Christmas Eve
If you’re up bright and early on Christmas Eve, then Channel 4 will help you get into the Christmas spirit. From 7.25am, they’re showing a selection of their festive animations from over the years starting with 2019’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea, followed by The Snowman, Father Christmas and The Snowman and the Snowdog.
I hope you’ve already sorted all your festive food out by now, but if not, Nigella Lawson is on hand with two repeats – Nigella’s Christmas Table (11am, BBC Two) and Nigella’s Amsterdam Christmas (12pm, BBC One). Though if you do find yourself inspired, please remember that the shops will be shutting early!
Christmas Eve afternoon is of course dedicated to family films and there are plenty to choose from. The 2006 live action version of Charlotte’s Web is on Channel 4 at 12.30pm, while ITV1 is showing The Secret Life of Pets from 1.05pm, followed by The Grinch at 2.40pm (the animated Benedict Cumberbatch version, not the classic Jim Carey one).
If you’re in the mood for more classic (read: musical) movies, White Christmas is on BBC Two at 1pm while at 2.50pm, BBC One is heading to the Austrian alps in The Sound of Music.
Speaking of The Sound of Music, the modern-day British equivalent of the von Trapps, the Kanneh-Masons, are following in the footsteps of the musical family in The Hills Are Alive with the Kanneh-Masons (5.40pm, BBC One). They’re in Salzburg to perform their own renditions of the soundtrack against the beautiful mountainous backdrop, from “Climb Every Mountain” to “My Favourite Things”.
More singing is happening on BBC Two from 6.40pm as the annual Carols from King’s concert sees the Rev Dr Stephen Cherry lead a service of music, readings and prayer. At 7.45pm on ITV1, the Princess of Wales will host her annual carol service, Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, 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.
Judith Kerr’s beloved cat, Mog, gets her own Christmas special, Mog’s Christmas, at 7.45pm on Channel 4, followed by the first of two festive Bake Off specials at 8.15pm, which will see “baker ghosts of Christmas past” return to haunt the famous tent.
There’s a one-off family drama at 8pm on Sky Max, too. In The Heist Before Christmas, 12-year-old Scrooge Mikey Collins comes across two Santa Clauses in the woods, he’s much more interested in the grisly bloke who’s just robbed a bank (James Nesbitt) than the man who claims he’s just fallen out of his sleigh (Timothy Spall).
There’s brand new drama to enjoy tonight and the first Christmas special of the Death in Paradise spin-off, Beyond Paradise (9pm, BBC One), has DI Humphrey Goodman and his Shipton Abbott team baffled by a spate of puzzling burglaries. Mark Gatiss’s traditional ghost story is also back, this time in the form of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story Lot No 249 (10pm, BBC Two) starring Kit Harington and Freddie Fox as students who reanimate an Ancient Egyptian mummy.
And Christmas Eve isn’t the only special occasion on television tonight, as Lee Mack is celebrating 100 episodes of Not Going Out on BBC One at 10pm.
Christmas Day
Merry Christmas! Those up bright and early can tune into BBC One from 10.15am (yes, that’s early on Christmas Day for those of us without children) for a live service at Manchester Cathedral, led by the Dean of Manchester, the Very Rev Rogers Govender.
That’s followed by Cinderella at 11.15am – the 2015 live-action version starring Lily James. Richard Madden of Bodyguard fame makes for a, well, charming Prince Charming, while Cate Blanchett puts her all into making Cindy’s wicked stepmother very evil indeed. It’s perfect post-present opening viewing, especially if you’ve got little ones to occupy while you crack on with the spuds.
Channel 4 is also providing a selection of family films this morning, with Puss in Boots on at 8.40am (okay now that’s early) and Kung Fu Panda 2 starting at 10.25am. If you’re after something with a tad more class, BBC Two is showing Chariots of Fire from 11.15am.
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 (1.15pm, BBC Two) 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.
The second of two feline animations, Tabby McTat is on BBC One at 2.35pm. Adapted from Julia Donaldson’s book, this adorable animation tells the tale of the close friendship between a musical cat, Tabby McTat (voiced by Sopé Dìrísú), and busker Fred (Rob Brydon).
The films are back for mid-afternoon, perfect background noise while you tuck into your turkey dinner. At 3.10pm, BBC One has Toy Story 4, BBC Two is showing the Hollywood blockbuster adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, Channel 4 has The Italian Job and Channel 5 has The Wizard of Oz.
