What will be the most viewed show on Christmas Day 2024?

581

There isn’t a much better feeling than gathering around the TV on Christmas Day to watch some of our favourite shows and movies surrounded by your family and friends. Whether it’s soaps such as Eastenders, Coronation Street, or Emmerdale, both BBC One and ITV1 have you covered with Christmas specials on the 25th December 2024. 

Some channels have better TV schedules than others, with Channel 5 opting to cover ‘Britain’s favourite Christmas songs’ at various points during the day, which is slightly disappointing given the coverage they could have potentially had. However, it’s unsurprising to see BBC One leading the way with their Christmas Day coverage, and they’re highly likely to be the most popular choice to head to on the big day. 

The feature show on BBC One on Christmas Day is Gavin & Stacey, which is set for eye-opening viewing figures if the pre-finale hype is anything to go by across social media. Fans of the show were left in suspense at last year’s Christmas Day episode, as Nessa had proposed to Smithy, and we’ve had to wait a whole year to find out the answer to the all-important question. 

It therefore might be unsurprising to hear that Gavin & Stacey has a 94% probability of finishing as the most-viewed TV programme on Christmas Day, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see that percentage increase as we edge closer to the finale. 

The King’s Speech drew 5.9 million viewers in 2023, and it’ll be interesting to see if that figure is beaten this year. It has a 10% chance of being the most viewed TV programme on Christmas Day this year, which seems a tough ask if they’re to edge out Gavin & Stacey. 

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is set to air at 6:10 pm, and is the third-favourite with a probability score of 7.7%, whilst Strictly Come Dancing and Call The Midwife make up the top five, both holding a 4.3% chance of coming out on top in the viewing figures. 

When it comes to soaps, Eastenders and Coronation Street have just a 1% chance of being the most viewed TV programme on Christmas Day, whilst Emmerdale has even less of a chance with a probability percentage of 0.7%, which is the same chance as The Weakest Link. 

You’d be brave to back against Gavin & Stacey finishing as the most viewed TV programme on Christmas Day, and the scheduling of it on BBC One is ideal for the large majority of the British public, as they start to wind down after a long day opening gifts, having a delicious Christmas dinner, and spending time with their loved ones. BBC One seems to have you covered with all you could want in terms of a wide range of genres spread across their schedule. 

Toy Story 3 is followed by the Minions film around midday, so the children and even the adults after a bit of nostalgia from their own childhood will be entertained earlier in the day. Then, your favourite shows such as Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, and Eastenders make it likely that you might not even have to raise your hand to change the channel at all on Christmas Day. 

The Gavin & Stacey finale seems nailed on to be the most viewed TV programme, and we’re certainly hoping that it lives up to the expectation set for it after last year’s episode!