BUMPER CHRISTMAS TV GUIDE
FILM HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY
INVICTUS (2009)
TG4, 1.20pm
Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated biographical drama, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. In his first term as South Africa’s new president, Nelson Mandela looks to unite the country after it has been scarred by Apartheid. He hopes to get the people behind the national rugby team as the nation hosts the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Madagascar 3: EUROPE’s Most WANTED (2012)
BBC One, 2.10pm
Animation, with the voices of Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer.
The animals find themselves on another wild adventure when they join a struggling European circus in the hopes of getting back to New York. However, their mission gets complicated when they are pursued by a relentless animal control officer. NOTTING HILL (1999)
RTE One, 9.30pm
Romantic comedy, starring Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant and Rhys Ifans. Struggling bookshop owner William’s life is turned upside down when famous Hollywood actor Anna Scott walks into his store. He can’t believe it, and chance brings them together again, as romance blossoms.
MONDAY
CIRCLE of FRIENDS (1995)
Virgin Media 3, 9pm
Romantic drama, with Chris O’Donnell, Minnie Driver, Alan Cumming and Colin Firth. Two friends swap their quiet lives for the big city when they begin their studies at University College, Dublin. Little do they know that one of them will soon fall in love. SCHINDLER’s LIST (1993)
TG4, 9.30pm
Steven Spielberg’s masterful Second World War drama, starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley. German industrialist Oskar Schindler slowly comes to hate the Nazi regime’s treatment of the Jews, so decides to offer them refuge despite the huge risks. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (2016)
BBC Two, 11.20pm
Period drama, based on Jane Austen’s novella, starring Kate Beckinsale. Widow Lady Susan Vernon arrives at the estate of her in-laws, where she hopes to secure a husband for her reluctant daughter Frederica — and one for herself as well.
TUESDAY
spy (2015)
RTE 2, 9pm
Comedy, with Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law and
Jason Statham. Susan Cooper works a desk job for the CIA. However, when their agents are compromised, she is thrust into the world of espionage and danger, and is the only hope for stopping a deadly arms dealer. OBSESSED (2009)
Virgin Media 3, 9pm
Thriller, with Beyonce, Idris Elba, Ali Larter and Jerry O’Connell. Derek has everything going for him at work and in his private life, when a new temp starts showing an infatuation with him. Things take a dangerous turn when she attempts to get closer to him no matter the cost. a Most VIOLENT YEAR (2014)
BBC One, 11.55pm
Drama, starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo and Christopher Abbott. Ambitious immigrant Abel Morales attempts to expand his business in New York in 1981, a time when the city is gripped by a dangerous crime wave. However, the bigger his empire grows the closer he gets to crossing a dangerous line.
WEDNESDAY
SWALLOWS and AMAZONS (1974)
BBC2, 3pm
Classic family adventure, starring Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser and Simon West. Four children head to the Lake District with their mother on a family holiday. They find an island where they set up camp, but soon find themselves in a rivalry with two other girls who claim the island for themselves. HAMPSTEAD (2017)
Film4, 9pm
Romantic comedy, with Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson. Widow Emily comes across Donald, who is living off the land in London’s Hampstead Heath. They form an unlikely friendship, and she agrees to help him fight the developers who want to take his home away from him. 47 RONIN (2013)
Film4, 11.05pm
Fantasy action, starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada and Ko Shibasaki. A group of samurai embark on a deadly mission to avenge their master’s death as they find themselves taking on a series of supernatural foes.
THURSDAY
THE IMPORTANCE of BEING EARNEST (2002)
BBC2, 3pm
Comedic romantic drama, starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O’Connor and Reese Witherspoon. In 1980s England, two young men decide to use the same pseudonym to get away with their romantic activities. However, trouble arises when they fall in love, which leads to hilarious mistaken identities.
Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson also feature. IndEpEndEncE day (1996)
Film4, 9pm
Sci-fi action, starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch. The world is caught offguard when colossal alien spaceships appear around the globe. Things take a shocking turn when they attack, leading to mass destruction all over the world. It’s now up to the survivors to band together and find a way to take down the monumental threat. Mrs BROWN’s boys D’MOVIE (2014)
BBC One, 10.35pm
Comedy, with Brendan O’Carroll. The mad matriarch finds herself in hot water when a scheming company wants to shut down her market stall, so the family band together to save the day.
