The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel was first given on Christmas Eve 1918 and has been broadcast worldwide since 1928. No Christmas is complete without the dulcet tones of Once In Royal David's City.
The original service of Nine Lessons and Carols derives from a service which the clergyman E W Benson first gave in the wooden hut he called Truro Cathedral on Christmas Eve, 1880. Benson went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury, which is probably how his favourite service became so popular. Bear in mind that anyone joining the queue before 9am should gain admission, but this is not guaranteed, and young children are not advised to attend.