London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Christmas Day TV: Nine million tune in for Queen's message

Christmas Day TV: Nine million tune in for Queen's message

The Queen's Christmas message, in which she spoke movingly about her late husband and empathised with families missing loved ones, was the most-watched TV show on Christmas Day.

An audience of 8.96 million saw the festive address on BBC One, ITV and Sky News, according to overnight ratings.

The BBC's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and Call the Midwife were the next two most popular shows.

In the battle of the soaps, ITV's Coronation Street came out on top.

In her first annual Christmas message since the death of Prince Philip, the Queen, 95, described him as her beloved.

"Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones - this year especially I understand why," she said in the pre-recorded 10-minute address broadcast at 15:00 GMT.

Her message last year, which centred on hope amid the pandemic, also topped the ratings, but drew slightly fewer viewers, with 8.14 million tuning in.

First Dates host Fred Sirieix opened the Strictly Christmas special with a quickstep


By early evening, nearly six million were following six celebrities as they competed for the crown in Strictly's Christmas Special.

This year's champion, pop star Anne-Marie, cha cha cha-ed her way to a perfect score of 40 from the judges, beating former Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc whose dance to Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby was also a big hit.

Other BBC Christmas Day favourites followed in the ratings list, including Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel, Blankety Blank, Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt, and Superworm, an adaptation of Julia Donaldson's popular children's book.

Coronation Street was in eighth place - ITV's top-rated programme of the day - drawing 3.25 million viewers, followed closely by soap rivals ITV's Emmerdale (3 million) and BBC's EastEnders (2.92 million), according to ratings body Barb.

This year, ITV put its Christmas Day shows on its on-demand player in the morning. People watching in that way are not reflected in the overnight figures, but will be included in the consolidated figures, which come out in just over a week's time.

Analysis: Our changing Christmas Day TV habits
The smiles didn't last for long in the 1986 Christmas Day episode of EastEnders, watched by 20 million people


Thirty-five years ago, in 1986, about 20 million people tuned in to watch Den Watts present Angie with divorce papers on EastEnders on Christmas Day. The days of these kind of huge viewing figures are long gone.

Multi-channel television and other activities mean the tradition of families sitting around in front of the box on Christmas Day has gradually weakened.

And live viewing on Christmas Day itself has become less important as a TV showcase.

Excluding the Queen and news programmes, last year the most popular show watched on the day during the festive period was actually an episode of The Repair Shop that aired on Boxing Day.

But viewers will still tune in in big numbers to watch a programme live on Christmas Day when they feel it represents genuine event TV.

Two years ago the first new Gavin & Stacey episode in just under 10 years had an audience on Christmas Day of nearly 12 million.

Audiences clearly felt that it was a hugely welcome addition to a day which most of the time is made up of festive editions of shows that are already regulars in the TV schedules.

Christmas Day 2021's Top 10 TV hits


1. The Queen - 8.96m (7.4m on BBC One, 1.49m on ITV, 0.07m on Sky News)

2. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) - 5.78m

3. Call The Midwife (BBC One) - 4.72m

4. Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel (BBC One) - 4.64m

5. Blankety Blank (BBC One) - 4.24m

6. Mary Poppins Returns (BBC One) - 3.66m

7. Superworm (BBC One) - 3.34m

8. Coronation Street (ITV) - 3.25m

9. Emmerdale (ITV) - 3m

10. EastEnders (BBC One) - 2.92m

Source: Barb


Watch the Queen deliver her Christmas message for 2021


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×