Feels natural to watch Christmas TV on catch-up
It seemed appropriate that I read Issue 648’s ‘Question of the Fortnight’ (‘When will the BBC switch off its TV and radio broadcasts?’) a few days after Christmas because it highlighted just how profoundly festive viewing habits have changed. From the early 1970s to about 2015 we always watched the Queen giving her Christmas message at 3pm on the dot.
During one recent Christmas Day we were unable to watch it live, but then realised we could simply watch it later on the iPlayer. Since then, we’ve never caught it live and have relied on the iPlayer to watch it a few hours later – as we did this year with the new King’s first message, and indeed all the special programmes on at this time of year.
This change felt natural, not like a revolution in viewing. We’re a
