The annual battle to be top of the Christmas TV came down to a fight between the bawdy Mrs Brown’s Boys and the traditional Queen’s Speech. And Her Majesty came out on top – with her message to the Commonwealth the only top-ten show to win more viewers than last year. The pre-recorded broadcast, shown on BBC1 and ITV1, secured a combined audience of 7.8million, an increase of 90,000 from last Christmas. The Queen's speech (pictured) has been the surprise hit of Christmas Day after it won the TV ratings way to become the most watched television programme yesterday . It was the one bright spot for broadcasters as more and more viewers either shunned a lacklustre array of programmes or decided to watch online, on iPlayer or on delayed channels, according to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board. The Queen chose reconciliation as her theme for the 15-minute broadcast, mentioning her Ulster visit, the Scottish referendum and the centenary of the First World War. Speculation that she would abdicate during the broadcast had led bookmakers to stop taking bets on the issue. Mrs Brown’s Boys, a raucous sitcom about an Irish family that was last year’s most-watched Christmas Day programme, won 7.6million viewers this time around – a fall of 1.8million. Last year's Christmas Day ratings winner, Mrs Brown's Boys came in second place with 7.61 million viewers . Of the big Christmas specials, BBC drama Doctor Who suffered the biggest decline in year-on-year viewing, with 6.34million tuning in, or 24 per cent fewer than last year, when former Doctor Matt Smith was seen regenerating into Peter Capaldi, who has replaced him in the role. Downton Abbey also suffered badly, managing the ninth spot with 5.8million viewers, down 800,000 from last year’s 6.6million. The once-popular series has seen figures slump since 2011, when it secured 8.1million on Christmas Day, suggesting fans are growing tired of its slow-moving storylines. Many have branded the programme dull, raising speculation it may be time for ITV to bring it to an end. EastEnders was top of the soaps with figures of 7.55 million, compared to Coronation Street's 6.62 million and Emmerdale's 5.71 million . Doctor Who pulled in 6.34 million to be named the eighth most watched programme of the day - a disappointing 24 per cent drop on last year's Christmas special . Some predict this year’s Christmas Day audience figures will be among the lowest on record, reflecting changing viewing behaviour. The rise of online streaming services such as Netflix, on-demand viewing and catch-up iPlayer services provided by the BBC and ITV mean many no longer watch a programme when it is initially broadcast. Critics will also see the decline in ratings as evidence that festive programming is not as good as it once was. EastEnders, the BBC1 soap which once dominated Christmas Day ratings, came third with 7.5million, ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, with just under 7million viewers, and Call the Midwife, with 6.8million. ITV soap Coronation Street attracted 6.4million viewers. A BBC spokesman said: ‘It’s fantastic to see millions of viewers choosing BBC1, with the top five most popular shows on Christmas Day.’ There were also less viewers watching the Crawley family celebrate Christmas in Downton Abbey, with 5.84 million watching ITV from 9pm yesterday .
An average of 7.8m watched this year's royal message on reconciliation .
Last year's Christmas Day ratings winner, Mrs Brown's Boys came  second .
But the number of Mrs Brown's Boys viewers dropped by 1.79m from 2013 .
EastEnders was the king of the soaps in 2014 bringing in 7.5m viewers .
Doctor Who saw a 24 per cent drop in figures taking it to eighth place .
The annual battle to be top of the Christmas TV came down to a fight between the bawdy Mrs Brown’s Boys and the traditional Queen’s Speech. And Her Majesty came out on top – with her message to the Commonwealth the only top-ten show to win more viewers than last year. The pre-recorded broadcast, shown on BBC1 and ITV1, secured a combined audience of 7.8million, an increase of 90,000 from last Christmas. The Queen's speech (pictured) has been the surprise hit of Christmas Day after it won the TV ratings way to become the most watched television programme yesterday . It was the one bright spot for broadcasters as more and more viewers either shunned a lacklustre array of programmes or decided to watch online, on iPlayer or on delayed channels, according to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board. The Queen chose reconciliation as her theme for the 15-minute broadcast, mentioning her Ulster visit, the Scottish referendum and the centenary of the First World War. Speculation that she would abdicate during the broadcast had led bookmakers to stop taking bets on the issue. Mrs Brown’s Boys, a raucous sitcom about an Irish family that was last year’s most-watched Christmas Day programme, won 7.6million viewers this time around – a fall of 1.8million. Last year's Christmas Day ratings winner, Mrs Brown's Boys came in second place with 7.61 million viewers . Of the big Christmas specials, BBC drama Doctor Who suffered the biggest decline in year-on-year viewing, with 6.34million tuning in, or 24 per cent fewer than last year, when former Doctor Matt Smith was seen regenerating into Peter Capaldi, who has replaced him in the role. Downton Abbey also suffered badly, managing the ninth spot with 5.8million viewers, down 800,000 from last year’s 6.6million. The once-popular series has seen figures slump since 2011, when it secured 8.1million on Christmas Day, suggesting fans are growing tired of its slow-moving storylines. Many have branded the programme dull, raising speculation it may be time for ITV to bring it to an end. EastEnders was top of the soaps with figures of 7.55 million, compared to Coronation Street's 6.62 million and Emmerdale's 5.71 million . Doctor Who pulled in 6.34 million to be named the eighth most watched programme of the day - a disappointing 24 per cent drop on last year's Christmas special . Some predict this year’s Christmas Day audience figures will be among the lowest on record, reflecting changing viewing behaviour. The rise of online streaming services such as Netflix, on-demand viewing and catch-up iPlayer services provided by the BBC and ITV mean many no longer watch a programme when it is initially broadcast. Critics will also see the decline in ratings as evidence that festive programming is not as good as it once was. EastEnders, the BBC1 soap which once dominated Christmas Day ratings, came third with 7.5million, ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, with just under 7million viewers, and Call the Midwife, with 6.8million. ITV soap Coronation Street attracted 6.4million viewers. A BBC spokesman said: ‘It’s fantastic to see millions of viewers choosing BBC1, with the top five most popular shows on Christmas Day.’ There were also less viewers watching the Crawley family celebrate Christmas in Downton Abbey, with 5.84 million watching ITV from 9pm yesterday .
year's Christmas Day ratings winner, Mrs Brown's Boys came in second place with 7.61 million bring it to an end. EastEnders was top of the 5.71 million . Doctor Who pulled in 6.34 million the day - a disappointing 24 per cent drop on