When it comes to telly, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and this festive season is no different….
While some of the Call the Midwife regulars head to Hong Kong, others stay in Poplar to hold the fort(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)
When the Christmas holidays arrive there is nothing we Brits like to do more than put our feet up and get stuck in to the offerings on the telly. This festive season boasts a stellar line-up of comedy, drama, entertainment and documentaries so you grab the chocolates while we tell you what to look out for….
Amandaland, BBC1
Exciting news for Ab Fab fans – Jennifer Saunders will star as Aunt Joan alongside Joanna Lumley in this festive outing. In it, Amanda (Lucy Punch) and the family are heading to Aunt Joan’s country house, but the plans change when Mal and Anne tag along and she struggles to recreate the magical Christmases she spent there as a child. Anne’s in despair at being separated from her family, and Felicity is increasingly irritated by her sister’s constant high spirits. Meanwhile Mal sees a hidden photo that seems to reveal a deep family secret…
Amanda and the rest of the gang are spending Christmas with Aunty Joan this year – played by Jennifer Saunders(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Merman)
The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off, Channel 4
For the first time since Peep Show wrapped in 2015, fan favourites David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman are to reunite – and this time around they’ll be donning their pinnies and festive jumpers as they tackle a series of seasonal baking challenges.
The comedy actors will attempt to whisk, knead and decorate their way to glory with challenges paying homage to Peep Show. Let’s hope they can rise to the occasion…
The Peep Show crew turn their hand to baking – what could possibly go wrong?(Image: Channel 4 / Laura Palmer)
Call The Midwife, BBC1
THE nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House will feature in two Christmas specials, and the first kicks off with Fred and Violet flying off to Hong Kong to visit her son. Carrying parcels for the sisters, they head to the branch house in Kowloon but find that it has collapsed and there are many fatalities. Back at Nonnatus, they quickly scramble a rescue mission and some of the regulars head out to Hong Kong.
When they get there are more problems to deal with than they are expecting, when Sister Julienne and Sister Hilda have to face down a gangster who is demanding the keys to the Order’s new property.
Trixie’s husband Matthew is nowhere to be found in the Christmas special but at least she has her brother Geoffey with her(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)
Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Adventure, ITV
Environmentalist Steve Backshall retraces the steps taken by a young Prince Charles on his 1975 arctic adventure. Fifty years on, the film sees Steve speaking to His Majesty The King about the devastating impact of climate change while looking back at rare archive footage from his ice-packed adventure.
As he goes in search of polar bears, Steve also rediscovers the King’s extreme sense of adventure as he enjoys the warmth and spirit of local people.
Steve Backshall has a good chat with HRH King Charles ahead of retracing his steps from 1975 into the Arctic(Image: ITV)
The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Special, BBC1
Brand new host Sophie Willan takes charge as four fearless celebs iare welcomed into the sewing room… They are Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke, comedian and recent resident in The Traitors castle Lucy Beaumont, actress Susan Wokoma and Gladiator Tom Wilson, AKA Hammer. The stars will put their twist on a pattern for a festive present sack, turn second hand party wear into an outfit inspired by the twelve days of Christmas and create an outfit inspired by their favourite Christmas treat. Should have us all in stitches…
Tinsel Town, Sky
Brad Mac (Kiefer Sutherland) is a self-absorbed Hollywood star, famed for the action franchise Killing Time – which has just been axed. When his agent sends him to do theatre in the UK… he’s dismayed to learn that it’s actually panto.
Brad finds himself cast as Buttons in Cinderella, but soon warms to the British tradition he’s never heard of and realises he needs to get over himself. Also starring Rebel Wilson along with Derek Jacobi, Katherine Ryan, Danny Dyer and Jason Manford.
Tess and Claudia’s final hurrah(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas, BBC1
This will be the last time viewers will get to see presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman in action together in the ballroom, with the pair having decided to bow out of the series after more than a decade of hosting together. The Christmas special will see All Saints’ Mel Blatt putting some twinkle in her toes alongside Gogglebox fave Scarlett Moffatt (a trained dancer!) and other celebs rumoured to include TV presenters Angelica Bell and Will Best.
