SHAUN IS A DELIGHT

Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas –

Christmas Eve, BBC One, 6pm

I never cease to be amazed

by the deft comic timing and inventiveness of the Aardman Animations team. At their best, they’re right up there with the likes of Tex Avery. High praise indeed, but they deserve it. The latest festive sojourn to Mossy Bottom Farm is typically delightful. When Shaun’s cute little cousin Timmy accidentally hitches a ride on the Proclaimer-esque farmer’s truck, an urgent rescue mission kicks into gear. A busy village market is no place for an innocent lamb. I do, however, have a mild complaint: the farmer’s hapless dog really doesn’t deserve the hardship he constantly endures. It’s just not fair and makes me feel sad.

Two Doors Down –

Monday, BBC Two, 9.30pm

As we eavesdrop once again upon these suburban Glasgow neighbours, ’tis just a few days before Christmas. Prosecco and nibbles abound, although Christine (Elaine C Smith) opts for a liquid diet of Stella, JD and Coke. She’s mourning the

recent death of a friend, you see. It’s what she would’ve wanted. Christine’s ersatz piety – she’s just returned from church – is a source of mirth throughout. The episode also gets tremendous mileage from the phrase “Pat over the back”, which has an inherently funny rhythm. As always, nothing and everything happens all at once. A constant muffled soundtrack of Christmas

music enhances the unease.

Mandy: We Wish You a Mandy Christmas –

Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

Diane Morgan is best known as the gormless cultural

commentator Philomena Cunk, who first appeared

on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. This, however, is Morgan in auteur mode: a pleasingly peculiar sitcom in which she plays a lonely oddball from a high-rise estate. I enjoyed series one with reservations; Mandy isn’t hilarious, but I admire Morgan’s commitment to this strange little universe she’s created. And it never outstays its welcome, as each episode is only 15 minutes long. In the grand tradition of yuletide comedy specials, this is a riff on A Christmas Carol. Punk poet John Cooper Clarke cameos as one

of Mandy’s spectral visitors.

Madame Tussauds: The Full Wax –

Wednesday, STV, 9pm

This wry documentary peers behind the scenes at London’s legendary wax museum. At first glance, it appears to be quite a glib endeavour, but as the programme progresses it reveals a surprisingly potent theme about the transience of fame. If a celebrity is no longer considered relevant,

their effigy will be banished to a backroom or melted down altogether. And visitors obviously don’t want to be confronted with disgraced

celebs a la Savile. Highlights include the rictus-grinning likeness of Prince Harry being carried around like a deactivated Auton from Doctor Who, and the various interjections from cocksure

creative director Justin.

WORRYING: The flock in Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas.