Christmas Day TV ratings: Queen's Speech and Strictly come out on top
The BBC scores a winner with eight out of the ten top shows on Christmas Day.
The BBC has come out on top in the Christmas Day ratings for 2021.
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s premiere channel BBC One scored eight out of the top 10 shows on the big day.
The most highly-watched fixture of the schedule was the Queen’s annual Christmas Broadcast.
Her Majesty The Queen paid tribute to her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died earlier this year at the age of 99.
Outside of the Queen’s Speech, the most-viewed programme was the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, which was won by pop singer Anne-Marie.
Beloved BBC period drama Call the Midwife came in third place with its 90-minute festive outing, followed by BBC game shows Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel and the Blankety Blank Christmas Special, respectively.
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Disney sequel Mary Poppins Returns, which starred Emily Blunt in the title role, took the sixth slot as viewers joined in on the family fun on BBC One.
Seventh place was taken up by the animation Superworm, which was narrated on BBC One by Olivia Colman and included other talented cast members.
The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by the soaps with ITV’s Coronation Street taking the top spot at number eight with its uplifting festive outing.
Fellow ITV soap Emmerdale took ninth place as evil Meena Jutla attacked sister Manpreet Sharma amid a disaster.
Finally, BBC One soap EastEnders - which had a slightly later slot in the schedules - finished out the top 10 amid a double wedding that saw Chelsea Fox see husband Gray Atkins’ true colours.
Commenting on the Christmas Day ratings, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore said: “Viewers chose the BBC on Christmas Day and entertained them in their millions with Strictly taking the top spot.
“Nothing brings the country together at Christmas quite like the BBC, there was something for everyone with the seven most popular programmes across the day that caps off a brilliant year on the BBC celebrating British creativity where we have delivered hits and award-winning work and seen huge audiences come to our shows.”
Moore added: "It’s these moments, in a time of intense competition, that prove that after 99 years the BBC matters more than ever.
“We have an ambitious and exciting year ahead in 2022 to mark our centenary year with an unmissable range of world-class content that will celebrate and reflect the unique role the BBC continues to play in the lives of audiences across the UK.”
Christmas Day TV ratings
- The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast (BBC One) - 7.4 million
- Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (BBC One) - 5.8 million
- Call the Midwife (BBC One) - 4.7 million
- Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel (BBC One) - 4.6 million
- Blankety Blank Christmas Special (BBC One) - 4.2 million
- Mary Poppins Returns (BBC One) - 3.7 million
- Superworm (BBC One) - 3.34 million
- Coronation Street (ITV) - 3.25 million
- Emmerdale (ITV) - 3 million
- EastEnders (BBC One) - 2.9 million
Source: Barb
Read more Christmas content:
- Best Christmas TV for 2021: your guide to what to watch
- Best Christmas movies on Netflix UK
- Best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video UK
- Best Christmas movies on Disney Plus
- Soaps Christmas 2021 TV schedule: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks
If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
