UK TV Ratings Bonanza: The most watched shows of 2023

Another year comes to an end, a year in which we may have (almost) seen the back of the Covid-19 pandemic, a British Prime Minister managed to stay in office for more than five minutes and the public dazzled by a series dominated by TV shows and performances, including a one-off week with a royal coronation and a Eurovision Song Contest. This was one of the reasons why the BBC significantly outperformed ITV in ratings this year with eight of the top ten programmes. Below, we reveal the most-watched British TV shows of the year (excluding sport), according to Barb data seven days after launch from our friends at nights.tv. Additionally, while 12-month rankings data isn’t available for streaming services, we do have a summary of the UK shows that performed best on Netflix, according to SVoD’s latest data dump. Read more.

The Coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla – 18.8 million (BBC/ITV etc.)

These royal events don’t happen too often, so to be honest, it would have been a shock if I had missed out on the first place. After the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September, Prince Charles, who had been known worldwide for decades for his tabloid love life, immediately became king, but of course it had to be made official. of British splendor. Eight months later the world was ready and the BBC delivered the feed, which was seen on BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, BBC News and a host of other channels. Although the number did not match Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral – according to some statistics it was the most watched British television broadcast of all time – the May 6 event was by far the most watched of 2023 and was watched by millions of people around the world ghost world and the next day with a coronation concert featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That (all Charles’ favourites). According to nights.tv’s figures, viewers were most fascinated by the actual ceremony, where the new king sat on the throne, was anointed with holy oil and received the coronation regalia. It was all quite British. Queen Camilla was also crowned in a shorter and simpler ceremony as Britain prepared for another new era. Hurray. The ceremony took place just a few months before the opening of the last season of the crown, which has just been canceled entirely as audiences get to see Dominic West’s final role as the somewhat odd current king. Next year is likely to be the first time in recent memory that one of these major ceremonies will not be shown on British television, and the nation may be left slightly worse off as a result.

“Happy Valley” – 10.6 million (BBC)

For the TV drama event of the year, the conclusion of Sally Wainwright’s epic is just the thing happy valley, which won the Eurovision Song Contest and came second on this year’s prestigious list. After a seven-year hiatus, Wainwright just couldn’t resist bringing her West Yorkshire saga to an epic conclusion following Sarah Lancashire’s Catherine Cawood and James Norton’s Tommy Lee Royce. And from the beginning, the audience watched en masse. Co-production with AMC+, happy valley Season 3 offered the usual dark character, with some fresh subplots to entertain fans. But of course this was the final showdown between Cawood and Royce that we were all looking forward to. Over a cup of tea in the kitchen and a raging fire, a heated argument breaks out and Catherine calls Tommy an “annoying little toddler brain in a big man’s body”. Good stuff. Sunday nights on the BBC would be worse without regular trips to Hebden Bridge happy valley was undoubtedly one of the greatest bar shows of this generation, defying audience fragmentation to secure its place as the premier purveyor of the water cooler moment. happy valley is over, but the legacy lives on.

Eurovision – 10.1 million (BBC)

You wait decades for a Coronation and a Eurovision Song Contest to return to the UK, and then they both happen in the same week. That must have been the thought going through the minds of those at the BBC responsible for organizing these one-off events, which somehow took place over seven days – amounting to the BBC’s biggest week of live programs. “We’ve been a national broadcaster since 2012,” BBC Unscripted boss told us in early May. The fact that Britain did not actually win the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, but instead stepped in to help war-torn Ukraine, added pressure. In the end, the Liverpool game was stormy (although the less said about Britain’s 25th place, the better), and the excitement reached a positive peak when the organizers rose to the challenge of combining Ukrainian culture with the need to celebrate, to reconcile the land. in which the competition took place. This was reflected in the ratings. Win through Sweden and with the support of big names among others Ted Lasso Star Hannah Waddingham, the grand final was the most watched ever according to the BBC, well ahead of previous years’ figures for a competition that sometimes needed something of a reinvention. After all, it was the 67th Eurovision Song Contest and it was a pleasure to see the viewers pass the 10 million mark in this day and age of cannibalized viewers. On to next year’s competition. For the avoidance of doubt, this will certainly not take place in the UK.

“I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!” – 9.7 million (ITV)

Although a trigger-happy GB News producer failed in his bid to direct this year’s ITV launch I am a celebrity Despite having “BOMBSHELL RATINGS”, the series continued its winning streak on this list and the opening was the most watched episode with just under 10 million. Most episodes have seen a drop in viewing figures this year, and ITV executives may be left scratching their heads as to why, but it hasn’t eased. I am a celebrity The ability to entertain remains a cornerstone of the winter program, which continues to be challenging Be sure to come dance Dominance on the opposite channel. This year, controversial UKIP founder Nigel Farage took on the role of Matt Hancock, appearing to use his nightly appearances in front of millions of viewers across the country as a precursor to his plans to return to the forefront of politics with a general election . at the horizon. For various reasons, the “Farage Effect” didn’t quite reach the heights of the “Hancock Effect,” and the untimely loss of Britney Spears’ sister Jamie Lynn didn’t help the series. But after consuming a substantial portion of the camel’s anus, Farage, like Hancock, finished in third place at the end of an enjoyable match, beaten and loved by boxer Tony Bellew. Made in Chelsea Villain Sam Thompson. There are no Panic channels on ITV yet, despite the viewing figures (last year’s final reached just under 12 million), but it will be interesting to see if there are any changes to the format for the 2024 edition is, and fans will be eager to see which There are flames. This time the politician slips into the jungle.

“Strictly Come Dancing” – 9.6 million (BBC)

Strict enters his 20th year next year in excellent health. Few entertainment formats can match the longevity of the BBC behemoth, creating many cool moments and somehow entertaining those elusive younger viewers. Seasons of Strict tend to vary somewhat in the amount of excitement they generate beyond the avid viewer, and this year they were probably somewhere in the middle of that excitement spectrum. Former Coronation Street Actress Ellie Leach took the crown in a final that saw the youngest ever trio of finalists beat EastEnders. Bobby Brazier – the son of the late Jade Goody – and Bad educationLayton Williams is up. Each finalist was as cute as the next and that was guaranteed Strict continues to top the nation’s entertainment rankings as the place for a touch of family-friendly warmth in the run-up to Christmas. This year’s edition may have had to clear up some of the controversy surrounding Amanda Abbington’s exit, but as always it remained solid in the ratings. It’s not going anywhere.

The best of the rest

Netflix hits

According to Netflix’s December data dump, Deadline compiled the numbers for the most-watched UK shows on the streamer in the first half of 2023. Here’s a reminder of the top 5:

Luther: The fallen sun – 209 million hours watched: Perhaps a surprise given the lukewarm response from critics, the action film starring Idris Elba comfortably took the top spot, nearly doubling in sales. Black mirror.

Black mirror Season 6 – 139M: Charlie Brooker’s anthology series has returned with flying colors, with stories about AI, true crime documentaries and loneliness.

MH370: The plane that disappeared – 118M: In third place went to high-quality documentaries about the terrible story of the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight ten years ago.

Lockwood & Co – 113M: Fans of Joe Cornish’s YA ghost series who were unimpressed by the quick cancellation now have evidence to back up their frustration.

Formula 1: Drive for Survival Season 5 – 90M: One of the more surprising Netflix hits of recent years has comfortably made it into the top five.