Gavin & Stacey most-watched Christmas Day TV programme in 23 years
The final episode of Gavin & Stacey is the UK’s most-watched TV programme shown on Christmas Day in 23 years, new figures show.
Official ratings for the sitcom’s 90-minute farewell, which was the centrepiece of BBC One’s 2024 festive schedules, are 19.1 million.
This is the biggest audience for a Christmas Day broadcast on UK television since the episode of Only Fools & Horses on December 25 2001, which attracted 21.3 million viewers.
The figures have been published by the ratings organisation Barb and includes all people who recorded and watched the programme up to seven days later – the industry standard for measuring TV audiences.
It also includes those who watched on tablets, PCs and smartphones.
Vengeance Most Fowl
The brand new Wallace & Gromit adventure Vengeance Most Fowl, which was also shown on BBC One on Christmas Day 2024, was not far behind, pulling in 16.3 million viewers.
The figures mean Gavin & Stacey and Wallace & Gromit have become the top two most-watched scripted programmes of the decade so far, pushing Line of Duty – which attracted 15.8 million for its finale in 2021 – into third place.
The biggest TV audience of the 2020s remains the broadcast by former prime minister Boris Johnson on March 23 2020 announcing the first Covid-19 lockdown, which was shown simultaneously on six TV channels and drew an average audience of 28.3 million.
BBC success
Barb’s official seven-day ratings for Christmas Day 2024 show that nine of the top 10 were broadcast on BBC One:
– Gavin & Stacey (BBC One, 9pm) 19.1 million
– Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (BBC One, 6.10pm) 16.3 million
– Call the Midwife (BBC One, 8pm) 7.6 million
– Doctor Who (BBC One, 5.10pm) 5.9 million
– The King (BBC One, 3pm) 5.7 million
– EastEnders (BBC One, 10.35pm) 5.6 million
– EastEnders (BBC One, 7.30pm) 5.5 million
– Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One, 3.55pm) 5.4 million
– Tiddler (BBC One, 2.35pm) 4.7 million
– Coronation Street (ITV, 7pm) 4.4 million
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No surprise the BBC spent the whole december endlessly promoting it, across all their tv and radio channels.
Although a big comedy fan wouldn’t watch Gavin & Stacy if you paid me. Never liked the show for obvious reasons. And yes, Ruth Jones is “Welsh” and co-wrote the series along with James Corden, but I find she was playing to the Welsh stereotype to please her largely English audience. Best Welsh comedy in my opinion by was High Hopes co-written by the brilliant Boyd Cack & Kirsten Jones , and directed by the late great Gareth Gwenlan of Only Fools & Horses fame. Also, was a fan of their first series Satellite City too that appeared on our… Read more »
I wasn’t initially a fan, but ‘Gavin and Stacey’ has sort of grown on me over time, if mainly because the characters – even if to the point of caricature – so accurately represent so many of the folk whom I encountered in the ’70s and ’80s when I was living in south-east Wales.
But for me the pinnacle of Welsh comedy – way better than ‘Gavin and Stacey’ – was ‘Ryan and Ronnie’. But because they performed entirely in the Welsh language, their superb talent wasn’t all that widely appreciated
Apologies. I should have mention Ryan & Ronnie. But I agree. As a double act were not widely appreciated. They were extremely funny and indeed the pinnacle of Welsh comedy. They remained loyal to Wales performing in Welsh to their credit. They were Wales answer to Morecambe & Wise and as good as. And like many comics who make others laugh sadly themselves behind the laughter were tears. Besides more recognition didn’t deserve the tragedy and ending that befell both. Although I have issue with Gavin & Stacey It’s not that the actors themselves that are not funny individually. After… Read more »
I thought that Ryan and Ronnie were actually funnier than Morecambe and Wise!
But the culture clash was is part of life and not just Essex and South Wales. We will all get along far better if we understand each other.
Just shows that a good story does not need violence and horror.
Last of the Sunmer Wine being another example.
More like this please.