Decade’s top television shows revealed

SITCOMS, WILDLIFE documentaries and a cookery contest were among the most watched TV programmes of the 2010s, new figures reveal.

The likes of Still Open All Hours, Blue Planet II and The Great British Bake Off all feature in the top 25, which provides a fascinating snapshot of the nation’s viewing habits over the past 10 years.

The two biggest programmes of the decade were confirmed earlier this month, when the 2019 Christmas Day episode of Gavin & Stacey pulled in 17.1 million viewers – just short of the charttopping 17.7 million for the 2010 final of The X Factor.

Now the full ratings for 2019 have been published, the rest of the chart can be confirmed with no single genre dominating the list which has been compiled from figures published by Barb. Instead, the top 25 features different types of programmes, from comedy and sci-fi to drama and natural history.

Both the big soaps make the top five, with EastEnders (third) two places ahead of Coronation Street (fifth).

Cookery contest The Great British Bake Off is in fourth place. The highest-placed drama is Bodyguard at number six – one of six dramas to make the top 25, along with the likes of Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Line Of Duty.

There are also six sitcoms on the list, including Still Open All Hours, Mrs Brown’s Boys and Miranda.

Natural history is represented by two of Sir David Attenborough’s flagship series: Blue Planet II (in eighth place) and Planet Earth II (11th).

Science fiction comes in the shape of Doctor Who, which is in 12th place.

The chart is dominated by the BBC, with 19 of the top 25 broadcast on BBC One.