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Walliams, dropped by his publisher HarperCollins following a newspaper investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour towards young women, gave two Nazi salutes during the recording.
The BBC was forced to apologise over the incident and said it had deleted the scene from the episode. Walliams denies the claims made about his behaviour.
Netflix made a fresh bid for Boxing Day dominance after dropping three new episodes of Stranger Things in the UK. The final episode of the cult sci-fi show will arrive in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The BBC’s Christmas Day offerings can expect to rack up more viewings on iPlayer and catch-up services over the festive period. Consolidated viewing numbers for Gavin & Stacey had soared to 19.1 million by January 2, 2025.
Most Watched Christmas Day Programmes (2021–2025)
2025: The King’s Christmas Broadcast (4.6 million overnight) was the most-watched, followed by the animated special The Scarecrows’ Wedding (4.3 million).
A total of 12.3 million watched 2024’s most popular Xmas show, the Gavin and Stacey finale (Photo: BBC)2024: Gavin & Stacey: The Finale set a record with 12.3 million overnight viewers, later rising to more than 19 million with catch-up figures. It was the most-watched scripted Christmas show in over 20 years.
2023: The King’s Christmas Broadcast (5.9 million on BBC One; 7.48 million total) was the overall most watched, with the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (5.3 million) being the top-rated entertainment show.
2022: The King’s Christmas Broadcast (10.7 million across all channels) was the top programme, with Strictly Come Dancing (5.4 million) as the most-watched entertainment programme on a single channel.
2021: The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast (8.96 million total) was the most-watched, followed by the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (5.8 million).
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