Millions of football fans are expected to stay up into the early hours of Monday morning to watch England’s World Cup match against Mexico, but the fixture faces a significant challenge to set a new record for the UK’s largest post-midnight TV audience. The formidable figure to beat stands at 18.5 million viewers.
This long-standing record was established shortly after midnight on Monday, 29 April 1985, when an estimated 18.5 million people tuned into BBC2 for the dramatic conclusion of that year’s World Snooker Championship final. The epic encounter saw defending champion Steve Davis battle Dennis Taylor at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
