King Charles III's annual Christmas broadcast emerged as the single most watched television programme across the United Kingdom on Christmas Day, according to overnight viewing figures. The monarch's address, which championed the values of compassion and reconciliation, attracted an audience of nearly 7 million viewers.
A Message of Unity and Diversity
Recorded within the historic setting of Westminster Abbey, the King's speech was broadcast across multiple channels including the BBC, ITV, Sky News, and GB News. In his message, Charles paid tribute to the "great diversity of our communities" and called on the nation to actively cherish the principles of compassion and reconciliation. The audience size remained broadly consistent with the viewing figures for his inaugural Christmas message the previous year.
The Festive Television Ratings Battle
While the King's speech topped the daily rankings, the overall festive ratings champion for Christmas Day 2024 was the final farewell episode of "Gavin and Stacey". The beloved sitcom's special became the most watched Christmas Day programme in 16 years, drawing an impressive average audience of 12.3 million viewers.
The second most popular broadcast was the animated adaptation of "The Scarecrows' Wedding" on BBC One, based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, which captivated 4.3 million viewers. In third place was the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, which marked the final joint hosting appearance of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, pulling in 4.2 million people.
The emotional special saw the departing presenters receive gifts from the judges and ended with a tearful embrace. Daly's sign-off, "It's our final time. So let's make it count," preceded the duo's iconic final instruction to the audience: "keep dancing".
BBC Dominates the Top Ten
Following a challenging year, BBC executives will have welcomed the news that the public broadcaster secured nine out of the ten slots in the day's most-watched list. The only exception was ITV1's festive edition of "The 1% Club", hosted by Lee Mack, which placed ninth with 2.75 million viewers.
Kate Phillips, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, stated that the figures served as "a timely reminder that shared moments really do still matter even in a world of so much choice".
Other notable entries in the top ten included "Call the Midwife" (3.44m), the return of "Gladiators" (3.16m), and "The Weakest Link" (2.63m). "EastEnders" experienced a decline, with its first Christmas episode attracting 2.85 million viewers and its second failing to break into the top ten.
All data is sourced from official overnight TV ratings provided by Barb (Broadcast Audience Research Board). These figures do not include viewers who caught up on programmes via on-demand services later in the festive period, nor those who watched the King's message on certain satellite channels or non-TV platforms.
