Gavin & Stacey claims highest Christmas ratings in a decade
Return of BBC’S sitcom for one-off seasonal special trounces soaps by more than six million viewers
THE Gavin & Stacey Christmas special was the most watched show of the decade, the BBC has confirmed, amid complaints over an LGBT slur.
The episode secured the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, watched by an average 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.
It secured 49.2 per cent of the total viewing audience during its slot, said the BBC. The show picked up 10 years after the previous instalment and revealed that Gavin, played by Mathew Horne, and Stacey, played by Joanna Page, had three children, while their friends Smithy and Nessa were successfully co-parenting their son, Neil.
It ended in a cliffhanger, with a marriage proposal left unanswered, triggering suggestions of another instalment to come.
However, the show came under fire from viewers who complained that the word “faggot” should have been removed from The Fairytale of New York song sung in the episode by the characters Nessa and Bryn.
Fans on social media called the decision not to cut the word “careless” and “a real missed opportunity”.
Another fan said: “If it ever offends just one person, then that’s one person too many”.
The song’s lyrics have long attracted controversy with many considering the word offensive, given its modern use as a homophobic slur.
Meanwhile, others argue the context of the song means the word should be interpreted as traditional Irish slang for a “lazy person”.
Ruth Jones, the show’s co-writer with James Corden, defended the use of the word, arguing that the moment “stayed true to the characters”.
She said: “Characters in Gavin & Stacey are kind and big-hearted, I believe. So I think no one is going to be intentionally hurtful.
“But by the same token, they’re not necessarily going to be completely politically correct or be aware of political correctness.”
The BBC said that the song, written by Shane Macgowan of The Pogues, is “a very popular, much-loved Christmas song played widely throughout the festive season, and the lyrics are well-established with the audience”. Gavin & Stacey was first broadcast in 2007 on BBC Three but its growing popularity meant it was transferred to BBC Two and finally to BBC One.
The award-winning show follows the coming together of two quirky families – one from Essex and one from Wales – after a young couple fall in love.
The BBC also won the Christmas Day soap showdown after Eastenders, which was broadcast at 9.30pm, secured the largest number of viewers with an average of 5.5 million.
On ITV, Coronation Street, on at 8pm, was watched by an average of 4.5 million, while Emmerdale, on earlier at 7pm, secured an average of 4.1 million.
BBC One claimed eight of the 10 most popular shows during Christmas Day. The corporation’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, which was won by Debbie Mcgee, widow of magician Paul Daniels, earned an average of 5.5 million viewers, while the Queen’s Christmas broadcast secured an average of 6.4 million.
Charlotte Moore, the director of BBC content, said: “Christmas Day on BBC One brought the nation together and entertained them in their millions, with the much-anticipated return of Gavin & Stacey taking the top spot in 2019, and making it the biggest in a decade. 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.”
In 2008, the BBC broadcast Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death to 14.5 million people in the UK.
‘Christmas Day on BBC One brought the nation together and entertained them in their millions, with Gavin & Stacey taking the top spot’