It’s time for everyone’s favourite Christmas tradition at 4.40pm on BBC One: the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. Rugby star Danny Cipriani, Sugababe Keisha Buchanan, historian Dan Snow, newsreader Sally Nugent and actors Jamie Borthwick and Tillie Amartey are the six celebs taking to the dance floor.
Ncuti Gatwa will officially make his first full-episode Doctor Who debut at 5.55pm. Plot details are scant, but we do know we’ll also meet his new companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who was abandoned in the snow as a baby many Christmas Eves ago…
There’s also the traditional soap Christmas Day specials to look out for. Emmerdale starts at the earlier time of 6pm on ITV1, with Coronation Street following straight after at 7.30pm. But it’s EastEnders (9.45pm, BBC One) you really can’t miss, as we’ll finally learn who the long-teased murder victim is and, crucially, who killed him. Kathy Beale, Suki Panesar, Denise Fox, Linda Carter, Stacey Slater and Sharon Watts are all suspects.
Before that, though, mystery celebs will be battling out on a festive special edition of The Masked Singer (7.30pm, ITV) and there’s the last ever visit to Button House with the final episode of Ghosts on BBC One at 7.45pm.
And is it really Christmas Day without a trip to the perennially snowy Nonnatus House? It’s 1968 on Call the Midwife (8.15pm, BBC One) and as Apollo 8 circles the Moon, Sister Monica Joan fears it might be her last Christmas.
Over on Channel 4, the Christmas specials continue with Hugh Dennis, Sophie Duker, Alice Levine, and Joe Swash taking part in The Festive Pottery Throwdown at 7.30pm, and Claudia Winkleman hosting a joyful edition of The Piano at 8.45pm, complete with a performance from this year’s first series winner Lucy.
Meanwhile on ITV1, one of my favourite quiz shows of all time – the incredibly but pleasingly difficult The 1% Club – returns with Christmas-themed conundrums at 9pm.
Finally, the end of the year is a perfect time to reflect on the stars we lost over the past 12 months. ITV1 pays tribute to the late Aussie comedian Barry Humphries (a.k.a.Dame Edna Everage) on Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh at 10pm, while BBC Two remembers the life and work of The Royle Family writer Caroline Aherne with Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen at 10.25pm.
Boxing Day
There are two types of Boxing Day: either you’re out on an all-day countryside walk blowing away the cobwebs or you’re doing exactly what you did yesterday, lounging on the sofa and eating everything in sight.
For those in the latter camp, it’s movies all day on the TV kicking off with Brief Encounter at 12.45pm on BBC Two (or at least, that’s the first good one on the bill). After that, flick over to Channel 4 at 3pm for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (did you know its loosely based on the 1964 children’s book written by none other than James Bond creator Ian Fleming?).
At 6.05pm on BBC One is Charles III: The Coronation Year, a 90-minute behind-the-scenes documentary detailing the first year of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s reign. Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter and with insights from members of the Royal Family and key figures in The King and Queen’s Household, cameras capture landmark moments in the lead up to and the aftermath of Britain’s first Coronation in 70 years.
Cosy crime fans are in for a treat tonight, though you will have to choose between Vera (8pm, ITV1) and Death in Paradise (9pm, BBC One) as the 90-minute episodes do overlap.
On Vera, Brenda Blethyn’s DCI Vera Stanhope investigates the apparent suicide of a high-profile local on her home turf of Holy Island. Who said Christmas had to be cheery?
Meanwhile, this year’s poor Death in Paradise victim is an entrepreneur who is found dead in a ravine. As DI Neville Parker and his colleagues investigate, family secrets unravel, and the disappearance of a digital marketing guru makes the case even more complicated.
27 December
I’m afraid to report that there’s not much good TV on during the day today – though many of us will be back at work anyway.
For the lucky ones who don’t need to at least pretend to check in on the office, why not take the opportunity to catch up (or rewatch) some of the best TV shows of the year?
I named Succession (streaming on Now) as my best series of 2023, closely followed by Happy Valley (streaming on BBC iPlayer) and the second series of kitchen drama The Bear (streaming on Disney+).
Dark, cold December nights call for Agatha Christie and at 9pm, BBC One satiates any desire for a snug murder mystery with Murder Is Easy.
This adaptation of Christie’s 1939 novel of the same name stars David Jonsson as Fitzwilliam, a detective who encounters Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on a train to London. She reveals a killer is stalking the quiet village of Wychwood under Ashe. When she is later found dead on her way to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam sets out to uncover the murderer’s identity before they can kill again.
