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British xmas ratings

The Queen's Christmas Message led audiences in the UK over Christmas.

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Not The Crown, but The Queen’s Christmas Message has topped the all-important British Christmas viewing figures, at 6.3m on BBC One.

BBC’s Call the Midwife special snared second place at 5.4m.

Christmas Day 2020 viewing figures
1. The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast (BBC One) – 6.3 million
2. Call The Midwife (BBC One) – 5.4 million
3. Blankety Blank Christmas Special (BBC One) – 5.3 million
4. Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Countdown (BBC One) – 4.9 million
5. The Wheel (BBC One) – 4.7 million
6. Coronation Street (ITV) – 4.5 million
7. Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC One) – 3.8 million
8. Emmerdale (ITV) – 3.6 million
9. EastEnders (BBC One) – 3.5 million
10. The Chase (ITV) – 3 million.

Source: TellyMix

15 Responses

  1. EastEnders has been absolutely dire this year, and that is coming from an avid lifelong fan. It has lost its identity and the core of the show and has become so awful and self-aware that it is a complete joke, being driven by stupid plots only, lacking any aftermath to stories, incorporating stupid incidental music that treats the audience like they’re stupid and completely destroying original characters left and right. Hopefully with the disastrous ratings this year and coming in as the third soap will finally be the wake up call the BBC needs to see a shift behind the scenes and see Jon Sen on his way.

    1. EastEnders has been pretty dire this century and for too long they concentrate on two or three key plots a year (usually around their anniversary and Christmas) and just churn out whatever they can the rest of the year.

      It would be nice to see it rested from Christmas Day – it’s always such a miserable interuption in what is otherwise generally a feel good schedule. Ratings across the board particularly low this year – new content like the Gavin and Stacey special will bring in the viewers, but otherwise I think the BBC being over reliant on the same franchises for years meaning if you’re not a fan of them it’s not for you have probably driven people to streaming.

  2. Yes very different contrast, my family always laughs or maybe cringes at the fact that the networks roll out the 40 year old vacation movies every Christmas, channel 9 was the culprit and now 7 appears to have the rights to Christmas Vacation, surely they must have some newer movies in the vault they could pull out for Christmas night.

    1. There have been newer xmas movies screening over the period, but I think it’s a case of damned if do / don’t. It’s sort of a TV tradition now… skip the movie and outrage will follow. Nine similarly has You Can’t Stop the Music every NYE.

      1. Which is absolutely necessary. It’s a sublime piece of filmic trash that everyone must witness at least once a year. How else could you rate the MCU or Disney output without this important film to judge against? Plus it’s fun!

      1. It will make a huge jump. If you check the regular ratings when Barb releases them, you’ll see Corrie gets 3-4 million live but bumps up to 7 million in consolidated.

  4. Nice to see Coronation Street still going strong after 60 years! Our British cousins sure love their soaps.

    But it is also sobering to realize the extent that viewership is so fragmented.
    Broadcast TV figures are so much smaller than even a decade ago. I know that there are various catch up services etc, but it does seem that the days of programs on UK TV regularly scoring over 10 million viewers at a single sitting are but a memory.
    Times have certainly changed, as the streaming juggernaut rolls on.

  5. Always fascinating to see the UK/Aus contrast in Christmas programming.

    For the UK it is one of their peak viewing nights of the year where they bring out the big guns, usually expensive specials of all their most popular shows and are rewarded with strong ratings from families sitting down after their Christmas dinners.

    For Australia repeat movies up to forty years old and miniscule ratings.

    The question is whether there is no Aus audience around that night or if the networks are missing a chance to grasp an audience who is there but wants some genuine content.

    I mean, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? That is the best on offer?

    1. I think in the UK the higher profile of TV on Christmas is largely due to it being in the middle of what is usually a freezing winter, potentially with snow, and it’s fully dark by about 4.00 in the afternoon. Everyone is staying home – and this year they’re under lock down. In Australia, our Christmases are usually bathed in warm weather and sunshine and it’s daylight until about 9pm – all natural enemies of TV. The Panel managed to break the Christmas TV drought with the Christmas Wrap for a few years but other than that networks here have shown little interest in Christmas night.

      2. Sorry it isn’t fully dark I’m the UK by 4:00 pm. Maybe up in northern Scotland. Also the Queen Speech is on at 3:00 pm. I also.don’t know what you on about everyone is staying home. People in that time are out and about. Yes many parts of the UK are under lockdown but that doesn’t mean they are stuck indoors

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