Strictly Come Dancing raked in some of the biggest overnight figures on Christmas night amid poor ratings across the board.
After a standout year for festive TV last year, with mega hits like Gavin and Stacey: The Finale (12.3m viewers) and Wallace and Gromit (9.3m), this year’s showing has been considerably lower, with the vast majority coming in at well over half those highs.
After fans shared their dismay at the schedule this year (for which many the highlight was the Amandaland Christmas special), the lack of interest is reflected in the overnight viewing figures, which are some of the lowest in the past decade.
At the top was the King’s Speech, which picked up six million across BBC and ITV, lower than last year, which secured 6.8m (and landed at number three in the top 10).
Despite topping the list in 2025, these are the lowest figures the annual royal speech has received when looking at ratings since 2016.
Get personalised updates on Strictly
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
Coming in at number two and three were Scarecrow’s Wedding at 4.3m and Tess and Claudia’s final ever Strictly Come Dancing special, which trailed just behind at 4.2m.
The top 10 Christmas Day shows across UK TV
The King’s Speech – 6 million (BBC and ITV)
The Scarecrows’ Wedding – 4.3 million (BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special – 4.2 million (BBC)
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel – 3.7 million (BBC)
Call the Midwife – 3.4 million (BBC)
Gladiators Christmas Special – 3.2 million (BBC)
Amandaland Christmas Special – 3.1million (BBC)
EastEnders – 2.8 million (BBC)
The 1% Club – 2.7 million (ITV)
The Weakest Link – 2.6 million (BBC)
This is also the first year in a decade that number two on the list has dipped below five million as viewership continues to trend downwards.
Still, the BBC dominated the top 10, with The Wheel, Call The Midwife, Gladiators and Amandaland making up the middle portion with around three million viewers each.
Wrapping the list up was EastEnders, ITV’s 1% Club, and The Weakest Link, which capped the top 10 off at 2.6 million. In 2024, Weakest Link also landed the 10th spot on the list, but at a marginally higher 3.05 million.
In a statement about the 2025 top 10, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, said: ‘We’re proud of the fact that people come together on the BBC at Christmas.
‘Having nine out of the top ten shows on Christmas Day is a timely reminder that shared moments really do still matter even in a world of so much choice.
What’s happened to Christmas TV?
Metro’s Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook reflects on the backlash to ITV’s Christmas schedule…
The 1988 festive edition of the Radio Times still holds the Guinness record for the biggest-selling magazine in British history, with over 11million copies snapped up and snaffled home to be hacked at with a highlighter pen.
If we want more Christmas TV worth earmarking ahead of time, then we have to take more of a Gogglebox approach and watch what is there. Droves of viewers deserting linear TV in favour of Netflix will only leave each year’s Christmas schedule feeling steadily more like a relic…
But with Netflix seemingly primed to swallow all of Warner Bros, potentially tightening its grip on the festive entertainment landscape, we may need a miracle to save our British broadcasters, and the Christmas Day schedule as we fondly remember it.
Read the full article here.
‘It’s the BBC’s unique range of programmes that sets us apart, there really is something for everyone, and we’re kicking off 2026 in explosive style with a new series of The Traitors and The Night Manager, so there’s plenty to look forward to!’
Despite these figures painting a bleak portrait of the state of festive TV, there have also been huge successes this year – especially in the form of Celebrity Traitors.
The BBC confirmed that consolidated figures for the inaugural season saw the show comfortably pulling in an average of 15 million viewers across the nation.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: Scarlett Moffatt’s triumph highlights Strictly Come Dancing’s biggest flaw
MORE: Why has Trump ordered ‘powerful strikes’ in Nigeria?
MORE: 90s pop star tipped to appear on next Strictly series after impressing bosses
#Strictly #triumphs #Christmas #ratings #hit #record #lows #terrible #schedule