FRIDAY
VALERIAN and THE CITY of a THOUSAND PLANETS (2017)
Film4, 9pm
Luc Besson’s colourful sci-fi adventure, starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne and Clive Owen. Intergalactic heroes Valerian and Laureline embark on a dangerous mission to save a vast metropolis from the dark force that threatens to destroy it. THE NIGHT BEFORE (2015)
RTE2, 9.30pm
Comedy, with Joseph GORDONLEVITT, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Lizzy Caplan (below left). Three friends who have made a tradition out of partying hard on Christmas Eve decide that this year will be the last — and they want to go out with a bang. Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling and Michael Shannon also feature among the A-list cast. daddy’s HOME (2015)
Channel 4, 11.05pm Comedy, starring
Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini and Thomas Haden Church. Mildmannered radio host Brad Whitaker is trying to win the affection of his stepchildren. However, things get complicated when their troubled father Dusty turns up.
Now the two men become caught up in a petty rivalry to see who can get the kids to love them more. Must LOVE dogs (2005)
RTE One, 11.50pm
Romantic comedy, starring Diane Lane, John Cusack and Elizabeth Perkins. Divorced teacher Sarah is still trying to come to terms with the end of her marriage, when her sister sets her up with an online dating profile. She finds herself encountering some strange and unusual characters in the hopes she can find the right guy to help her out of her relationship slump.
SATURDAY
THE DEVIL WEARS prada (2006)
Film4, 6.45pm
Comedy, with Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. A journalist lands a job as the assistant to a magazine mogul, but quickly finds out that her new employer is a demanding taskmaster. daddy’s HOME 2 (2017)
Channel 4, 9.20pm
Comedy, starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow. Brad and Dusty have been able to put their rivalry aside and get on with being good fathers to the kids. However, things take a turn when their respective dads — Brad’s overly-sensitive dad Don and Dusty’s tough father Kurt — turn up for Christmas. BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (2013)
BBC2, 11.35pm
Steven Soderbergh’s biographical drama, starring Michael
Douglas, Matt Damon and
Scott Bakula. Megastar singer Liberace embarks on a lavish affair with young lover Scott Thorson. Although he initially gets caught up in the showman’s lifestyle, Scott comes to find their relationship to be suffocating. LOOPER (2012)
BBC One, 12.25am
Sci-fi action, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. A hitman who kills people the mob sends back from the future teams up with his older self to track down a young boy who will grow up to be a dangerous threat to everyone.
SUNDAY
PADDINGTON (2014)
Channel 4, 7.15pm
Family comedy, starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman, Julie Walters and the voice of Ben Whishaw. Polite Peruvian bear Paddington arrives in London, where he is taken in by the caring Brown family. He starts to learn the ins and outs of the big city, when a nasty taxidermist looks to snag him for her collection. SPECTRE (2015)
RTE1, 9.30pm
Espionage action, starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Lea Seydoux. Superspy James Bond continues his personal quest to take down criminal organisation SPECTRE. However, the closer he gets to its dark heart the more he learns about their mysterious leader, who appears to have a personal vendetta against him. Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista and Andrew Scott also feature in the A-list cast. OFFICE CHRISTMAS party (2016)
Channel 4, 10pm
Festive comedy, starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, TJ Miller, Jennifer Aniston and Kate McKinnon. Josh looks to land a big potential client by throwing an epic office Christmas party in the hopes of saving his branch from closure. However, the celebrations get out of hand.
MONDAY
BRAVE (2012)
BBC1, 2.55pm
Pixar’s animation, with the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson. A young princess rebels against her parents’ attempts to find her a husband. However, her actions result in her mother being cursed and she must put things right. ANGELS & DEMONS (2009)
TG4, 9.30pm
Thriller, based on the book by Dan Brown, starring Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor. Symbologist Robert Langdon must team with a nuclear physicist in order to prevent an attack on the Vatican. LOVE actually (2003)
RTE1, 9.30pm
Festive comedy, featuring a huge ensemble cast that includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and Emma Thompson. A ragtag group of people find themselves brought together around Christmas time by a series of romantic and unexpected events.
CHRISTMAS EVE
FROZEN (2013)
BBC1, 3pm
Disney’s animation, with Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Queen Elsa’s magical abilities get the better of her during her coronation, placing her kingdom at risk.
