King Charles III delivers his first Christmas message
King Charles is set to lose his crown this Christmas as the reigning champion of most-watched TV. The King’s Speech was the most-watched programme in 2023, with over 5.9 million viewers tuning in.
But this year, it is expected that His Royal Highness will be knocked down a peg or two, with a special episode of BBC's Gavin and Stacey set to take the top spot instead.
Earlier this year, James Corden and Ruth Jones announced that the much-loved sitcom would return on Christmas Day for its final episode. After the previous Christmas special aired in 2019, fans were left on a cliffhanger after Nessa proposed to Smithy.
The show follows the long-distance romance of Gavin (Mathew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page), flanked by an eccentric family ensemble including Larry Lamb as Mick, Melanie Walters as Gwen, and Rob Brydon as Uncle Bryn.
In a teasing glimpse at what's to come, the broadcaster shared an image of a clapperboard from September 2 emblazoned with "Gavin & Stacey The Finale", accompanied by the excited caption: "Oh. My. Christ."
The reveal continued with the enthusiasm palpable, teasing: "The final episode of Gavin & Stacey started filming today. Truth be told, we're a little bit excited."
With this in mind, there is a 75% implied probability chance that the final episode will be crowned the most watched on Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, according to the latest predictions from the team at OLBG, there is only a 33.3% implied probability chance that King Charles' speech will be the most-watched show on Christmas Day, depsite it being one of many traditions that families across the UK enjoy amid the festive season.
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Jake Ashton, entertainment betting expert at OLBG.com, said: "Gavin and Stacey is now clear favourite to be this year's most watched show on Christmas Day with the latest odds putting it well clear in the market at 1/3 to top the most viewed list with a 75% chance of doing so.
"Last time it aired on Christmas Day it smashed every other programme in terms of viewing figures."
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special is likely to be the third most-watched programme, with a probability of 16.7%, with the 1% Club coming in fourth place and Doctor Who in fifth.
