Christmas on TV seems to have lost its sparkle over the years despite the plethora of channels now at our fingertips.
Long gone are the days when the whole family would sit around the box and watch the much-anticipated Only Fools and Horses Christmas special, while even longer gone are the timeless shows Morecambe and Wise and Two Ronnies, when virtually the whole country would be glued to their tellies (although both comedy double acts will be making an appearance on BBC Two this year).
Even the movies are nothing to write home about — not on the terrestrial channels anyway, apart from Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, which premieres on BBC One on Christmas Day, with Aladdin on later in the day, immediately after the debut Christmas speech from King Charles III.
But there are some gems that will pull in the viewers this festive season, with the popular Suranne Jones taking the lead role in Christmas Carole (Sky and NOW on December 19) – a modern twist on the Dickens classic, when she plays Carole Mackay, a female version of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy business owner in need of a visit from the three spirits.
The Beeb also has Motherland: Last Christmas (December 23). The sitcom is back with its second festive special, following Julia as she attempts to deal with the chaos of a full house over the holidays, while there’s also The Cleaner (December 23), with Taskmaster’s Greg Davies sending crime-scene cleaner Wicky to a blood-soaked scene in an ice-cream parlour.
The excellent Lego Masters (Channel 4, December 24) makes a welcome return to our screens after four years, with a one-off special, but with celebs – like pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Taskmaster’s Alex Horne – competing in the brick challenge rather than the general public (who have produced some wonderful creations in the past). And Melvin Odoom has been sadly replaced by Nish Kumar in the presenter’s seat, but hopefully all Lego fans will be overjoyed at having this programme finally back on the air.
The Beeb’s Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas Special is always a popular treat on Christmas Day, while Call The Midwife also has its usual starring role. ITV relies on Ant and Dec (again) to pull in the viewers, while Doc Martin fans will be buoyed by the grumpy old GP’s return after the charming comedy drama was pulled after 10 series.
Britain’s Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy is fronting his own festive special, Christmas Comedy Club (ITV, December 24). Lee Ridley will be joined by ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, comedians Josie Long and Dara O’Briain and freestyle rapper and comedian Abandoman.
BAFTA winner Sheridan Smith plays another tough character in Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything (Sky and Now). She stars in the lead role as a woman spurred by a shame-spiral following her brother’s wedding, and who is on a mission to turn her life around.
On Netflix, season two of Alice in Borderland arrives on December 22. The popular Japanese thriller first arrived in 2020, and fans have been patiently waiting for its return ever since, while the streaming service also welcomes season five of US show The Circle, starting on December 28, with a new batch of contestants ready to enter the game – it is sure to be a big talking point both across social media and in living rooms over the festive period.
Finally, Tom Hardy provides the voiceover for a new Sky Nature documentary series, Predators (Sky and NOW). With five episodes, the programme focuses on a different predator in each instalment – including cheetahs in Tanzania, lions in Botswana, and polar bears in Canada.
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