BBC wins Christmas TV ratings war

Christmas Day marked Shane Richie's EastEnders exit

The BBC has topped the Christmas Day TV ratings with EastEnders being the most watched show, just ahead of Doctor Who.

EastEnders attracted a peak audience of 11m, compared to 9.8m for Doctor Who. Around 9.8m also tuned in for ITV1's top-rated show, Coronation Street.

The Two Ronnies (9.4m) and family film Shrek (7.6m), both on BBC One, were the fourth and fifth most-watched shows.

Overall, fewer people watched Christmas Day TV than last year, when EastEnders attracted more than 12m viewers.

The Queen's Christmas Message, broadcast on BBC One and ITV1, received an audience of almost 8m at its peak - 6.2m on BBC One, 1.7m on ITV1.

TOP 10 CHRISTMAS TV EastEnders BBC One 11m (10.1m) Doctor Who BBC One 9.8m (9.4m) Coronation Street ITV1 9.8m (9.4m) The Two Ronnies BBC One 9.4m (7.9m) Shrek BBC One 7.6m (6.7m) Emmerdale ITV1 6.9m (6.6m) Toy Story 2 BBC One 6.9m (6.5m) Who Wants to be a Millionaire ITV1 6.6m (6.3m) BBC News 1845 bulletin BBC One 6.2m The Queen's Christmas Message BBC One 6.2m The higher numbers are peak viewing figures, the lower ones are averages

Alfie Moon's departure from Albert Square in EastEnders proved to be Christmas Day's TV highlight for many viewers.

Actor David Tennant's first outing as the Timelord, replacing Christopher Eccleston in the lead role, also proved hugely popular.

Coronation Street also did well, with millions of viewers watching the Battersby clan burning down their chip shop as they tried to deep-fry the Christmas turkey.

Of the other terrestrial TV channels, BBC Two's interpretation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest was the biggest success, attracting 3m viewers.

Some 2m people watched Five's Greatest TV Comedy Moments, while Jerry Maguire was the most-watched programme on Channel 4 with 1.5m viewers.