Atlanta, GA 12/27/2010 10:30:03 PM
'EastEnders' topped Christmas Day (25.12.10) ratings.
The BBC One soap - which saw Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) bid
farewell to Albert Square- saw approximately 11.4 million viewers tune
in to watch the shocking scenes, where the troubled mum considered
taking her own life after police discovered she was responsible for the
death of Walford gangster Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb).
'EastEnders' easily beat its rival Coronation Street's Christmas
special - in which bolshie baddie Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) returned
from prison and walked straight into a brawl with Becky McDonald
(Katherine Kelly) - with nine million viewers tuning in to the ITV1
soap.
However, it wasn't just 'EastEnders' which proved popular on Christmas
Day, as the BBC scored a staggering eight of the top ten most-watched
shows.
'Little Britain' comedians David Walliams and Matt Lucas' new series
'Come Fly With Me' came in at second place, while 'Doctor Who' and 'The
Royle Family' Christmas special scored third and fourth places
respectively.
'Strictly Come Dancing', 'The One Ronnie', movie 'Shrek 3', 'BBC News
at 5pm' and the 'Queen's Speech' - which was shown on both channels -
were among the other top ten triumphs for the BBC.
Meanwhile, ITV could only manage to squeeze in 'Coronation Street' in sixth place and 'Emmerdale' in joint eighth.
Danny Cohen, BBC One controller, told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I'm
delighted to see that BBC One was so popular on Christmas Day."
CHRISTMAS DAY TOP TEN
1. 'EastEnders' (BBC One) - 11.4 million
2. 'Come Fly With Me' (BBC One) - 10.3 million
3. 'Doctor Who' (BBC One) - 10.3 million
4. 'The Royle Family' (BBC One) - 9.9 million
5. 'Strictly Come Dancing' (BBC One) - 9.4 million
6. 'Coronation Street' (ITV1) - 9 million
7. 'The One Ronnie (BBC One) - 7.9 million
8. 'Shrek 3' (BBC One) - 7.2 million
9. 'Emmerdale' (ITV1) - 7.2 million
10. 'BBC News at 5pm' 7 milion
'Queen's Speech' (both channels) - 8.8 million
