THE MOST MEMORABLE CHRISTMAS TV MOMENTS OF ALL TIME
· Classic Batman and Robin scene from Only Fools and Horses is Brits’ most memorable Christmas TV moment
· Comedy shows unite families in the festive season however 7-9pm on Xmas day is identified at the time we are most likely to argue!
· British households switch on the TV between 3pm and 4pm on Christmas Day
· 23% of us have the TV on whilst eating Christmas dinner
The classic Batman and Robin scene from 1996’s Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special has been voted the most memorable Christmas TV scene of all time, closely followed by iconic scenes from Wallace and Gromit and the classic seasonal animation ‘The Snowman.’
The survey of 2000 British adults was specially commissioned by TV channel GOLD to celebrate the launch of its ‘25 Days of Christmas’ schedule which will show many of the best loved Christmas TV programmes from the 1st to the 25th December. The study polled Brits on the most memorable and iconic seasonal scenes of all time and also quizzed respondents on their Christmas viewing habits.
The top ten most memorable Xmas TV moments are as follows:
1. Only Fools and Horses: Heroes & Villains (1996) 50%
Del Boy and Rodney dress up as Batman and Robin for a fancy dress party only to discover on arrival that the party is now a wake. They run through the fog on their way there and scare muggers trying to rob Councillor Murray
2. Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993) 29%
Train Chase scene: Wallace and Gromit chase their lodger, penguin Feathers McGraw, who is wanted for jewelery theft, around their house on a toy train.
3. The Snowman (1982) 25%
“Walking in the Air” flying segment.
4. Vicar of Dibley: Christmas special (1996) 24%
Geraldine goes to four Christmas lunches.
5. Royle Family: Christmas special (1999) 23%
Denise has a baby and Jim gets emotional reminiscing about her as a baby.
6. The Office: Christmas special (2003) 19%
Dawn and Tim finally get together.
7. Gavin and Stacey: Christmas special (2008) 18%
Smithy gives out presents wrapped up in tinfoil.
8. Father Ted: Christmas special (1996) 17.5%
The priests get lost in a lingerie dept.
9. Eastenders (1986) 14%
Den gives Angie divorce papers.
10. Doctor Who – Voyage of the Damned (2007) 11%
The Doctor (David Tennant) kisses Kylie Minogue’s character Astrid Peth
Iconic TV moments which just missed out on a top ten placing included the newsreader routine from the 1977 Morecombe & Wise sketch ‘There’s Nothing Like A Dame,’ the annual making of the Blue Peter ‘Advent Crown’ and the memorable ‘Annus Horriblis’ Queen’s speech from 1992.
The survey also revealed that the average British family will watch a whopping four and half hours of TV per day in the Christmas season, with comedy being the genre most likely to unite families on the sofa during the festivities.
When it comes to viewing habits on Christmas day, 3-4pm is the most popular time to sit down as a family to watch TV - immediately following lunch however almost a quarter of the nation (23%) admit to having the TV on in the background whilst they’re eating their Christmas lunch.
When it comes to deciding what to watch, it’s the mums who control the remote control in the majority of British households (11%) closely followed by dads (10%). And while great seasonal TV may bring the family together, what to watch can also be a major cause of family arguments with a quarter (25%) of the nation admitting that they argue over what to watch during the holidays with 7-9pm on Xmas day being the most common time for arguments to break out.
Only Fools & Horses was named as the nation’s favourite festive TV show of all time closely followed by Wallace and Gromit. The survey showed that the average Brit has seen these shows either on repeat or on DVD for an average of five times each proving the Christmas classics still stand up to repeated viewing. Indeed 27% of Brits actively prefer to watch classic TV shows over the Christmas period compared to 22% who prefer new Christmas telly. These findings are echoed in the fact that over half of us (52%) believe that Christmas TV was better in the past.
Several regional disparities were evident from the research; most notably those in the North East are more likely to argue over what to watch on TV (31%) whilst the most harmonious region was named as the South West (20%). The survey also revealed that the biggest seasonal TV addicts reside in Northern Ireland and The East Midlands where families watch an average of five hours TV per day during Xmas week.
Paul Moreton, Gold’s Channel Head comments:
“Great TV is one of the pillars of what makes a fantastic Christmas and what unites families. I’m delighted to see that so many of the great British classics are still the mainstay of so many people’s seasonal viewing and this year on Gold we are promising to keep the nation laughing throughout Christmas.”
Gold’s ’25 days of Xmas’ launches on December 1st and runs throughout December.
