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.
