Miracles
9pm, Sky Max
The magician known to his mum as Steven Frayne but to the world as Dynamo returns. It’s hard to know where he can go after last year’s terrifying stunt in which he was apparently buried alive. It seems the answer is back to his roots: he will be out and about, travelling the country and stunning passersby in the street with his undeniably startling sleight of hand. But he hasn’t lost his taste for the grand spectacle – expect a death‑defying finale. Phil Harrison
Secrets of the Christmas Market
8pm, Channel 4
For the last two decades, no Christmas in Belfast has been complete without its impressive festive market at City Hall. For its 20th anniversary this year, the market is bigger than ever. Here, viewers can watch the masterly team of 50 transform the empty grounds into a Dickensian winter wonderland in just a couple of weeks. Nicole Vassell
For the Love of Dogs With Alison Hammond at Christmas
8.30pm, ITV1
More cute canine action, this time wrapped in tinsel and Santa hats, as Alison Hammond returns to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Top of her to-pet list is Holly, a seven-month-old spaniel, who arrived at the home seriously undernourished and in urgent need of an eye operation. PH
The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas Special
9pm, BBC One
The evidence suggests celebrities generally can’t bake, sing or survive in the jungle, but can they sew? Sara Pascoe puts four to the test – H from Steps, EastEnders’ Kellie Bright, the comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri and the reality star Charlotte Crosby – with challenges including a cosy onesie. Ellen E Jones
First Dates at Christmas
9pm, Channel 4
Is it ever a good idea to wear a Christmas jumper on a first date? Judge for yourself as Fred Sirieix and his troupe of matchmakers strive to ensure things go smoothly for their anxious customers. The heartwarming highlights include a gift exchange turned saucy fashion show that makes the hospitality professional Cici blush. Graeme Virtue
Dark Winds
10pm, U&Alibi
A grieving Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) races against time to interrogate a suspect linked to his son’s death, in the latest episode of the show that sounds like a number from This Is Spın̈al Tap. Meanwhile, an undercover Chee infiltrates the mysterious People of Darkness cult and Bern faces life-changing choices. Ali Catterall
Live sport
DP World Tour golf: the Mauritius Open 8.30am, Sky Sports Golf. Day one at Mont Choisy Le Golf.
Film choices
Fiddler on the Roof (Norman Jewison, 1971), 1.45pm, BBC Two
Tradition is a blessing and a burden in Norman Jewison’s stirring film version of the Bock, Harnick and Stein musical. Set in Tsarist Russia, it follows a Jewish milkman and father of five daughters, Tevye (a vibrant Chaim Topol), as he and his village are forced to adjust to new ideas about faith, love, marriage amid rising levels of antisemitism. With excellent tunes such as If I Were a Rich Man, Matchmaker and Far from the Home I Love, it’s an epic experience imbued with deep sadness. Simon Wardell
Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003), 8pm, Sky Cinema Favourites
After Four Weddings and Notting Hill, Richard Curtis decided to expand his romcom remit – and try his hand at directing – with this much-memed 2003 film, featuring at least eight variations on the theme. Its overlapping stories include the British prime minister (Hugh Grant – who else?) and a No 10 staffer (Martine McCutcheon); widower Liam Neeson’s young stepson and a classmate; and Martin Freeman and Joanna Page as film body doubles. There is adultery and unrequited love, too, to add tartness to a mostly sweet experience. SW
Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003), 7pm, Sky Showcase
Buddy isn’t like the other elves who work for Santa at the north pole, being an adopted human. But then he is not like other humans, either, which he discovers as he heads to New York to find his real father. A film that never fails to raise a laugh or 10, Jon Favreau’s comedy is steeped in Christmas spirit – but the sublime comic timing and effortless likability of its star Will Ferrell ensure it sidesteps schmaltz. Zooey Deschanel’s department-store worker Jovie is only one of many to fall for Buddy’s naive charms. SW
