Tuesday, March 10, 2026

BBC suffers record Christmas Day ratings slump

BBC Christmas Day viewer ratings slump

The BBC recorded what is believed to be its weakest-ever Christmas Day television performance, with viewing figures falling sharply compared to 2024, when blockbuster shows like the Gavin and Stacey finale and a new Wallace and Gromit drew large audiences.

This year, the King’s Speech was the most-watched programme with just 4.6 million viewers, while long-standing favourites including EastEnders, Call The Midwife and The Weakest Link all saw significant declines.

Although Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special was the only show to post a modest increase, critics and viewers described the festive schedule as underwhelming and lacking event television.

In 2024, multiple BBC Christmas Day programmes attracted 10–12 million viewers overnight. In 2025, none reached 5 million. The effective “ceiling” for Christmas Day viewing has fallen by roughly half, marking the sharpest festive ratings drop the state broadcaster has faced in decades, according to numbers reported by GB News.

Despite the slump, the BBC still dominated the day’s rankings, taking nine of the top ten programmes.

Image credit: Nathan J. Hilton

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6 COMMENTS

  1. People are increasingly realising that the BBC is a propaganda organ which can’t be trusted.

    It’s not just the news and current affairs, even the shows that are supposedly purely for entertainment contain subtle propaganda reinforcing establishment narratives.

  2. No one likes propaganda and that’s all a lot of so called entertainment is, these days. I’ve started reading more and spending time outside, working on the main house and enjoying nature. When I think of the time I wasted on the media’s crap, I kick myself.

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