‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ wins UK Christmas battle

EastEnders lost its traditional slot at the top of the Christmas Day viewing list in Britain as sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys became this year’s most-watched programme.

The BBC1 serial was also beaten by arch-rival Coronation Street with the ITV show taking the honours as the top festive soap opera for the first time in more than a decade.

Mrs Brown’s Boys — the bawdy show created by Brendan O’Carroll, which has become a surprise ratings hit — pulled in an average audience of 9.4m.