Wind Down Wednesday

New study reveals the nation tires of Christmas at 12.45pm on 27th December - 'Wind Down Wednesday'

  • Three quarters of Brits (72%) long to wrap up in front of the TV after festive celebrations
  • Festive hangover blamed on weight gain (44%), money worries (27%) and arguments (23%)
  • Overindulging may add to festive fatigue - the average person scoffs four turkey dinners and eight mince pies in December
  • Study commissioned by TV channel Drama to celebrate its festive schedule

Wednesday 27th December has been named as 'Wind Down Wednesday' in a new study as 12.45pm that day is revealed to be the time the nation will start to feel the festive hangover in full effect.

A survey of 2,000 British adults, which was commissioned by free TV channel, Drama to celebrate its festive schedule, found that by the 27th December, three quarters of the UK (76%) will be craving respite in front of the TV as they are overwhelmed and exhausted by festive frivolities.

This festive fatigue may be due in part to a month of excess, as the average person scoffs four turkey dinners, eight mince pies and 186 units of alcohol - the equivalent of 21 bottles of wine or 143 bottles of beer - throughout the festive season.

This overindulgence adds to the nation's 'festive hangover', with two fifths (44%) blaming their post-Christmas blues on weight gain, along with 27% attributing it to lack of money and 23% saddened by arguments and the thought of returning to work.

Top 10 reasons for the annual 'festive hangover' peaking on Wind Down Wednesday:

  1. Weight gain (44%)
  2. Lack of money from buying presents and partying (27%)
  3. Arguments with family and friends (23%)
  4. Thought of having to return to work (23%)
  5. January payday being a fair way off (21%)
  6. Eating Christmas lunch leftovers (17%)
  7. Recovering from party hangovers (15%)
  8. Having to keep the family entertained (14%)
  9. Having to play board games with family and friends (14%)
  10. Time spent traveling up and down the country visiting friends and relatives (13%)

After a month of festive celebrations finally takes its toll, over half of Brits (58%) admitted they just crave some alone time by 'Wind Down Wednesday', as a similar number (55%) blamed spending time with relatives for several days in a row for tensions being frayed. Over half of respondents (55%) have at least one argument at Christmas, and 4% even admitted to having 10 or more.

Further findings revealed that one in five (18%) even reach their peak on Christmas Day itself, suggesting the build-up is better than the big day.

Emma Ayech, channel director for Drama, said,

We all look forward to the Christmas break, but we owe it to ourselves to take some time to switch off and indulge in some restorative time in front of the TV when it gets too much - and the festive scheduling on Drama is the perfect way to unwind and escape the often hectic seasonal calendar!

Christmas on Drama

The survey was commissioned to celebrate the festive scheduling on Drama, which will feature a season of Catherine Cookson from 12pm, Call the Midwife from 3pm and Death in Paradise from 8pm every day and Pride and Prejudice, New Year's Eve from 1pm.

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Notes to Editors

About Drama
Freeview 20, Sky 158, Virgin 128, BT, TalkTalk 020 and on demand via UKTV Play

Drama is a channel that is passionate about bringing Britain the best in quality drama. From period through to contemporary and comedy, the channel is a treasure trove of classic and modern drama which showcases the greatest stories ever told. With programmes including favourites Call the Midwife, Pride and Prejudice, New Tricks and Silent Witness, and new offerings such as The White Princess, The Red Tent, The Brokenwood Mysteries and Mercy Street, viewers can indulge in a handpicked range of the nation's most celebrated TV dramas.

drama.uktv.co.uk | @drama_channel

About UKTV

UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching over 40m viewers every month.

The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market.

The network delivers inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.

Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktvpress