The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special has become the most-watched festive special of the decade (since 2008), according to the BBC.
The show, which saw Nessa propose to Smithy on a huge cliffhanger – secured a huge 49.2% audience share as early “overnight” ratings were revealed.
The episode, written by and starring James Corden and Ruth Jones, followed up on the lives of Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa nearly 10 years after they left our screens.
It saw an average of 11.6million viewers tuning in to find out what they were now up to.
The next most-watched programme was the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast, which was screened on BBC One, ITV and Sky and seen by 7.85 million people.
(Image: PA)
In recent years, The Queen’s annual message has become the most-watched TV show.
The overnight figures don’t include viewers who watch Christmas specials on catch-up services during the rest of the festive period.
Rounding up the top five shows on TV this Christmas was Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – all on on BBC One.
Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC content, said: “We delivered something for everyone with the seven most-popular programmes that cap off an incredible year for BBC One celebrating British talent and creativity.”
(Image: BBC)
The Gavin and Stacey went down a treat with most fans, with many celebrating the show’s return – branding it a triumph.
However, others were disappointed that the word ‘f****t’ was used by characters Nessa and Bryn during a karaoke session.
The pair were seen belting out a version of Christmas hit Fairytale of New York and included all the lyrics – including the term many find offensive.
One viewer tweeted: “I just think they could have left the word f****t out. Even if it offends just one person then that’s one person too many.”
Another added: “They had the perfect opportunity not to scream f****t on national television on Christmas Day and yet they did.”
