FOUR OF THE BEST Celebrity Snoop Dogs at Christmas
Channel 4, 7pm
A new pack of dogs strap on Go-pro cameras to snoop around their showbiz homes, which have been lavishly decorated for Christmas. But there’s a festive twist, as this time the celebrity dog owners are watching on and competing against each other to throw the others off the scent of whether it’s their home and fourlegged friend. Can Celebrity Snoop Dog owners Laurence LlewelynBowen, Gok Wan and Joanna Page identify whose home is whose, and who’s leading them astray?
Masterchef the Professionals: A Festive Knockout BBC1, 8pm
The first of two special seasonal episodes of the culinary challenge, in which eight finalists from past series return to face tests of their skills. The first episode features Bedfordshireborn Steve Barringer from the 2011 series, 2018’s Oli Martin, originally from Lytham, as well as two finalists from last year’s series, Exose Grant Lopo-ndiga and Olivia Burt. Monica Galetti sets them the task of making festive canapes, before they move on to the dreaded skills test and a seasonally themed two-course menu.
Celebrity: A 21st Century Story BBC2, 9pm
Modern-day celebrity is a phenomenon, fuelled by an unquenchable public thirst for news and gossip about celebrities. This four-part history series charts the explosion in celebrity culture over the last two decades. Since the turn of the century, the world of celebrity has been transformed, driven by some of the most dramatic technological and cultural developments. From the fame-farms churning out reality TV stars, to the rise of the celebrity politician, society’s complicated obsession with fame now impacts every aspect of life; from media read and watched, material possessions owned and even choice of vote.
The first episode examines how the Beckhams changed the model of the celebrity power couple, while the rise of reality TV led to a gigantic influx of people gaining fame, fed by a press that saw an easy source of material.
Jamie and Jimmy’s Festive Feast Channel 4, 9pm
Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty are joined by not one but two celebrity guests to get the New Year party going. Singer-songwriter Sam Smith and Pe-teacher-to-the-nation Joe Wicks assist the duo as they prepare a range of delicious dishes. Jamie kicks things off with a mouthwatering, Italian-inspired pork and crispy double crackling, laid on a bed of beautiful veg and creamy beans. He then takes Sam to Mexico via Scotland, tracks down the singer’s favourite food memory from the Isle of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, and making delicious haggis tacos. And if we can’t go to the pub, then Jimmy is bringing the pub to us, as he prepares scampi and chips, washed down with sparkling mojitos.