The King was back on top of the Christmas Day TV ratings this
year after losing out in 2024 to a love story set in Wales.

King Charles’ speech won the coveted race for most watched
show.

Its peak audience was 4.6 million viewers, making it the most
popular programme of the day.

In 2024, King Charles missed out on the top spot with the last
ever episode of Gavin and Stacey pulling in the most Christmas Day
viewers. It was set in Barry, south Wales and Essex with the final
instalment focused on the on/ off romance of Nessa and Smithy, two
of its main characters.

In 2025, The King reigned supreme again with the broadcast on
BBC One becoming the most watched show of the day. Across all the
channels it was shown on, its viewing figures rose to around 7
million.

Second on the list of most watched shows on Christmas Day was
The Scarecrow’s Wedding, an animated version of the Julia Donaldson
book, which took 4.3 million viewers. In third place was the
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special which was also the last
show for its popular presenters, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Over 4.2 million tuned in to see Tess and Claudia’s last dance.

This year’s Christmas speech focused on the themes of pilgrimage
and togetherness and was broadcast from the Lady Chapel of
Westminster Abbey for the very first time.

King Charles watched it from Sandringham in Norfolk where he was
joined by the Royal Family for Christmas Day celebrations.

The Prince and Princess of Wales along with their three children
were with The King and Queen Camilla for the walk to church on
Christmas Day morning.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis later stole
the show at a walkabout following the service.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also joined the Royal
Family for Christmas Day. However, their parents, Andrew
Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, stayed away.