1/3 people don’t watch the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day

34 per cent of RadioTimes.com readers say they don't watch or listen to the Queen's annual Christmas message.

Queen Elizabeth II

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Published: Saturday, 25 December 2021 at 8:00 am

On Christmas Day every year, households all over the UK sit down at 3pm sharp to tune into the Queen's speech.

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Airing across BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as radio channels, the royal Christmas message is a long-running tradition which first began back in 1932 with a radio broadcast by King George V.

Queen Elizabeth II delivered her first Christmas message in 1952, the year she succeeded to the throne, and has given the speech every year since – bar one.

In 1969, following the release of a royal documentary titled Royal Family and the investiture of the Prince of Wales, the Queen felt she'd had enough TV exposure that year and that the public had heard enough about her private life and chose not to deliver her annual Christmas address.

Instead, she issued a written message and, after the public expressed concern, promised she would be returning to the traditional broadcast the following year.

Now, an exclusive RadioTimes.com poll finds that over a third of people don't tune in to watch or listen to the Queen's Christmas speech.

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A survey of over 700 readers found 34 per cent of respondents don't watch or listen to her Christmas message, while 25 per cent only sometimes do.

However, the majority still factor the broadcast into their Christmas Day schedules, with 40 per cent saying they do watch or listen in.

Read more Christmas content:

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The Queen's Christmas message airs 3pm on Christmas Day on BBC One, ITV, Sky and Sky News. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.

Authors

Minnie Wright stands before a red backdrop, is smiling and looking at the camera

Minnie WrightDigital Growth and Acquisitions Lead

Minnie Wright is the digital growth and acquisitions lead of Radio Times. She has a background in TV, film, showbiz and music at a major national publication and a degree in Popular Music Journalism.

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