BBC Dominates Ratings with Popular Shows and Soap Operas

The Christmas Day TV ratings have been unveiled, showcasing the 15 most-watched broadcasts of the day. Topping the list was King Charles III’s inaugural Christmas speech, which drew an impressive 10.72 million viewers. This was particularly significant following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II earlier in the year.

The BBC also secured multiple spots in the rankings, with Strictly Come Dancing attracting 5.44 million viewers, followed by Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel with 4.81 million and Call the Midwife with 4.49 million. The network’s premiere of Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin rounded out the top five with 4.39 million viewers.

In the soap opera arena, the departure of Danny Dyer from EastEnders helped the BBC’s offering outperform ITV1’s Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Additional shows making the top 15 included the final episode of Doc Martin and the BBC’s comedies Ghosts and Mrs Brown’s Boys, the latter receiving a two-star review from The Independent, which described it as “worse than cranberry sauce.”

Here’s the complete list of the top 15 most-watched Christmas Day TV broadcasts:

The King’s Christmas Speech – 10.72m (BBC One – 8.12m, ITV1 – 1.43m, BBC Two – 0.93m, ITV3 – 0.175m, Sky News – 0.046m, GB News – 0.016m)
Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel – 4.81m (BBC One)
Call the Midwife – 4.49m (BBC One)
Aladdin – 4.39m (BBC One)
Ghosts – 3.92m (BBC One)
Doc Martin – 3.26m (ITV1)
EastEnders – 3.17m (BBC One)
Coronation Street – 2.85m (ITV1)
Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win – 2.69m (ITV1)
The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special – 2.68m (ITV1)
The Smeds and the Smoos – 2.67m (BBC One)
Emmerdale – 2.56m (ITV1)
Mrs Brown’s Boys – 2.44m (BBC One)
ITV News – 2.30m (ITV1)