Here are the Christmas TV highlights for Christmas Day including the final ever episode of Gavin & Stacey and much much more... (we also have a Christmas TV guide with all the shows on over the festive season).
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, BBC One, 9 pm
After 17 years of top-notch sitcom magic, the crew from Barry and Billericay bow out for good with this heartfelt festive finale. So what’s occurring? Well, it feels like forever since Nessa (Ruth Jones) proposed to Smithy (James Corden) with the romantic words "when all’s said and done, you’re tidy", leaving us all on tenterhooks. But this gem is worth the wait as it (hopefully) ties up some loose ends, like the ongoing fishing trip mystery and, of course, whether or not Smithy said "yes". But as the Wests and the Shipmans gather in Essex for one last Christmas Day, Gwen (Melanie Walters) is acting strangely, Pete (Adrian Scarborough) and Dawn (Julia Davis) are at each other’s throats and Stacey (Joanna Page) and Gavin’s (Mathew Horne) marriage is stuck in a rut. Expect tears of laughter and sadness in this "well lush" farewell…
Call the Midwife, BBC One, 8 pm
The perennially soul-stirring period drama is raising the festive bar with a dazzling pair of Christmas specials! Both episodes are jam-packed (or should that be mincemeat-packed?!), as Christmas time 1969 finds the team dealing with several births and a flu outbreak. Meanwhile, a convict on the run causes chaos, and a homeless family needs assistance. Trixie (Helen George) brings seasonal joy, however, when she pops over from America, and romance is in store for Nancy (Megan Cusack). Plus there’s a funfair, a carol concert and a hotly-contested mince pie competition! But the nail-biting final scenes of this opener will leave you on tenterhooks over your turkey sandwiches before the conclusion on Boxing Day…
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, BBC One, 6.10 pm
Cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his long-suffering dog, Gromit find themselves targeted by their vengeful nemesis, Feathers McGraw, in this brand new joyous and action-packed feature-length film. When Wallace invents Norbot, a "smart-gnome" that can help with household tasks, penguin Feathers, now languishing in prison, seizes the opportunity to remotely hack it. Norbot (brilliantly voiced by Inside Number 9’s Reece Shearsmith) is soon running amok in the neighbourhood and turns from a helpful gnome to a demonic criminal. Expect all the usual attention to detail, gorgeous humour and fun for all the family to enjoy from award-winning creator Nick Park and listen out for the familiar tones of Peter Kay, Lenny Henry and Diane Morgan who are among the famous cast lending their voices in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
Tiddler, BBC One, 2.35 pm
Continuing its Christmas tradition of animating a beloved book from author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, the BBC reels in holiday cheer with the tale of a tiny fish who has a big imagination. Produced by Magic Light Pictures, the half-hour special follows Tiddler, a storytelling fish who concocts elaborate excuses for why he’s late for school every day, from meeting mermaids to flying with rays. But when he faces real danger in a fisherman's net, will anyone believe the fish who cried wolf? Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham narrates, while Lolly Adefope and Rob Brydon are among the voice-cast. Fin-credible!
Doctor Who, BBC One, 5.10 pm
Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) finds herself confronted with danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) as she guest stars in the festive outing of Doctor Who, Joy to the World. She plays shy and retiring Joy, who’s about to spend Christmas alone in a very pink London hotel room when a Silurian makes a surprise entrance through a door to the Time Hotel, and she suddenly finds herself thrown into an adventure involving the Doctor’s old arms manufacturer enemy Villengard! Cue a mission for Joy and the Doctor to save the history of Christmas. But can they escape when they find themselves thrown into the jaws of a T-Rex?
See our TV Guide for full listings.
