The BBC closed out a year that included its most-watched title in “The Celebrity Traitors” and its best drama debut in three years with “The Night Manager,” but its annual report and accounts for 2025/26 warns the corporation faces “real jeopardy” as license fee erosion drives a third consecutive operating deficit.
BBC director general Matt Brittin said in the report: “This is a moment of real jeopardy, not just for the BBC but for public service broadcasting and the U.K. as a whole.”
On the content side, the year delivered some of the BBC’s strongest numbers in recent times. “The Celebrity Traitors” final drew an average audience of more than 15 million, the biggest title across the U.K. market in 2025/26. “The Night Manager” Season 2 premiere averaged 8.7 million viewers over 28 days, the corporation’s most-watched drama debut in three years. Comedy had a record year too: eight of the top 10 most-watched scripted comedies in 2025/26 aired on the BBC, led by “Small Prophets,” whose premiere drew 7.7 million viewers, and “Amandaland,” whose Christmas special hit 7.4 million. At the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards, the BBC took home 12 wins, more than any other broadcaster or streamer. The corporation says it remains the single largest investor in original U.K. content, contributing £6.7 billion ($8.96 billion) to the U.K. economy last year.
