Christmas Eve
Doctor Who at the BBC Proms
BBC Two, 4.10pm
Whovians are feverishly anticipating this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special, and what better way to get in the zone than to head down the musical wormhole and revisit some of the spaced-out tunes that have soundtracked the series over the years. Catherine Tate, who played the Doctor’s companion Donna Noble, will host an evening of soundscapes, songs and jump scares, as familiar monsters materialise to frighten the audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall. We all know that eerie main theme tune so well, but this gala night also features epic themes by Murray Gold alongside favourite songs from the series including I Am the Doctor and A Good Man. Soprano Aida Garifullina will perform Abigail’s Song, and there’ll be a surprise appearance by Anita Dobson, who played Mrs Flood in the series.
The Great Christmas Bake Off 2024
Channel 4, 8pm
This year’s celebrity Christmas Bake Off is a bunfight to beat them all, as stars of three top soap operas – EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – enter the Bake Off tent, and just one of them will leave with the grand title of Festive Star Baker. But do Chris Bisson, Natalie Cassidy, Dean Gaffney, Shobna Gulati and Sheree Murphy know what they’re letting themselves in for? They’ll have three chances to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith: first they’ll have create a traditional yule log in their own signature style, then make a Christmas tree – in meringue. But their final challenge really takes the biscuit: take one of the iconic storylines from their own soap and turn it into yummy cookies. Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond will preside over all the drama.
Christmas in Kildare
RTÉ One, 8.40pm
What’s better than a Marty party? A Marty Christmas party, of course. Marty Whelan hosts a gala night of festive music, co-hosted by one of Ireland’s greatest sopranos, Celine Byrne. St Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare is a fitting setting for this concert spectacular as it marks the 1,500th anniversary of the town’s most famous saint, for whom a new public holiday was created in 2023. Among the musical guests performing with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra are May Kay of Fight Like Apes, Paul Noonan from Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Grammy-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens will make a special guest appearance. Qnd of course Byrne herself will showcase her spectacular voice for the season that’s in it.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone
Tuesday, BBC Two, 10.15pm
The children can’t sleep as they’re anticipating Santa’s arrival, but you might not be able to sleep either after watching this new adaptation of the eerie E Nesbit short story Man-Size in Marble. It’s the seventh seasonal horror story directed for the BBC by League of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss, starring Éanna Hardwicke, Phoebe Horn, Celia Imrie, Monica Dolan and Mawaan Rizwan in a chilling tale about a Victorian newlywed couple whose country cottage idyll is disturbed by a local superstition about marble figures coming to life on Christmas Eve.
FILM Skyfall
RTÉ2, 9pm
After making a grand entrance as 007 with Casino Royale, Daniel Craig lost his way a bit with the aimless, confusing sequel Quantum of Solace. The Bond franchise needed a real banger to bring it back on track, and Skyfall did the job nicely, with some breathtaking action set-pieces, a solid plot surrounding an attack on MI6, and a wonderfully creepy, over-the-top villain played by Javier Bardem. Craig plays up his character’s strengths – and weaknesses – to the hilt, while Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney provide top-notch back-up.#
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Christmas Day
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
BBC One, 3.55pm
It just isn’t Christmas without the big Strictly glitterball dangling over a winter wonderland setting as six stars hot-step it out of the big advent calendar and on to a snow-speckled dance floor. This year our own Vogue Williams is among the celebrities taking part, along with the likes of actor Tamzin Outhwaite, comedian Josh Widdecombe and drag artist Tayce. Who will get the Christmas trophy from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas, and who’ll be going home with a lump of coal?
Doctor Who Christmas Special
BBC One, 5.10pm
Ncuti Gatwa returns as the umpteenth Doctor for a new Christmas special, and there’s glad tidings for both Whovians and Bridgertonians as none other than Nicola Coughlan joins Gatwa for a rip-roaring, fun frolic through space, time and retro-futuristic fashion. Joy to the World sees the Doctor all on his own in the Tardis after the departure of his companion Ruby Sunday. But his solitude is disturbed by the arrival of a young woman named Joy (Coughlan), and soon both are dodging hungry dinosaurs, grappling with old foes and racing against time to foil a dastardly plot and save Christmas future. Writer Steven Moffat says he wants this seasonal special to be filled with cheer, and the joy of time travel is that the Doc and his companion can visit every Christmas Day everywhere all at once.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
BBC One, 6.10pm
The elves of Aardman animation studio have been beavering away all year creating a new Christmas claymation adventure featuring the hapless inventor and his faithful, ever-patient pooch. But Gromit’s patience is sorely tested as his master becomes ever more dependent on his wild and wacky inventions. When Wallace creates a robot gnome to do all the gardening, things start to spiral out of control, and “Norbot” soon becomes a suspect in a wave of gardening tool thefts. Meanwhile, penguin criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw is plotting his revenge.
