Betway unveils the ultimate Christmas specials to watch this festive season.
As the festive season kicks off, many are revisiting their favourite Christmas specials to get into the spirit.
As the nation prepares for a time of excellent TV-watching over the Christmas season, online casino Betway has unveiled the definitive ranking of the greatest Christmas specials of all time.
Each episode’s popularity is measured by ratings on IMDb, the number of viewers when the episode first aired and its Reddit sentiment score.
Despite 2024 having many of us gripped with the much-anticipated Gavin and Stacey finale, the most loved Christmas TV special in 2025 has been revealed as Only Fools and Horses: Heroes and Villains, which was released in 1996. The episode had a rating of 9.3 on IMDb as well as a whopping 21,300,000 viewers at the time.
The Gavin & Stacey finale – which saw Nessa and Smithy finally get their happy ending last Christmas – followed behind in second place. The episode, which aired on Christmas Day last year, had a similarly high rating on IMDb of 9.1 and a total of 19,100,000 viewers tuning in to watch their favourite characters for the final time.
In third place was the Downton Abbey Christmas Special from 2015, while Only Fools and Horses: Miami Twice – released in 1991 – bagged fourth place on the list. The episode came in with the highest number of viewers overall – a total of 24,300,000, but a slightly lower IMDb rating of 8.2.
2010’s Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol – starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan – just made the top five, beating Downton Abbey: Christmas at Downton and This is Us’ Christmas special episode, Last Christmas.
The Christmas special with the lowest number of viewers was The Great British Sewing Bee (2024) – but the episode was ranked higher than many of the TV specials from last year – including Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, All Creatures Great and Small, Call the Midwife, Outnumbered and Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas specials.
1. Only Fools and Horses: Heroes and Villains – 1996
Del Boy is in some financial trouble and has an idea to win a prize using fancy dress costumes, but he and Rodney are mistaken for a famous duo.
2. Gavin & Stacey: The Finale – 2024
Smithy is set to marry Sonia after Nessa confessed her love for him – but after a realisation at the altar, Smithy and the crew try to reach Nessa before it’s too late.
3. Downton Abbey Christmas Special – 2015
Mary attempts to mend her relationship with her sister as Edith’s secret continues to pose a threat. As Henry adjusts to his new roles as a husband, finding his place at Downton proves to be more challenging.
4. Only Fools and Horses: Miami Twice – 1991
Del Boy starts planning a Florida holiday. The brothers leave Peckham behind for a week of sun, unaware that Del Boy is wanted by the police, who are also residing in Florida.
5. Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol – 2010
Starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, The Doctor and Amy Pond have just one hour to save a crashing spaceship on Christmas Day before it’s too late.
6. Downton Abbey: Christmas at Downton – 2011
Downton Abbey throws a Christmas party, but rising tensions and John Bates’ arrest cast a shadow over the celebrations.
7. This is Us: Last Christmas – 2016
Jack and Rebecca have an unexpected reunion with an old friend, while Kevin, Randall, and Kate navigate their own holiday challenges.
8. Gilmore Girls: The Bracebridge Dinner – 2001
While Rory struggles to keep the peace between Dean and Jess, Lorelai invites residents of Stars Hollow to an elaborate feast at the Inn.
9. Friends: The One With the Holiday Armadillo – 2000
Ross decides he wants to teach Ben about Hanukkah when the costume shop runs out of Santa costumes.
10. The Office (UK) Christmas Special Part 2 – 2003
Tim’s world is turned upside down when Dawn stops by the office. Despite Gareth’s stern warning and Keith from Accounts offering some advice, Tim gets his hopes up again.
11. Friends: The One with the Girl From Poughkeepsie – 1997
Monica is struggling to stand up to her kitchen staff, so she hires Joey to fire him in front of them to show authority. Chandler tries to set Rachel up with his colleague.
12. The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Special – 2024
The Great Christmas Sewing Bee 2024 sees Ian “H” Watkins, Kellie Bright, Fatiha El-Ghorri, and Charlotte Crosby compete in the Christmas special.
Ranking | TV Special Name | Release Year | IMDb Rating | Number of viewers | Reddit Sentiment Score | Score |
1 | Only Fools and Horses: Heroes and Villains | 1996 | 9.3 | 21,300,000 | 55.1 | 92 |
2 | Gavin & Stacey: The Finale | 2024 | 9.1 | 19,100,000 | 55.1 | 89.8 |
3 | Downton Abbey Christmas Special | 2015 | 9.2 | 6,600,000 | 57.8 | 89.3 |
4 | Only Fools and Horses: Miami Twice | 1991 | 8.2 | 24,300,000 | 56.5 | 89.1 |
5 | Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol | 2010 | 8.5 | 12,110,000 | 57.9 | 87.8 |
6 | Downton Abbey: Christmas at Downton Abbey | 2011 | 9 | 10,500,000 | 56.5 | 87.7 |
7 | This Is Us: Last Christmas | 2016 | 8.9 | 10,950,000 | 55.7 | 86 |
8 | Gilmore Girls: The Bracebridge Dinner | 2001 | 8.6 | 5,270,000 | 58.1 | 85.6 |
9 | Friends: The One With the Holiday Armadillo | 2000 | 8.4 | 23,260,000 | 53.6 | 85 |
10 | The Office (UK) Christmas Special Part 2 | 2003 | 9.3 | 6,140,000 | 54.8 | 84.7 |
11 | Friends: The One With the Girl From Poughkeepsie | 1997 | 7.9 | 23,220,000 | 54.6 | 83.6 |
12 | The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas special | 2024 | 9.1 | 2,200,000 | 55.8 | 83.4 |
Methodology
Index score created using data from IMDb ratings, as well as the number of viewers (per million) and Reddit sentiment score
IMDb rating – This was the shows rating out of 10 from IMDb.com
Number of viewers – This was the approximate number of viewers for the show when it initially aired or came out.
Reddit Sentiment Score – This was a score out of 100 given to the show based on how positive or negative comments about it were from the r/television subreddit. A total dataset of over 57,000 comments was used.
Data collected on 27/10/25
