List of most watched television broadcasts in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, viewing figures – the number of viewers or households watching a television programme, have been recorded by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board since 1981. Prior to the board's formation, figures were conducted by different means such as the BBC financing its own audience research, while the ITV companies sub-contracted theirs.
Most watched special events
The majority of special events attracting large audiences are often carried on more than one channel. The most watched programme of all time on a single channel is the 1973 wedding ceremony of The Princess Anne, shown only on BBC1.- Post-1981 figures verified by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
- Pre-1981 figures supplied by the British Film Institute
| Rank | Event | Viewers | Date | Network |
| 1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup Final: England v West Germany | 32.30 | 30 July 1966 | BBC One/ITV |
| 2 | Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales | 32.10 | 6 September 1997 | BBC One/ITV |
| 3 | Royal Family | 30.69 | 21 June 1969 and 28 June 1969 | BBC One/ITV |
| 4 | Apollo 13 Splashdown | 28.60 | 17 April 1970 | BBC One/ITV |
| 5 | 1970 FA Cup Final replay | 28.49 | 29 April 1970 | BBC One/ITV |
| 6 | Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer | 28.40 | 29 July 1981 | BBC One/ITV |
| 7 | Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips | 27.60 | 14 November 1973 | BBC One |
| 8 | 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony | 24.46 | 12 August 2012 | BBC One |
| 9 | 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony | 24.24 | 27 July 2012 | BBC One |
| 10 | Torvill and Dean – Olympic Ice Dance Championship | 23.95 | 21 February 1994 | BBC One |
Notes:
- At least two Muhammad Ali boxing matches were reported to have been watched by at least 26million viewers in the United Kingdom: the Fight of the Century was reported to have been watched by 27.5million British viewers in 1971, and The Rumble in the Jungle was reported to have been watched by 26million viewers on BBC One in 1974.
- The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton received a total audience peak of 26 million viewers, but this is a combined figure aggregated from the ten different channels that broadcast the ceremony. The highest figures of these were 13.59 million on BBC1, with an extra 4.02 million watching on ITV.
- Nine different channels covered Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, with a reach of 27.7 million viewers.
- More than five different channels covered the speech made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 23 March 2020 regarding the coronavirus pandemic. It was estimated to have been seen by a total of 27 million people. The highest single figure was 14.61 million on BBC One, followed by 5.80 million on ITV.
Most watched programmes
- Post-1981 figures verified by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
- Pre-1981 figures supplied by the British Film Institute
- Numbers with this background and symbol are italicised to denote aggregated figure with repeat showing.
| Rank | Programme | Synopsis | Viewers | Date | Network | Ref |
| 1 | EastEnders | Den Watts serves wife Angie with divorce papers. | 30.15 | 25 December 1986 | BBC One | |
| 2 | EastEnders | The aftermath of Den's divorce to Angie. | 28.00 | 1 January 1987 | BBC One | |
| 3 | Coronation Street | Hilda Ogden leaves Weatherfield. | 26.65 | 25 December 1987 | ITV | |
| 4 | Live Aid | 16-hour concert in Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium for Band Aid. | 24.50 | 13 July 1985 | BBC One | |
| 5 | Only Fools and Horses | "Time on Our Hands" | 24.35 | 29 December 1996 | BBC One | |
| 6 | EastEnders | Arthur and Pauline Fowler urge their son Mark to tell his sister Michelle that he has HIV. | 24.30 | 2 January 1992 | BBC One | |
| 7 | Royal Variety Performance 1965 | Featuring Dame Shirley Bassey, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and more. | 24.20 | 14 November 1965 | ITV | |
| 8 | EastEnders | Angie suffers a renal shutdown. | 24.15 | 7 January 1988 | BBC One | |
| 9 | To the Manor Born | Finale of the first series. | 23.95 | 11 November 1979 | BBC One | |
| 10 | Miss World 1967 | Madeline Hartog-Bel wins. | 23.76 | 19 November 1967 | BBC One | |
| 11 | EastEnders | The aftermath of Den's divorce to Angie | 23.55 | 26 December 1985 | BBC One | |
| 12 | Panorama | Diana, Princess of Wales interview | 22.78 | 20 November 1995 | BBC One | |
| 13 | Royal Variety Performance 1975 | Performers include Bruce Forsyth, Dad's Army and Vera Lynn. | 22.66 | 16 November 1975 | ITV | |
| 14 | This Is Your Life | Lord Mountbatten | 22.22 | 27 April 1977 | ITV | |
| 15 | Sunday Night at the London Palladium | Presented by Jimmy Tarbuck. | 21.89 | 3 December 1967 | ITV | |
| 16 | The Benny Hill Show | "Cinema: The Vintage Years" | 21.67 | 24 March 1971 | ITV | |
| 17 | Dallas | "Who Done It" – Kristin Shepard is revealed to have shot J.R. Ewing. | 21.60 | 22 November 1980 | BBC One | |
| 17 | Coronation Street | Ken and Deirdre Barlow finalise their divorce. | 21.60 | 8 January 1992 | ITV | |
| 18 | Eurovision Song Contest 1973 | Staged in Luxembourg - won by Anne-Marie David. | 21.56 | 7 April 1973 | BBC One | |
| 19 | Steptoe and Son | "The Lodger" – Albert looks for a lodger. | 21.54 | 18 February 1964 | BBC TV | |
| 20 | The Mike Yarwood Show | "Mike Yarwood Christmas Show" | 21.40 | 25 December 1977 | BBC One |
Most watched films
These are the most watched films by total number of viewers.| Rank | Title | Viewers | Date | Network |
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 23.50 | 20 January 1980 | ITV |
| 2 | Jaws | 23.25 | 8 October 1981 | ITV |
| 3 | The Spy Who Loved Me | 22.90 | 28 March 1982 | ITV |
| 4 | Diamonds Are Forever | 22.15 | 15 March 1981 | ITV |
| 5 | Crocodile Dundee | 21.75 | 25 December 1989 | BBC1 |
Most watched broadcasts by year
Notes- – Unverified sources state that this figure was higher, and that an audience of 26 million watched the Ali vs Foreman fight of 30 October 1974. However these figures are not corroborated by the BFI.
- – The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton "attracted a consolidated average audience of 26.0 viewers across the ceremony from 11:00 am to 12:10 pm. This is an aggregated audience across 10 BARB reported channels that followed the events live." The highest figures for individual channels of these were 13.59 million on BBC One, followed by 4.02 million watching on ITV.
- – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Final was broadcast by both BBC One and ITV. The highest figures were 14.96 million on BBC One, followed by 2.34 million on ITV.
- – Based on 7-day viewing figures.
- – Although there are no official figures for 1972, it is widely regarded that the year's edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was the most watched programme that year.
- – The X Factor final 2010 had an additional 1.156 million viewers on its sister high definition channel ITV HD, in addition to the 16.553 million views on the main standard definition channel ITV, giving the programme an aggregate audience of 17.71 million viewers.
- - EastEnders received 20.05 million viewers on 5 April with the additional omnibus viewers taking the total viewing figures to 23.18 million.