Mrs Brown more popular than the Queen according to Christmas Day viewing figures

Mrs Brown's Boys was the most-watched show of Christmas Day with 9.69 million viewers, beating Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey according to consolidated viewing figures

James Gill

Published: Saturday, 3 January 2015 at 8:41 am

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2014's Queen of Christmas Day TV is Mrs Brown according to consolidated viewing figures, with BBC1 comedy Mrs Brown's Boys pulling in 9.69 million viewers.

Consolidated viewing figures include those watching in the seven days after the programme originally aired – so-called 'time-shifted' views. By this latest count, the Irish sitcom proved more popular even than the Queen's Christmas Day message.

7.82 million viewers tuned in to watch the Queen on BBC, ITV or Sky, making it the most-watched programme 'live' on Christmas Day. But in the consolidated charts, the Christmas Day Message fell to 7th place overall with 8.09 million viewers.

Call the Midwife was the second most popular show of Christmas Day with 9.4 million consolidated viewers. Strictly Come Dancing edged into bronze medal position with 8.98 million viewers. The highest-rated ITV show was Coronation Street, reaching 8th place in the viewing charts with 6.65 million viewers.

The figures show that, generally, fewer people watched Christmas Day TV compared with last year. In 2013 Mrs Brown's Boys was watched by 11.5 million people including catch-up, almost two million more than this year's consolidated figure.

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The Doctor Who Christmas special also fell: 8.2 million people watched Peter Capaldi live and on catch-up this year, compared to 11.1 million in 2013.

Mrs Brown's Boys however looks set to dominate Christmas Day for some time to come: creator Brendan O'Carroll said he has been commissioned to write at least two more Christmas specials, adding, "The BBC are expecting Christmas specials up until 2020."