Almost 7 million people watched The King’s Christmas message, making it the most popular program on television for Christmas Day, according to initial overnight ratings from BARB.
The combined viewership across channels like BBC, ITV, Sky News, and GB News totaled the number of people who watched King Charles deliver his yearly address, which this year took place at Westminster Abbey.
In a recent address, the King encouraged people across Britain to build connections with those around them, emphasizing the importance of stronger communities at a time when the world feels more fractured.
With 4.3 million viewers, The Scarecrows’ Wedding was the second most popular program of the day. It’s an animated version of the beloved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
That number is slightly higher than the 4.2 million viewers who watched Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman host the final episode of the popular ballroom dancing show, Strictly Come Dancing, in its holiday special.
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Rounding out the top five most-watched shows of the day were Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, with 3.7 million viewers, and the Call the Midwife Christmas Special, which had 3.4 million.
This year’s Christmas Day ratings were notably lower than last year, which had the best numbers since 2008. Last year, the finale of Gavin & Stacey topped the charts with 12.3 million viewers, followed by the new Wallace and Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, which attracted 9.4 million.
It was likely viewing numbers would be down this year, as there weren’t any other big events competing for attention. Even shows that aired in both years saw fewer viewers – for example, the first of this year’s two EastEnders specials attracted 2.85 million viewers, compared to 4.4 million and 4 million for the two episodes in 2004.
You can find the full breakdown of the top 10 most-watched shows on the day below:
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The King’s Christmas Broadcast – 6.56m
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The Scarecrows’ Wedding – 4.31m
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Strictly Come Dancing – 4.24m
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Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel – 3.71m
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Call the Midwife – 3.44m
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Gladiators – 3.16m
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Amandaland – 3.05m
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EastEnders – 2.85m
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The 1
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The Weakest Link – 2.63m
Authors
Patrick Cremona is TopMob’s Senior Film Writer, covering new movies released in theaters and on streaming platforms. He joined the site in October 2019 and has since interviewed many famous actors and reviewed films of all kinds.
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2025-12-27 14:04