From the editors

It’s not often that the Radio Times Christmas issue boasts a cover star. But Mog makes a very good one. Not as high-maintenance as some, with few Hollywood tendencies, she is, in our experience, a rather accommodating cat. First created by Judith Kerr for a 1970 book, she has been brought to life by Channel 4 for Mog’s Christmas.

You won’t be surprised to hear that, like all the best fictional characters, Mog is based on reality. In this case on the Kerr family’s pet called – you guessed it – Mog. Read our interview with Judith’s daughter on page 26.

Elsewhere we talk to a bona fide Hollywood star, Mission: Impossible’s Rebecca Ferguson, about her childhood in Scandinavia and how watching David Attenborough documentaries spawned a lifelong love of the wild. She has now narrated a beautiful documentary for the BBC’s Natural History Unit about her homeland. We also meet actor Sheridan Smith, spend time with the new Doctor Who, interview Steven Knight about his Peaky Blinders “ballet” and swap notes on the perfect Christmas with Ian McKellen.

The first ever colour cover of Radio Times was published at Christmas in 1923 and it, too, was an illustration. One hundred years on, broadcasting has been transformed. When RT launched, it covered six radio stations. We now carry details for 86 TV channels, 63 radio stations, all the best of streaming – 16 pages in this issue – plus podcasts, too. But our mission today remains the same: to provide you with the very best guide to entertainment, whether that’s TV, film, radio or audio, every week.

Have a very happy Christmas!

Tom Loxley & Shem Law Editors, Radio Times