Christmas TV guide 2023: Arts and music highlights of this year’s TV schedule

An Audience with Kylie

Streaming now, ITVX

Following in the glamorous footsteps of Adele, Kylie Minogue gifts a one-off concert to a specially-invited audience of fans and celebrities at London’s Royal Albert Hall. As well as performances of her biggest hits – including this year’s super-smash “Padam Padam” – there’s also time for stories and special surprises.

Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle

Streaming now, BBC iPlayer

Lucy Worsley pulls out her magnifying glass and deerstalker to interrogate the relationship between author Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes. Apparently, Conan Doyle resented the popularity of the detective and was desperate to step out from his shadow with his other works. Unfortunately, his hopes never quite came to fruition.

Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball

Streaming now, ITVX

Tickets to the Jingle Bell Ball are like gold dust, but thankfully ITV cameras will be there to capture the entire event for us at home. Alicia Keys, Busted, Tom Grennan, Becky Hill, Zara Larsson and Take That make up the bulk of the line-up for Capital radio’s annual pop concert, hosted by the station’s presenters Roman Kemp, Siân Welby and Chris Stark.

The Royal Variety Performance

Streaming now, ITVX

Bradley Walsh hosts from the Royal Albert Hall as Cher, McFly, Rick Astley, Zara Larsson and Paloma Faith perform for the Prince and Princess of Wales. There’s also a celebration of Disney’s 100-year anniversary, numbers from musicals The Little Big Things and Sister Act and comedy from BGT winner Viggo Venn, Tom Allen and Rosie Jones.

Pianoforte – Storyville

Streaming now, BBC iPlayer

This surprisingly tense film takes us into the inner sanctum of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Held every five years since 1927, it’s renowned as a career launchpad for young virtuoso pianists and the documentary goes behind the scenes to witness their intense practices, new friendships and nerves.

Dickens in Italy with David Harewood

19 December, 8pm, Sky Arts

Thespian David Harewood follows in the footsteps of the Victorian author who once set out on a Grand Tour through Venice, Naples, Genoa and Rome. It turns out that the country of pasta had a profound influence on Dickens, and Harewood explores how his writing and political beliefs were inspired by his travels.

Gregory Porter: Live from Cheltenham 2023

19 December, 10pm, BBC Four

Grammy-winning singer Gregory Porter first performed at the renowned Cheltenham Jazz Festival in 2012 and, more than a decade later, serves as the event’s artistic curator. Singer Lizz Wright and clarinetist Giacomo Smith join Porter for a mesmerising sold-out show filmed earlier this year and featuring renditions of his hits “Revival”, “Take Me to the Alley” and “Liquid Spirit”.

Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction

21 December, 8pm, Sky Arts

Fresh from his trip to Italy, David Harewood returns to the world of Dickens to learn more about his literary preoccupation with the supernatural. Actors and archive footage bring the author’s eeriest works to life as Harewood compares Dickens’ obsession with ghosts with that of wider Victorian society.

Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir Christmas Special

22 December, 8pm, Sky Arts

The bohemian waxwing is the centre of attention in this Christmas special of Jim Moir (better known in comedy circles as Vic Reeves) and his wife Nancy’s ornithological art programme. With its fancy crown and berry-heavy diet, birds don’t come much more festive than this.

Mica Paris: A Gospel Christmas

23 December, 8pm, Sky Arts

Soul singer Mica Paris is joined by a 10-person choir and live band at St Alfege Church in Greenwich for a soul-stirring concert. Alongside gospel classics such as “Amazing Grace” and “Oh Holy Night”, Paris’s setlist also includes several festive favourites, including “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”.

The Hills Are Alive with the Kanneh-Masons

Christmas Eve, 5.40pm, BBC Two

Britain’s most famous classical musical family are off to Salzburg to retrace the footsteps of the Von Trapps, the Austrian family immortalised in The Sound of Music. As well as exploring key locations from the film, the Kanneh-Masons perform their own renditions of the soundtrack against the beautiful mountainous backdrop, from “Climb Every Mountain” to “My Favourite Things”.

Royal Carols: Together at Christmas

Christmas Eve, 7.45pm, ITV1

The Prince and Princess of Wales join other members of the Royal Family for a Christmas Eve carol service at Westminster Abbey. This year’s programme features performances from Jacob Collier, Freya Ridings, James Bay, a duet from Beverley Knight and Adam Lambert, as well as a poem specially commissioned for the occasion.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

Christmas Day, 1.15pm, BBC Two

Matthew Bourne ballets are a welcome Christmas tradition on the BBC. With Tchaikovsky’s stunning score performed live by the New Adventures orchestra, Sleeping Beauty is a dazzling journey from the Edwardian era to the modern day, transforming the timeless fairy tale of good vs evil into a gothic love story.

Inside Classical: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Christmas Day, 8.30pm, BBC Four

Mark Gatiss stars as Sherlock Holmes and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr Watson in this chilling reading of Arthur Conan Doyle’s bestselling mystery, recorded at London’s Barbican Theatre. With a haunting musical score by Neil Brand and stark (read: near bare) staging, this version of the The Hound of the Baskervilles is creepy enough to leave you sleeping with the light on.

Top of the Pops: Review of 2023

28 December, 6.30pm,BBC Two

Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo looks back over the past 12 months of pop music, recounting the biggest music stories of the year and showcasing performances from some of the most talked-about artists of 2023. No doubt Spotify’s most streamed song of the year, Miley Cyrus’s earworm “Flowers” will make an appearance.

The National Lottery’s Big Bash 2023

New Year’s Eve, 6pm, ITV1

Take That headline the now-annual pop concert to wave goodbye to 2023. Jason Manford and Alesha Dixon act as comperes, while Paloma Faith, Busted, Becky Hill and DJ Jax Jones also perform their biggest hits. There’s also an “outrageous” performance from drag queens Kitty Scott Claus, Cara Melle, Cheryl Hole and Tayce to look forward to.

Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s

New Year’s Eve, 11.30pm, BBC One

Filmed at the famous Roundhouse in Camden, London, pop legend Rick Astley headlines a special New Year’s Eve performance. He will be singing a selection of his biggest hits and surprise covers alongside some yet-to-be-revealed all-star guests.

Jools’ Annual Hootenanny

New Year’s Eve, 11.30pm, BBC Two

Jools Holland’s Hootenanny is one of British television’s most enduring – and reliably fun – parties. To ring in 2024, the pianist brings a mix of music from established stars, emerging talent and special guests, including the queen of boogie woogie, Ruby Turner, while comedians, actors and other stars share their predictions and resolutions for the New Year.

New Year’s Day Concert Live from Vienna 2024

New Year’s Day, 10.15pm, BBC Two

BBC Radio 3’s Breakfast show presenter Petroc Trelawny hosts the live broadcast of the annual concert from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Guest conducted by Christian Thielemann, the orchestra will perform a selection of polkas, waltzes and gallops by the Strauss family and their contemporaries.

Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

New Year’s Day, 9.25pm, BBC Four

A Peaky Blinders ballet? Yes, you read that right. Adapted by the drama’s creator Steven Knight and directed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, the show commemorates a decade since we were introduced to Cillian Murphy’s swaggering gangster. Set in post-war Birmingham, the story follows Tommy Shelby’s rise to power, set to spoken word performances from the late Birmingham-born poet (and star of the original series) Benjamin Zephaniah, and iconic Peaky Blinders tracks, including Nick Cave’s instantly recognisable “Red Right Hand”.