James Corden issues statement as Gavin and Stacey finale bags ratings record for BBC
WATCH HERE: BBC releases trailer for Gavin and Stacey finale
BBC
Gavin and Stacey's Christmas Day finale has become the most-watched festive television programme in 16 years, drawing in a massive 12.3 million viewers.
The beloved BBC sitcom's final episode dominated the ratings battle on Christmas Day, achieving the highest viewing figures for any non-sporting event in over a decade.
The emotional farewell to the residents of Barry Island surpassed the show's own previous record of 11.6 million viewers set by its 2019 Christmas special.
"Christmas Day on the BBC brought people together in their millions and saw Gavin and Stacey triumph," said Charlotte Moore, BBC's Chief Content Officer.
"Ruth Jones and James Corden created a magical finale that fans will treasure forever. Their exquisitely written comedy creation is a show all about family, love and joy and it proved to be the unmissable TV event of the year," she added.
The finale received glowing reviews, with The Guardian awarding it five stars and describing it as "comfortably superior" to the 2019 special.
James shared some behind-the-scenes images
Fans eager for more can tune in to Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell, a documentary airing at 7pm on New Year's Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The show's 2019 Christmas special went on to achieve consolidated ratings of 17.1 million viewers within seven days of broadcast, setting a high bar for this year's finale.
Corden shared his delight at how well the final went down with fans and shared a montage of behind-the-scenes images.
He captioned the post: “Here’s some behind-the-scenes photos from the special. Thank you so much to everyone who watched last night. It means more than you’ll know. All my love, James.” (sic)
The show broke viewing figure records
These impressive overnight figures, which don't include catch-up viewing, mark the highest Christmas Day audience since Wallace & Gromit's A Matter of Loaf and Death attracted 14.3 million viewers in 2008.
The BBC achieved complete dominance of the Christmas Day ratings, securing all top 10 spots for the first time in its history.
Wallace & Gromit's new film, Vengeance Most Fowl, claimed second place with an impressive 9.38 million viewers.
The broadcaster's success pushed ITV's first appearance down to number 11, with Coronation Street drawing 2.47 million viewers for Helen Worth's farewell as Gail Platt after 50 years on the soap.
Despite the festive period, viewers remained engaged with current affairs, as 2.35 million tuned in to ITV News, which outperformed the Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas special's audience of 2.15 million.
The BBC's Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, praised the line-up as "a showcase for the very best in British storytelling".
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The King's Christmas message, broadcast across BBC, ITV and Sky News, drew nearly 7 million viewers, marking an increase of about 1 million from 2023.
Call The Midwife secured fourth place with 4.42 million viewers tuning in to its Christmas special.
EastEnders followed closely in fifth position, with 4.4 million viewers watching the festive special - an increase of 800,000 compared to 2022.
Doctor Who: Joy to the World attracted 4.11 million viewers, slightly down from last year's 4.4 million.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special garnered just over 4 million viewers.
Rounding out the top 10 was The Weakest Link Christmas special, hosted by Romesh Ranganathan, with just over 3 million viewers.
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