King Charles’s christmas Address Draws 7 Million Viewers, But ‘Gavin & Stacey‘ Wins the Day

King Charles’s Christmas address was the most-watched TV program in the UK on Christmas Day, according to overnight data. Nearly 7 million viewers tuned in to watch the King deliver his annual message, recorded in Westminster Abbey, where he praised the “great diversity of our communities” and urged the nation to “cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation.”

Despite similar viewership to last year’s address, Gavin & Stacey ultimately won the festive TV ratings battle. The show’s final farewell episode became the most-watched Christmas Day program in 16 years,averaging 12.3 million viewers.

The Scarecrows’ Wedding,based on the popular picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler,was the second most popular program this year,attracting 4.3 million viewers. Strictly come Dancing’s Christmas special, hosted for the last time by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, followed closely behind with 4.2 million tuning in.

The special send-off included Christmas gifts from the judges – a dance for Daly and a comedy skit for Winkleman. Their final dance concluded with a tearful embrace, with Daly stating, “It’s our final time. so let’s make it count,” before the pair signed off with their signature phrase, “keep dancing.”

EastEnders experienced a drop in viewers compared to the previous year, with the frist of its two Christmas Day episodes ranking eighth with 2.85 million viewers. The second episode did not appear in the top 10.

Despite a challenging year, BBC executives will be encouraged that programs from the public broadcaster accounted for nine of the top 10 most-watched programs of the day. The 1% Club, the quiz hosted by Lee Mack on ITV1, secured ninth place with 2.75 million viewers.

Kate Phillips, BBC’s chief content officer, noted that the results were “a timely reminder that shared moments really do still matter even in a world of so much choice.”

All figures are based on official “overnight” TV ratings.