Question Time, Doctor Who and Eurovision top list of most tweeted BBC shows reveals TV Licensing

Image of Question Time host David Dimbleby Image of Doctor Who and companions Image of host Andrew Marr

Question Time (1), The Andrew Marr Show (2) and Doctor Who (3) are the most tweeted about BBC TV shows of 2018, TV Licensing has revealed.1

In a year of unmissable television moments BBC news and current affairs programmes feature heavily, taking nine places in the top twenty list, with the likes of Newsnight (6), BBC Breakfast (8), Victoria Derbyshire (10) and Panorama (15) regularly sparking opinion and debate on social media.

Popular BBC entertainment provided light relief and Twitter talking points, with fans compelled to share their views on Eurovision (5), Strictly Come Dancing (9), The Apprentice (12) and Top Of The Pops 2 (16). Audiences were also gripped by BBC Drama including EastEnders (7) and Killing Eve (18), with fans taking to Twitter to speculate on plot twists.

Celebrities and members of the public alike discussed their thoughts on TV via Twitter throughout the year, with high profile tweets around BBC content being shared by the likes of J.K Rowling, Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan and The Inbetweener’s Blake Harrison.

Image of a Tweet from author J. K. Rowling Image of a Tweet by actress Karen Gillan Image of a Tweet by actor Blake Harrison

There were some surprises too. Top-flight documentary and entertainment shows just missed the top 20, showing the nation’s desire to explore the wide range of BBC programming.

Michael Collins, spokesperson for TV Licensing, said:

Throughout 2018 unmissable TV moments have united fans, sparked debate and compelled viewers to join the conversation on social media, with watching and tweeting going hand in hand as part of the viewing routine.
Whether it’s predicting the ending to Killing Eve, judging Eurovision contestants, or dissecting the debate in Question Time, our top 20 shows just how engaged audiences are by all types of BBC content.

A colour TV Licence currently costs £150.50 and is required for watching or recording TV programmes as they are shown on TV, or watching or downloading BBC programmes on iPlayer. This applies whether using a TV set, computer, or any other equipment.

For more information about when a licence is needed, visit tvlicensing.co.uk/info.

Find us on Twitter @TVLicensingNews and let us know what BBC show had you talking this year using #LetsTalkTopTV

The 20 Most Talked About TV Shows in 2018:

  1. Question Time
  2. Andrew Marr Show
  3. Doctor Who
  4. Daily Politics
  5. Eurovision Song Contest
  6. Newsnight
  7. EastEnders
  8. Breakfast
  9. Strictly Come Dancing
  10. Victoria Derbyshire
  11. Sunday Politics
  12. The Apprentice
  13. Countryfile
  14. Politics Live
  15. Panorama
  16. Top of the Pops 2 (TOTP2)
  17. Casualty
  18. Killing Eve
  19. The One Show
  20. Imagine

Top 3 shows in a tweet:

1. @timothy_stanley:
“Very pleased I got to do #bbcqt this evening if only to say goodbye to the great David Dimbleby. He’s been a superb chair, he treats everyone equally and one is always in awe of his experience and professionalism”

2. @stevelee1973:
“Marr is superb. Soldiering on and asking the right questions without being rude. He has an excellent knack with it and holds the audience. IMHO”

3. @karengillan:
“New Doctor Who!!!!!!!!!!!! And I’m on a bloody plane and missing all the action”

References

1. Data included in this campaign represents the period between 1 January 2018 and 13 November 2018.

General information about TV Licensing is available in other languages:

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