Join an all-star cast for your feast of festive fun
JANE HAASE PRESENTS OUR PICK OF THE CHRISTMAS TV OFFERINGS
CHRISTMAS EVE Shaun The Sheep:
The Flight Before Christmas BBC1, 6pm
The sheep raid the farmhouse to hunt for bigger Christmas stockings – but lose little Timmy in the process. Genius. The Repair Shop at Christmas BBC1, 7pm
The experts restore four beloved festive treasures – a very special mechanical doll, a traditional German decoration, an ageing harmonium and a train set all the way from Kenya. The Amazing Mr Blunden Sky Max, 7pm
Mark Gatiss and Tamsin Greig play the monstrous Mr and Mrs Wickens in this feature-length family adventure.
The story centres around London teenagers Jamie and Lucy Allen, whose mother is offered the role of caretaker of a seemingly haunted country house by Mr Blunden. Jamie and Lucy have an encounter with what appears to be a pair of ghost children with a connection to the wicked Mr and Mrs Wickens. A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint BBC2, 10.30pm
M.R. James’ spooky tale set in an old English college in 1922 is adapted by Mark Gatiss and stars Rory Kinnear, Robert Bathurst and Frances Barber. Edward Williams receives an engraving of an unknown country house. An imposing facade.
A perhaps, sweeping something lawn. else…? And, just CHRISTMAS Strictly Come DAY Dancing Christmas BBC1, 5.10pm Special
Strutting their stuff in this festive special are The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, First Dates’ Fred Sirieix, singer Anne-Marie, newsreader Moira Stuart, broadcaster Adrian Chiles and presenter Mel Giedroyc. The Abominable Snow Baby Channel 4, 7.30pm
Terry Pratchett’s magical tale is told in a half-hour animated special with a brave granny ( Julie Walters) showing a snowy town that the 14ft-tall creature is not to be feared. The Great Christmas Bake Off Channel 4, 8pm
Bake Off has a festive special to tickle our tastebuds. It sees the cast of Channel 4’s award-winning drama It’s A Sin, including Years And Years’ Ollie Alexander and rising star Lydia West, try their hand at Christmasthemed bakes Call The Midwife BBC1, 8pm
It’s December 1966 and residents of Nonnatus House are preparing for the winter wedding of Lucille and Cyril while the midwives face a busy Christmas Day. It’s lucky that Mother Mildred (Miriam Margolyes) is on hand to help. Or is it? The Larkins At Christmas ITV, 9pm
Who wouldn’t want to be invited to the Larkins’ for Christmas? “A Larkin Christmas dinner is laden with every piece of food you can imagine!” reveals Bradley Walsh, who plays Pop in the reboot of the comedy. Festivities are derailed
this year by a power cut and burglaries, but cheer is restored when Charley and Mariette make a surprise return from Paris. Ahh… Mrs Brown’s Boys BBC1, 10.20pm
Christmas sees Agnes recruited to the church choir, but she’s under strict instructions from Father McBride that there’s to be no singing and strictly no dancing. Elsewhere, Dermot and Buster hold a murder mystery night. BOXING DAY Around The World in 80 Days BBC1, 5.50pm
The big spectacle this Christmas comes from this lavish new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel. David Tennant is Phileas Fogg, a Victorian gentleman who accepts a bet to circumnavigate the globe.
This eight-part adaptation also stars Ibrahim Koma as Passepartout and Leonie Benesch as Abigail ‘Fix’ Fortescue. Death In Paradise BBC1, 7.30pm
It’s a first festive special for the island crime drama, which sees the return of Danny John-Jules as Officer Dwayne Myers.
A shipping magnate is found dead at a Christmas party. Things become stranger when a man in London receives a mysterious Christmas card connected to the victim’s death. All Star Musicals At Christmas ITV, 8pm
Celebrities including Fern Britton, Catherine Tyldesley and Ben Miller learn how to belt out show tunes. A Very British Scandal BBC1, 9pm
Three-part drama stars Claire Foy as Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, as she divorces the Duke (Paul Bettany) in the 1960s
court case featuring claims of forgery, theft, violence, drugtaking, bribery.. and the infamous Polaroid picture. The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021 Channel 4, 9pm
The annual quiz, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr. Guests including Sarah Millican, James Acaster, Jonathan Ross and Judi Love look back on the strange events of 2021, from space travel and celebrities who do not shower, to sea shanties and Tony Blair’s peculiar hair. NEW YEAR’S DAY Doctor Who BBC1, time TBC
The Daleks are back! The 13th Doctor ( Jodie Whittaker) is joined by guest stars including Father Ted’s Pauline McLynn and Aisling Bea for a New Year’s Day special – the first of Whittaker’s trio of exit episodes.
Sarah (Bea) owns and runs ELF storage, and Nick (Adjani Salmon) is a customer who visits his unit every year on New Year’s Eve. This year, however, their night turns out to be a little different than planned… The Tourist BBC1, time TBC
Fifty Shades star Jamie Dornan is a man searching for his identity in the Aussie Outback after a truck tries to drive him off the road. Shocking eight-part drama. Mrs Brown’s Boys BBC1, time TBC
A second festive helping of the Irish matriarch. Agnes and the family are going to be in for a reunion when Grandad’s brother, Micky, comes for a visit after a stint in the clink. After leaving prison, Micky comes by asking for €5,000 (£4,200) to invest cash in a gold mine in South Africa.