If you want something a little more chilling, however, horror movie The Woman in Black is on BBC Two at 10pm.
It doesn’t get much spookier than this 2012 take on Dame Susan Hill’s gothic novel, in which Daniel Radcliffe plays a lawyer sent to collect some important documents purporting to a woman’s death from a mansion, which inevitably turns out to be haunted. It might not scream “glad tidings”, but there is a lot of snow.
28 December
A sequel to Inside Out is on the way next summer – the perfect excuse (if you needed one) to dive into Riley’s head again (11.30am, BBC One). Winner of the Best Animated Feature award at the 2016 Oscars (beating even the Shaun the Sheep Movie), Inside Out will have you laughing one second, sobbing the next.
It’s officially “recap the year” time at 6.30pm on BBC Two as Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo looks back over the past 12 months of pop music on Top of the Pops: Review of 2023. She’ll be recounting the biggest music stories of the year and showcasing performances from some of the most talked-about artists of 2023.
At 8pm on BBC One there’s a delicious twist on MasterChef, five top food critics (including Grace Dent and Jay Rayner) step into the kitchen to compete for the title of Critics Champion 2023. That’s followed by the second and concluding part of Murder Is Easy at 9pm.
Also at 9pm on BBC Three is Alien, the film that made Sigourney Weaver a star (or did she make the film a hit?). It’s an ideal midweek watch for that discombobulating part of the festive season when you regularly have to check what day it is.
But the real highlight of the day comes at 10.30pm on BBC One, when comedian Dawn French takes to the stage in Dawn French is a Huge Twat. If you’re shocked by the title of her latest stand-up special, I’d advise you to avoid the rest of the fabulously filthy show. Filmed live at the London Palladium earlier this year, French shares her most cringe-inducing memories from a four-decade career in comedy (including a mortifying Mamma Mia audition experience).
29 December
Can you tell I’m a big fan of Disney animations? I’ll be kicking my day off with Big Hero 6 (11.25am, BBC One).
Set in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo (San Francisco meets Tokyo, get it?), it follows robotics prodigy Hiro (Ryan Potter) and his adorable robotic sidekick on their quest to avenge Hiro’s brother’s death at the hands of a mystery masked assailant. It’s more action packed than your average Disney movie, but no less wonderful.
Amol Rajan crowns the 2023 winner of Christmas University Challenge at 7.30pm (BBC One), while at 8pm, Channel 4 strands Tom Hanks on a desert island on Cast Away.
Dolly Parton reminisces about her impressive career in country music on Dolly Parton: In Her Words (9pm, Channel 5). The 90-minute special features interviews with the woman herself as well as her collaborators and fans including Emmylou Harris, Peter Frampton and Ken Bruce.
Meanwhile, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse, and Ted the toothy dog head to Scotland to fish for salmon in Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Hogmanay Fishing (9pm, BBC Two). They start their trip on a steam train overlooking the river Dee, where they share New Year’s resolutions, Ted shows off his Christmas present, and Mystic Wilf predicts the year ahead. And it wouldn’t be a Gone Fishing Christmas special without the annual work do and awards ceremony.
New drama comes in the form of Men Up on BBC One at 9pm. Inspired by a true story from 1994, this drama follows the lives of five ordinary Welshmen – Meurig (Iwan Rheon), Colin (Steffan Rhodri), Tommy (Paul Rhys), Pete (Phaldut Sharma), and Eddie (Mark Lewis Jones) – participating in a groundbreaking drug trial that would later result in the launch of Viagra. As the trial unfolds, they discover that the journey toward better intimacy is harder (sorry) than they anticipated.
Martin and Gary Kemp star in a very welcome sequel to their 2020 mockumentary, The Kemps: All True (itself inspired by the very real Bros doc), The Kemps: All Gold at 10pm (BBC Two). Award-winning film-maker Rhys Thomas follows the brothers over a year, capturing divorces, an attempt to form a supergroup and the challenges of creating a Spandau Ballet biopic.
30 December
Another bare day as far as the TV schedules are concerned, so perhaps this Saturday is a good opportunity to go outside and get some fresh air. Or you could watch Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit at 1.25pm on ITV1.
There’s just something so evocative and comforting about Wallace and Gromit, isn’t there? While A Grand Day Out is my favourite, I’ve also got a soft spot for the feature-length Curse of the Were-Rabbit, despite my being far “too old” upon its release in 2005. Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter are among the starry voice cast, alongside the ever-dependable Peter Sallis as Wallace.
