PICK OF THE DAY

A MERRY TUDOR CHRISTMAS WITH LUCYL WORSLEY, 9PM, BBC2

LNO ONE alive can remember a time when S Santa Claus, grand d decorated trees, or even mince pies weren’t an essential part of Christmas.C But, as Lucy Worsley W (pictured) discovers, many of the traditions we know today didn’t exist during Tudor times, 500 years ago. The historian (pictured) recreates yuletide as Henry VIII would have known it, with boughs of bay leaves and a spectacular feast at Hampton Court Palace. She also learns where some of our modern practices began. So, pour out the mead and settle in for a really royal

festive knees-up.