Dear Father Christmas, Channel 4
Channel 4 is putting on a lovely Christmas film starring Stephen Fry, Lenny Rush and James Buckley in which Lenny plays Chris, a 16-year-old boy who still believes in Santa, despite his dad pointing out that he’s too old for all that nonsense. Chris decides to prove him wrong and enlists his cousin Holly to help him show the world that Father Christmas actually exists. The all-star cast also includes Greg Davies, Asim Chaudhry and SAS: Who Dares Wins instructor Jason Fox.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower BBC2
Sherlock star Mark Gatiss is adapting another spooky tale for your festive delight, this time by EF Benson, and this one features Joanna Lumley. Set between the wars, it also stars The Crown‘s Tobias Menzies as Roger Winstanley, who is haunted by a recurring dream of staying in the house of an acquaintance where an unseen terror lurks. Is it just a nightmare or will it come true?
Wild London, BBC1
Sir David Attenborough delves into the wildlife on his own doorstep in west London, and across the rest of the capital, with some thrilling results. Viewers will see herds of deer invading gardens, pigeons commuting by tube, snakes slithering along Regent’s canal, parakeets raiding green spaces and seagulls learning new ways to make a killing in the city. Foxes are shown stashing chicken bones in car bonnets and there’s a whole lot of aerial action with peregrine falcons nesting in the houses of parliament. Also – look out for the cute hedgehogs.
David Attenborough gets up close and personal with some of London’s wildlife in this heart-warming film(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Passion Planet Ltd/Matt Maran / Nature Picture Library)
All Creatures Great And Small, Channel 5
It’s 1945 and the first peacetime Christmas since the war ended – with Helen feeling under the weather, it’s fallen on James Herriot to take on the Darrowby Nativity play. Siegfried is back at Mrs Stokes’ Farm to see Hilda the goat, who’s been up to more mischief while Mrs Hall’s is very interested in the Drovers’ darts competition – because first prize is a turkey. There is also some romance in the air for Tristan and Siegfried makes a big decision about his future. Gosh!
The Scarecrow’s Wedding, BBC1
It wouldn’t be Christmas without an adaptation of a Julia Donaldson book on BBC1 and this time around it is The Scarecrows’ Wedding which features devoted Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, who are planning a wedding to remember. But when Harry insists on leaving the farm to collect one last item for their big day, a smooth-talking scarecrow named Reginald Rake swoops in with plans of his own. Can Harry get back in time to save the day? Full of heart and humour the story shows that the most important thing isn’t a grand gesture – it’s simply being together.
Two scarecrows in love will make a warm and cosy tale for Christmas (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Magic Light Pictures)
Here We Go: Our New Year’s Fireworks Fantasaganza, BBC1
How can anyone resist seeing in the New Year with the Jessop family? In this special, New Year’s Eve is fast approaching but while Rachel is very keen to throw a massive party. Paul would prefer a nice quiet holiday cottage with a sauna so he can sweat out the massive boil that’s recently appeared on his cheek. So begins another chaotic Jessop family holiday, featuring a road trip, a missing dummy, and a large crate of unlicensed fireworks Paul picked up from a police auction.
Here We Go will take viewers on a magical mystery ride to welcome in the New Year(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/BBC Studios/Gary Moyes)
Man Vs Baby, Netflix
Move over Mr Bean, it’s time for Rowan Atkinson to take on a new role in this four-part Christmas comedy in which he plays a school caretaker. The Blackadder star becomes Trevor Bingley, who finds himself house-sitting a luxurious London apartment over the festive period – against his better judgement – while also somehow caring for a lost baby after someone forgot to come and collect the tot who was playing the baby Jesus in the school nativity. Yes, really.
Gladiators Celebrity Special, BBC1
A batch of stars are lining up to take on the Gladiators having somehow not been put off by watching Rob Beckett and Louise Minchin have a go last year. This time around we’ll see how Joe Wicks, Sam Thompson, Nicola Adams and Vogue Williams fare against the superhuman after they pull on some Lycra for one of telly’s toughest challenges.
Bob and Paul take dog Ted off the Devon and Cornwall, where they meet with Dawn French, a local(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Owl Power/Tom Jackson)
Gone Christmas Fishing, BBC2
Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse head to Devon and Cornwall for their festive special this year – where they are joined by none other than Dawn French. Arriving by steam train, they fish the stunning rivers Lyd and Camel in Devon and head out to sea in Cornwall on a traditional fishing boat. They are joined by local star Dawn, their favourite doctor Anand Patel and visit top chef Paul Ainsworth in his Padstow restaurant to prepare a special Christmas feast of Turbot. Their final destination is the tiny fishing port of Mousehole and tTe show ends with a special performance from the local choir.
