The wine’s hopefully been mulled, the chestnuts are roasting… or at the very least you’ve unscrewed a bottle of Lambrini and opened a box of Celebrations. So what televsisual treats are there to see you through this festive season?
Christmas Eve
Tonight’s TV might seem like slim pickings in comparison to the rest of the season but we still have the delights of the first Victoria Wood special in nine years, Victoria Wood’s Midlife Christmas, on BBC One at 9, followed by a David Tennant-featuring episode of QI. Over on Channel 4 there’s a repeat of the spewtastic Heston’s Christmas Feast at 8.00pm, followed by a new episode of The Secret Millionaire and over on BBC Four, the Only Connect special gets a repeat at 12.30am. Even second time round I doubt I would get many more questions right.
Christmas Day
Your main action is, of course on BBC One, when from 6pm onwards you’ve got the delights of Doctor Who (when I’m dreading the possibility that Wilf, The Doctor and The Master could all meet their doom in the most depressing Christmas/New Year ever), Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders, The Royle Family, Gavin and Stacey and Catherine Tate, all in a row. Perfect. Should you wish to set your DVR/check out online catch-up, then also worth your while are the last in what’s been a really fun series of James May’s Toy Stories (BBC Two, 7.00pm), Coronation Street at 7.00pm on ITV1 and a random ABBA evening over on Five. Top of the Pops is also back, at 2.00pm on BBC One, but unfortunately Fearne and Reggie are still on presenting duties, so tread carefully. Digital TV is pretty dull at this time of year because it knows it can’t compete, but next week is where it’ll come into its own as you can catch up on all the delights you’ve missed thus far.
Boxing Day
It’s not looking too hot today, but you can see Patrick Stewart and David Tennant in Hamlet on BBC Two at 5.05pm and the unmissable Harry Hill’s TV Burp Review of the Year on ITV1 at 6.30pm. The former is perhaps best suited to those who are feeling a little maudlin after the gin, the latter for those who are hyper from chocolate and cocktails.
We’ll be back with you soon, but in the meantime have a very merry Christmas!
