[JMT1985]

The royal Christmas message was always produced exclusive to the BBC until 1997, when the Queen decided to allow ITN to produce it - many felt this was a way for the Queen to get back at the BBC for the 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana, which the royals all deny.

The 1997 new deal was that the message would be recorded by ITN for two years, then two years for the BBC, and that continued until 2011.

Sky News was added into the rotation of two year productions in 2011.

Since ITN produced the 2021 message, it was in the rota what ITN would produce the 2022 message, but apparently King Charles dismissed ITN and brought in the BBC to produce it. The reason for that dismissal was never disclosed.

ITN returned this year to produce it - they must have patched things up with the King.

[JamieMurph25]

Looks like it is produced by BBC and ITV in alternate years currently. But below doesn't suggest much of a pattern between BBC, ITV and Sky.

Per my list:
2022: BBC
2021: ITN
2020: BBC
May 2020: BBC
April 2020: BBC
2019: BBC
2018: Sky
2017: Sky
2015: ITV

Don't forget September 2022, shortly after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, which was done by BBC Studios.

[Spencer]

Originally it was only ever produced by the BBC. The monopoly was broken in 1997 when ITN made it for the first time, reportedly because the Royal Family were annoyed at the BBC over the Diana Panorama interview.

Sky were included from 2011.

[VMPhil]

It is interesting that Sky haven't produced it since 2018. They did still schedule it on Sky Showcase though.

[Neil Jones]

Wonder why Sky effectively dropped out of producing it? Didn't they make a big deal of getting included in that rota? And now they're not in it.

I know their Australian Sky News channel managed to pee everybody off by breaking the embargo last year for this, but that shouldn't have affected the production of it, which was done by the BBC anyway.

[newsjunkie]

Wonder why Sky effectively dropped out of producing it? Didn't they make a big deal of getting included in that rota? And now they're not in it.

I know their Australian Sky News channel managed to pee everybody off by breaking the embargo last year for this, but that shouldn't have affected the production of it, which was done by the BBC anyway.

I'm not sure they have. It will probably be Sky for the next two years.
The BBC last year was an unexpected change with the promise that ITN would take this year instead.

[RhysJR]

The BBC One Wales announcer announcing Mrs Brown's Boys as "here's a bit of marmite" raised a bit of a chuckle I must say.

---

Don't forget September 2022, shortly after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, which was done by BBC Studios.

Thanks, I forgot to include that somehow.

[James2001]

Laughing at the obvious foam "snow" in EastEnders. HD really does show all this stuff up.

[JMT1985]

Laughing at the obvious foam "snow" in EastEnders. HD really does show all this stuff up.

About Eastenders, I rarely ever watch it, and I really had to laugh at their Christmas Day offering, it is as if they opened the "Big Book of Christmas in Soap Opera Land Cliches" and did every one of them.

The ending was just truly ridiculous and what was the point with the months of waiting? Remember we got the teaser in February 2023 - ten months waiting and for the end result, waste of time.

I feel Corrie and Emmerdale offered half hour episodes as they felt this one hour of cliches from Eastenders would be only the amount any soap opera fan could stomach on Christmas night.

[James2001]

They're not wrong though! Even if you enjoyed it, it's hard to deny it was every soapland cliche going.