Monday December 27, 2004
The Guardian
In the parallel soap opera universe where there is goodwill towards no man, BBC1's EastEnders beat ITV's Coronation Street in the Christmas Day ratings battle.
EastEnders, which reprised the trick that once recorded the soap's biggest ever ratings by gathering the Watts family for a festive row in the Queen Victoria pub, was watched by 12.3 million people to take the mantle of the day's most popular show.
But the impact of digital television, DVDs and other forms of entertainment on ratings was also starkly highlighted. The last time the Christmas Day action in EastEnders focused on Dennis Watts and his clan in 1986, more than 30 million people tuned in.
Coronation Street on ITV, which also appeared in extended hourlong format from 7.25pm and relied on a house fire for dramatic tension, was watched by 11.3 million, according to unofficial figures.
Although its soap operas and a celebrity version of evergreen quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire all performed well for ITV, four of the top five slots were still occupied by BBC1 shows.
"It's a key public service to provide entertainment for all ages throughout the festive season," said BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey. "It's fantastic that our original comedy and drama featuring Britain's best loved artists and most talented writers has made BBC1 first choice this Christmas."
But there was good news for ITV across the day, where it reversed its long-standing festive ratings slide. The network's share of viewing increased slightly on last year to 32%, whereas BBC1's was down three percentage points to 42%.
Traditionally, viewers have turned to the BBC for a diet of blockbuster films and comedy, with ITV retreating because advertisers have already spent their money in the runup to Christmas.
Dawn French's comedy The Vicar of Dibley was the second most watched programme, with 11.8 million viewers on BBC1. The hit film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone also worked its magic for the channel with 7.9 million viewers, despite being scheduled against Coronation Street.
The Queen's speech, which has been well received by religious groups after she appealed for greater tolerance and understanding, had 8.3 million viewers across BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. The traditional address proved more popular than an alternative Christmas message from The Simpsons on Channel 4, which had a cumulative total of 6.1 million viewers over its four showings throughout the day.
An afternoon of classic films on BBC2 proved an unexpected hit for the channel, with 1.8 million people watching White Christmas at 2.10pm. But in peak time, the channel's share was less than half of last year as it attempted to offer an alternative to the mass appeal of BBC1. A televised version of the Cole Porter musical Kiss Me Kate had 600,000 viewers, while a special edition of Arena focusing on Dennis Potter managed just 500,000.
The total number of people watching the five terrestrial channels continued to fall as more viewers turned to digital television, particularly during the day. The most watched multichannel show was a repeat of popular comedy Little Britain on BBC3, which had 887,000 viewers.
Top of the pop ratings
EastEnders 8.25pm BBC1 -12.3 million
Vicar of Dibley 9.25pm BBC1 - 11.8m
Coronation Street 7.25pm ITV1 - 11.3m
BBC News 10.20pm BBC1 - 10.3m
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 6.05pm BBC1 - 7.9m
Emmerdale 6.55pm ITV1 - 7.5m
ITV News 6.40pm ITV1 - 7.1m
Absolutely Fabulous 10.30pm BBC1 - 6.6m
Midsomer Murders 8.25pm ITV1 - 6.3m
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 5.40pm ITV1 - 6.2m
