EastEnders wins Christmas Day soaps battle as ratings confirmed – but bad news for BBC overall
The soap slipped to the seventh most-watched programmes of the day.
EastEnders might have won the battle of the Christmas Day soap ratings, but the BBC’s iconic soap also suffered a major ratings blow.
The two half-hour episodes of EastEnders on Christmas Day attracted 3.3 million viewers, beating ITV rivals Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
But the BBC soap saw a significant decline in viewership, with the amount of people who tuned into the Christmas special coming in two million fewer than last year, according to overnight viewing figures.
The ratings slump led to EastEnders slipping to the seventh most-watched programme of the day, while Coronation Street and Emmerdale both failed to make it into the top 10.
After an impressive year for Christmas TV in 2024, with the Gavin & Stacey special (12.3 million) and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (9.4 million) drawing in big numbers for the BBC, this year’s ratings were considerably lower.
The King’s Speech topped the list, attracting 6 million viewers across various channels, including BBC, ITV, Sky News and GB News. The broadcast secured 6.8 million last year and landed at number three in the top 10.
Ratings might have been lower this year, but the BBC still dominated the top 10, with The Scarecrow’s Wedding (4.3 million) and Tess and Claudia’s final ever Strictly Come Dancing special (4.2 million) coming in at number two and three respectively.
Michael McInTyre's The Wheel, Call The Midwife, Gladiators and Amandaland followed with around three million viewers each.
Completing the list were EastEnders, ITV’s 1% Club, and The Weakest Link, which came in at the tenth spot with 2.6 million viewers.
EastEnders' festive episodes saw multiple storylines ramp up, with Max finding out about his brother Jack's betrayal, the shock return of the iconic soap villain Chrissie Watts and dramatic developments in Zoe Slater's stalking plot.
Read more:
- EastEnders airs surprise unannounced return for Christmas Eve twist in early BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- EastEnders confirms no early BBC iPlayer release for key Christmas episodes
- EastEnders airs desperate Sam Mitchell scenes as she takes advantage of Nigel Bates in BBC iPlayer release
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