She decides to flee into the wilderness, so it’s up to her sister Anna to go and get her back. star Wars: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)
RTE2, 6.20pm
The revival of the classic sci-fi saga, starring John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley (right). The sinister First Order are attempting to track down Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, when stormtrooper Finn turns on them and flees with Resistance pilot Poe Dameron. Meanwhile, scavenger Rey dreams of leaving her planet behind and finding out who she really is.
Her path crosses with Finn, and the pair find themselves on a perilous adventure together. THE PURSUIT of HAPPYNESS (2006)
Virgin Media 2, 9pm
Emotional drama, starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith. Chris is struggling to make it as a salesman, when he claims custody of his son. Now he must balance being a father with his tough workload. The guard (2010)
RTE2, 10.25pm
John Michael McDonagh’s dark comedy, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham. A hard-drinking small-town garda officer teams with an FGI agent to take down a drug-smuggling ring, but his new partner is less than thrilled with his antics.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Moana (2016)
BBC1, 12.55pm
Disney’s animation, with Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. A headstrong young woman embarks on an epic adventure to save her island home from a terrifying curse by recruiting the help of a demigod. However, upon meeting him he proves to be far from what she expected. RAIDERS of THE lost ark (1981)
RTE2, 6.10pm
Steven Spielberg’s action-packed adventure, starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and Paul Freeman. Archaeologist Indiana Jones is hired to throw a spanner in the works of a Nazi plot to locate the biblical Ark of the Covenant. There are many dangers ahead, but things get complicated when an old flame gets caught up in his plan. THE OTHER guys (2010)
Virgin Media 2, 9pm
Comedy, with Will
Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Two underachieving New
York cops aren’t happy to be paired with each other, but must learn to deal with it when they go up against a highprofile criminal. THE HANGOVER (2009)
RTE2, 11pm
Comedy, with Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper. Three friends head to Las Vegas for a stag do with groom Doug’s future brother-in-law. However, a wild night of partying ends in disaster when they lose the groom. Now with no memory of the night before, they must piece together what happened and find Doug before the big day.
ST STEPHEN’S DAY
THE JUNGLE book (2016)
BBC1, 3.45pm
Live-action remake of the animated classic, with Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba. Man-cub Mowgli was raised by wolves, but finds his life threatened by tiger Shere Khan. Under the wing of wise panther Bagheera and freespirited bear Baloo he must come to terms with what to do next. ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING glass (2016)
RTE1, 3.45pm
Family adventure, with Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway. Alice finds herself back in the magical kingdom of Wonderland, but is shocked to discover that the Mad Hatter is dying. Now she must embark on an adventure to save him. MEN In black 3 (2012)
Channel 4, 7.10pm
Sci-fi comedy, starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin. Agent J must travel back to 1969 to stop a time-hopping alien from killing a young Agent K. FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (2016)
BBC2, 11pm
Stephen Frears’s witty drama, starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg and Rebecca Ferguson. A
New York heiress wants to become a world-famous opera singer, but despite her ambition she has a terrible singing voice.
FRIDAY
THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM (2016)
BBC2, 9.30pm
Horror, with Olivia Cooke and Bill Nighy. A veteran policeman is brought in to investigate a series of grizzly killings that are similar to the crimes of Jack the Ripper, but the case proves to be a tangled web of deception. FIFTY SHADES of GREY (2015)
RTE2, 9.30pm
Romantic drama, with Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Literature student Anastasia lands an interview with billionaire Christian Grey, which leads to a steamy romance. However, she soon discovers that he has a dark, tormented secret. ant-Man (2015)
BBC1, 11pm
Comicbook action, with Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll and Evangeline Lilly. A reformed criminal is given a state-of-the-art armoured suit by a brilliant inventor which allows him to shrink to a tiny size. Together they plot to stop a power-hungry industrialist.
SATURDAY
INSIDE out (2015)
BBC One, 3pm
Pixar’s animation, with Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Phyllis Smith. The emotions inside a teenager’s head attempt to adjust to her constant mood swings, when Joy is sidelined with a wild adventure into their host’s subconscious and memories. THE LEGEND of tarzan (2016)
RTE2, 9.20pm
David Yates’s action-packed take on the classic hero, starring Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L Jackson. Tarzan returns to his jungle home with wife
Jane after it comes under threat. However, little does he know that a scheming Belgian official has orchestrated a dastardly plot to do away with the couple.