Christmas never passes in my house without Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif popping up on the television at least once, so Laurence of Arabia (1.45pm, Channel 4) is a no-brainer.
The 1962 classic served as inspiration for many other films, including Dune, Star Wars and Avatar and is the favourite movie of superstar directors Kathryn Bigelow and Stephen Spielberg. In other words, there are few better ways to spend your last Saturday afternoon of 2023.
You could also watch one of 2023’s biggest films, many of which are available to buy or rent at home. There’s Barbie, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives, Tár (also on NOW), The Fabelmans (also on NOW), Women Talking (also on Prime Video), Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (also on Prime Video), Talk to Me (also on Netflix), Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Beau Is Afraid, Reality, Asteroid City, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and of course, Taylor Swift’s three-hour long concert film, The Eras Tour.
New Year’s Eve
Matthew Warchus’s 2022 musical version of Matilda (itself based on Tim Minchin’s West End musical which in turn is – obviously – an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s original novel) is good, sure (the film of which is on Netflix, by the way), but it’s not a patch on the 1996 film starring Mara Wilson as the telekinetic bookworm.
But it’s Pam Ferris’s terrifying Miss Trunchbull who really steals the show. To this day I still feel a bit queasy at the sight of chocolate fudge cake. It should be your first port of call at 2.55pm on ITV1.
The New Year’s Eve parties start at 6pm with The National Lottery’s Big Bash 2023 on 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.
Or if you want to ring in the New Year with spy gadgets and guns, ITV1 has Daniel Craig’s last ever outing as 007 to appease any thrill seekers with No Time to Die at 8.30pm.
While it’s not the best Bond film of Craig’s tenure (that honour goes to Casino Royale), it’s certainly not the worst either (that honour goes to Quantum of Solace). While it’s lacking Bond’s signature sleekness, No Time to Die more than makes up for it with shock value. I don’t think anyone expected that final twist.
Traditionalists will be tuning into British television’s most enduring – and reliably fun – parties, Jools’ Annual Hootenanny at 11.30pm (BBC Two). To ring in 2024 (and to celebrate the Hootenanny’s 30th anniversary), 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.
Over on BBC One (11.30pm), Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s from 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 Sharleen Spiteri, Rylan and The House Gospel Choir.
New Year’s Day
Sore head or not, the annual New Year’s Day Concert Live from Vienna 2024 (10.15am, BBC Two) is a perfect way to start the new year.
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.
At 5.55pm on ITV1, Stephen Fry hosts a brand-new version of game show Jeopardy!, which sees contestants give their answers in the form of a question. This addictive US game show import first broadcast in 1964 and its current iteration has been on TV for almost four decades. No wonder ITV wants to cash in on its success.
Though if you haven’t had your fill of movies, there’s also the 2020 version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, in which Anne Hathaway has the time of her life as the evil Grand High Witch.
David Attenborough is back on our screens at 8pm, BBC One with Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster. One hundred and fifty million years ago, the oceans were ruled by the pliosaur – the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the seas. Now, a team of palaeontologists have unearthed a giant skull 12 metres up in a Dorset cliff face which suggests the discovery of an entirely new species of pliosaur.
The nature docs continue with Wild Scandinavia at 8.25pm on BBC Two, a breathtaking journey through the stunning wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and unique culture of Northern Europe narrated by Dune actor Rebecca Ferguson.
Traditionally, New Year’s Day is the start of a brand new, top tier drama and the first day of 2024 is no different. The Tourist returns for a second series on BBC One at 9pm, though plot details for the excellent Jamie Dornan-led thriller are typically scant.
What we do know is that the action moves from Australia to Elliot’s native Ireland and that Helen (Danielle Macdonald) is still along for the ride. But while the pair endeavour to finally uncover the truth about Elliot’s identity, they must also face up to the consequences of their actions in series one.
ITV1 has a very different and remarkably true story to tell in Mr Bates vs The Post Office (9pm). Toby Jones heads up this four-parter about the sub-postmasters wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a flawed IT system in “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history”. Over 700 were prosecuted over computing errors and several were even sent to prison before the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance was formed in 2009 and proved their innocence.
I never thought I’d be looking forward to watching a drama about Royal Mail, but here we are.
If you’re still awake at 9.25pm, congratulations. Your prize is Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby on 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 first 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”.