Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas Day finale is one of the most watched BBC shows in recent history, attracting 18.2 million viewers across a seven-day period.
The huge viewership — based on a week’s worth of viewing on television, as well as iPlayer — is believed to make it the top rating comedy for the Corporation in modern times.
Figures provided by Home, which measure seven-day viewing back to 2007, put it fifth overall for top rating shows on BBC One.
The episode, starring James Corden and Ruth Jones, is also believed to be the seventh most watched show across the main five channels across seven days in this same period.
The Gavin & Stacey special was watched on Christmas Day itself by 12.3 million, but added almost six million to this figure across the whole week.
If news and sports events are removed from the list it would be the top BBC One show across these years.
According to the research, the most viewed show in this period on the BBC channel was the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics with 24.5 million.
This was closely followed the opening ceremony with 24.2 million.
Gavin & Stacey’s Christmas Day finale was one of the most watched programmes in BBC history, attracting 18.2million viewers
The huge viewership was based on a week’s worth of viewing on television as well as iPlayer
According to the research, the most viewed show in this period on the BBC channel was the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics with 24.5 million, closely followed by the opening ceremony (pictured)
Gavin & Stacey was also beaten by Boris Johnson’s 2020 Covid lockdown statement, which was viewed by 18.8million nationwide
Gavin & Stacey was also beaten by the 20.3 million that watched the Euro 2012 quarter final between England and Italy, and Boris Johnson’s 2020 lockdown statement, which was viewed by 18.8 million.
The 2019 festive episode of Gavin & Stacey had attracted a seven-day audience of 17 million.
When the main five channels top weekly viewing figures are analysed using the same method, the only other shows to have eclipsed it are England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final on ITV with 20.7 million and the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, with 18.3 million.
Wallace & Gromit’s recent Christmas outing, Vengeance Most Fowl, also got a huge seven-day audience with 15.9 million watching across seven days.
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