King Charles III's first Christmas message to pay tribute to Queen's legacy
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After a difficult last few months, the King and Queen and members of their family gathered at Westminster Abbey for a Christmas carol service organised by the Princess of Wales. The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Beatrice were among the attendees...
King's first Christmas message tops 10m viewers
Monday 26th December 2022
By Fiona Nimoni
BBC News
King Charles's first Christmas message attracted the highest viewing figures this century for the monarch's traditional festive address, overnight viewing figures have shown.
More channels than ever carried the 3pm address - and the combined audience was 10.7 million.
In comparison, Queen Elizabeth II's final Christmas message a year ago was seen by 8.96 million viewers.
The King paid tribute to his mother's work during his first festive address.
He also took the opportunity to reflect on the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, as he spoke of those struggling to pay their bills.
According to figures collated by Sussex University, the audience for the late Queen's annual broadcast dropped below 10 million in the late 1990s and had not climbed that high again.
In recent years, the message has regularly been the most-watched Christmas Day programme - but that is because viewers have increasingly switched off other Christmas shows or just watch them at a later time. The Queen's address was still seen by many as a live event to be watched at the time of transmission, even though it was actually pre-recorded.
The increased interest in what the King would say in his first message meant that it was shown simultaneously on BBC One, ITV1, ITV3, Sky News and GB News - with a signed version on BBC Two.
The BBC can also claim to have won the viewing battle with seven of the top 10 shows being screened on BBC One.
The number of viewers is based on "overnight" figures - largely based on viewers who were watching the programmes live. So they do not include viewers who watch Christmas specials on catch-up services during the rest of the festive period.
Top 10 programmes on Christmas Day
1) The King (BBC, Sky, ITV and GB News) 10.72m2) Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) 5.44m
3) Michael McIntyre's Xmas Wheel (BBC One) 4.81m
4) Call The Midwife (BBC One) 4.49m
5) Aladdin (BBC One) 4.39m
6) Ghosts (BBC One) 3.92m
7) Doc Martin (ITV1) 3.26m
8) EastEnders (BBC One) 3.17m
9) Coronation Street (ITV1) 2.85m
10) Ant and Dec's Limitless Win (ITV1) 2.69m
All figures supplied by the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (Barb))
King's first Christmas message tops 10m viewers
The 10.7 million who saw King Charles's message compares with 8.96 million who watched the Queen a year ago.
www.bbc.co.uk