Brits will spend more than four hours watching TV on Christmas Day, study finds

Millions of adults plan to use the festive period to catch up on their favourite TV shows – sitting in front of the box for more than four hours on Christmas Day alone.

The poll of 2,000 adults, who watch TV, found two-thirds intend to use the season to get up to speed on their favourite dramas, comedy series, and films.

And 32% plan to take a much-deserved extended break from work, and sit in front of the box instead.

In fact, after spending time with family, adults plan to devote most of their time over Christmas to watching telly.

More than a quarter (26%) plan to watch the first King’s Speech on December 25, while a third will curl up to watch a festive film.

And one in eight (12%) will binge-watch their favourite reality shows, according to the study commissioned by streaming service Crime+Investigation Play.

More than a quarter will watch King Charles III's first Christmas broadcast (Jonathan Brady/Getty Images)

But almost half (45%) admitted they can feel overwhelmed with the amount of TV shows available to watch and stream.

It also emerged 38% will watch a Christmas special on the box this year, while 18% are planning to view crime movies.

And 15% will tuck into a true crime series – with 35% likely to stream their favourite shows rather than watch live TV.

A quarter even admitted they’re more likely to watch a true crime than a festive movie.

The main reasons for tuning into the TV over the festive period are simply wanting to relax (45%), and the fact it is something which requires no effort (35%).

Three in ten (29%) think it’s a good way to spend time with others over Christmas, and 24% get a feeling of nostalgia from watching old classics.

For 18%, watching certain shows or movies over Christmas is “traditional”.

And more than a fifth (22%) simply feel that with most of the shops shut, there isn’t much else to do, according to the OnePoll figures.

But one in three (34%) admitted to having arguments in the household over what to watch during the holiday season.

MOST WATCHED CHRISTMAS TV:

1. Christmas TV specials
2. Drama series
3. Festive films
4. Drama films
5. Comedy series
6. News
7. The King's Speech on Christmas Day
8. Christmas-themed game/quiz shows
9. Action films
10. Game/quiz shows
11. Factual/documentaries
12. Romantic comedy films
13. Soap operas
14. Sports
15. Sitcom series
16. Crime films
17. Mystery films
18. Romantic films
19. Sci-fi and fantasy films
20. True crime TV series
21. Sci-fi and fantasy series
22. Cooking shows
23. Geographical/natural world documentaries
24. Horror films
25. Reality shows