RTÉ SHOWED NINE out of the ten programmes most watched by the Irish viewing public on Christmas Day.

According to figures provided by TAM Ireland Ltd/Nielsen TAM, the top ten most watched programmes were:

1. Mrs Brown’s Boys: The Virgin Mammy 972,000 viewer average
2. RTÉ Six-One News 580,000
3. Eastenders 496,000
4. Up 466,000
5. Coronation Street (TV3 – figures not yet released)
6. Fair City 427,000
7. RTÉ Nine O’Clock News 392,000
8. It’s Complicated 383,000
9. School Around The Corner 316,000
10. Alice in Wonderland 252,000

The most watched programme on Christmas Eve was – you’ve guessed it – Mrs Brown’s Boys: Mammy Christmas (RTÉ One, 851,000). People clearly had an appetite for news on St Stephen’s Day, with the top spot going to RTÉ Six-One (543,000).

Mrs Brown’s Boys saw a big jump in popularity across the water this Christmas with an average of 8.78 million viewers watching the Christmas Eve show and 8.97m watching the second part on St Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day in the UK). The 2011 Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special had 6.61 million viewers on average.

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