The Great British Bake Off most watched TV show of 2016

The finale brought in 15.9 million viewers

With shows like The Great British Bake Off, Planet Earth II, and Strictly Come Dancing, it should come as no surprise that the BBC dominated TV screens in 2016.

According to the latest viewing figures, nine of the ten most watched TV shows of 2016 were episodes of The Great British Bake Off, with the final drawing in 15.9 million Brits.

The only other show to appear in the top 10 is Planet Earth II’s November 13 episode which focussed on Mountains.

The highest none-BBC TV show was the first episode of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity, coming in number 12 with an audience totaling 12.66 million. Coming in 13th is Britain’s Got Talent, with one episode bringing in 12.46 million people.

However, ITV’s top shows will likely fall a few places once the final viewing figures for the Strictly Come Dancing final are added: almost 12 million people watched live on Saturday night, with upwards of 13 million with consolidated viewing.

There are also numerous Christmas specials coming in the following week, including Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, both of which will no doubt bring the nation together once more.

The BBC’s director of content, Charlotte Moore, said of the achievement: “BBC One has dominated viewing in 2016 with outstanding programmes in every genre demonstrating the strength of the channel across the whole year.”

In the coming years, though, the BBC won’t have Bake Off to win them the top spots: Channel 4 purchased the rights to the Love Productions show earlier this year after a bidding war with the Beeb.