List of most watched television broadcasts in the United Kingdom
Rank Title Viewers ( millions ) Date Network
1 Live and Let Die 23.50 20 January 1980 ITV
2 Jaws 23.25 8 October 1981 ITV
3 The Spy Who Loved Me 22.90 28 March 1982 ITV
4 Diamonds Are Forever 22.15 15 March 1981 ITV
5 Crocodile Dundee 21.75 25 December 1989 BBC1
Most watched programmes -- Most watched films
These are the most watched films by total number of viewers [ 20 ] ( dates are when the films were broadcast , not necessarily when they were produced ) .
In the United Kingdom, viewing figures - the number of viewers or households watching a television programme, have been recorded by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) since 1981. Prior to the board's formation, figures were conducted by different means such as the BBC financing its own audience research, while the ITV companies sub-contracted theirs.