A slight return to OTT’s chart of the decade.

By way of a comparison, Glenn wondered what might be the 20 most-watched programmes of the 1980s. Here’s the list:

1) Live And Let Die (ITV, 20/1/1980) – 23.50m
2) Jaws (ITV, 8/10/1981) – 23.25m
3) The Spy Who Loved Me (ITV, 28/3/1982) – 22.90m
4) Diamonds Are Forever (ITV, 15/3/1981) – 22.15m
5) Dallas (BBC1, 22/11/1980) – 21.60m
6) To The Manor Born (BBC1, 9/11/1980) – 21.55m
7) Coronation Street (ITV, 2/1/1985) – 21.40m
8) Bread (BBC1, 11/12/1988) – 20.95m
9) Coronation Street (ITV, 18/12/1980) – 20.80m
10) Just Good Friends (BBC1, 21/12/1986) – 20.75m
11) Coronation Street (ITV, 16/1/1985) – 20.60m
12) The Royal Variety Performance (ITV, 25/11/84) – 20.55m
13) Coronation Street (ITV, 14/11/84) – 20.45m
14) Dallas (BBC1, 8/11/80) – 20.25m
15) Coronation Street (ITV, 28/11/84) – 20.25m
16) Coronation Street (ITV, 21/11/84) – 20.20m
16) Coronation Street (ITV, 21/1/85) – 20.20m
18) To The Manor Born (BBC1, 19/10/80) – 20.15m
18) Coronation Street (ITV, 14/1/85) – 20.15m
18) Bread (BBC1, 4/12/88) – 20.15m

Intriguing stuff. Bond films have three of the top four places. I’m guessing 3) was the premiere. Could 2) have been a premiere as well?

You’ve no fewer than eight episodes of Coronation Street, three from November 1984. Was this the departure of Billy Walker, driving off down the M62 during the end credits? Any thoughts on the other ones? No sign of EastEnders, mind, and just two showings for Dallas, both from November 1980. 5) must be the unmasking of JR’s killer; was 14) a repeat of the one where he was shot?

Surely nobody remembers Bread with much fondness nowadays. At least To The Manor Born outpolled it by 600,000. And just two programmes from the 2000s have so far won enough viewers to outrank Bread at 18): the episode of Only Fools And Horses from Christmas Day 2001 (21.4m) and the BBC’s coverage of the Portugal v England match in Euro 2004 (20.7m).

Lastly, as a footnote, just outside the top 20 is The Benny Hill Show from 7th January, 1981, with exactly 20 million viewers.