The Queen 1, The Queen Vic 0

Bradley may well be set to discover Max and Stacey’s sordid affair in Eastenders and Corrie’s baby swap shocker will be revealed, but we simply just don’t care... We just want Her Majesty.

Over 15 million Brits named soap specials as their number one Christmas TV turn-off, with one in four of us preferring to watch the Queen’s Speech over the inevitable showdown and punch-up in the Vic.

Soaps are a bore

It seems like even the most shocking storylines won’t be enough to stop millions of Brits turning off during the festive season. Boring comedy specials also ranked highly on the Christmas turkey list, with just under 10 million people saying ‘bah humbug’ and hitting the off switch when classic sitcoms such as the Vicar of Dibley and My Family come on.

Sex, booze and the internet

Research into Christmas Day entertainment, conducted by online entertainment website Metacafe, found that 40 million (61%) Brits are fed up with the quality of programmes on Christmas Day. To avoid the TV nightmare, almost half of us would rather spend the day getting drunk, having sex or surfing the net. 2.4 million of us would even prefer sleeping through the festivities entirely.

Christmas entertainment – the facts

- Half of women named TV repeats as their main turn-off on Christmas Day
- Over 10 million (17%) of us would favour sex over watching telly with the family
- The Scots are the randiest bunch, with over one in five preferring a spot of bedroom gymnastics to a day in front of the box
- Booze is the number one alternative to TV for the 16-29 age group, with 30% preferring a drink to the remote
- Silver surfers (60+) pick going online as their top alternative to TV, using the web for entertainment over the festive period

Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe comments: “People are being entertained in more and more ways. Watching TV is synonymous with Christmas Day, but people are challenging this British tradition, opting to find alternative ways to keep themselves amused over the festive period, whether online or simply spending time with family and friends.”

* Survey conducted by SNS research in December 2007. Sample size - 1,000 people.