Call the Midwife
BBC One, 7.30pm
As long as humans procreate, there will be a Call the Midwife Christmas special; our descendants will be sitting down to catch up on all the drama at Nonnatus House until our race becomes extinct. This year’s special is a two-parter, with the second part on St Stephen’s Day on BBC One at 7.30pm, and as usual it heralds a new season of the show early in the new year. So, what’s happening in Poplar this Christmas? According to Rebecca Gethings, who plays Sr Veronica, it will be “heartwarming as always” but “it’s not just about cuddles and Horlicks”. There’ll be tears and laughter, and babies will be born. What else do you need to know?
Mrs Brown’s Boys – Ding Dong Mammy
RTÉ One, 9pm; BBC One, 11.05pm
It’s Christmas once more in the mythical land of Finglas, but there’s trouble on the horizon, as Agnes (Brendan O’Carroll) has got a bit grumpy and bah humbug, and is having trouble convincing everyone that she’s still full of the joys of the season. Meanwhile, Cathy (Jennifer Gibney) rallies the community around a good cause, and Buster (Danny O’Carroll) is on a quest to find a sustainable Christmas tree. This year’s Christmas and New Year specials were almost derailed when a joke during rehearsals appeared to imply a racial slur. The gag was immediately binned, and Brendan O’Carroll apologised over “a clumsy attempt at a joke”.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
BBC One, 9pm
Yes, it’s true, there is a Santa Claus. How else to explain this gift to fans of the hit comedy series written by and starring James Corden and Ruth Jones? Five years after the last Christmas special, we’re once again flitting between Essex and Wales to catch up with the Shipman and West families. Gavin (Mathew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page) have reached the stage in their marriage where things need to be spiced up, but have Smithy (Corden) and Nessa (Jones) tied the knot after Nessa proposed five years ago? We’re going to enjoy this one – and then cry because it really is all over now. (Also showing on St Stephen’s Day, RTÉ2, 9pm).
FILM Top Gun: Maverick
RTÉ One, 10pm
Tom Cruise had a busy pandemic, filming the latest Mission: Impossible instalments back to back and releasing this “legacy sequel” to his 1986 blockbuster. Cruise reprises his role as hot-headed fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, and this time he’s the supposed adult in the room, training a new generation of young cadets for a perilous mission. But Maverick still has issues with taking orders, and is still haunted by the death of his buddy Nick “Goose” Bradshaw back in 1986. It doesn’t help that Goose’s son Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) is among the trainees. Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm co-star, with Val Kilmer returning as Iceman – now an admiral.
St Stephen’s Day
The Masked Singer: Christmas Special
UTV, 7pm
The hugely successful musical guessing-game show returns for its second seasonal special, with a new selection box of celebrities donning garish disguises and belting out the tunes for our festive delight. Last year’s special featured Carol Vorderman, Tony Robinson and Julian Clary, and was won by chef Ainsley Harriott, dressed as a partridge in a pear tree. There’ll be another batch of mystery celebs this year, and a festive judging panel that includes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. (I’m guessing there’ll be a couple of 1990s stars in the mix this year.)
Outnumbered Christmas Special
BBC One, 9.40pm
Are you ready for Christmas with the Brockmans? It’s been eight years since we’ve seen them, but the original cast are all back together at the family home to celebrate the season, and you can bet things will be as hilariously chaotic as ever. Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben (Daniel Roche) and Karen (Ramona Marquez) are now grown up and leading their own lives, but still rely on the dubious parenting skills of dad Pete (Hugh Dennis) and mum Sue (Claire Skinner). Pete and Sue have downsized, but they’ve got some unpleasant news to share, so they invite the kids (and one grandkid) over to their smaller gaff for a traditional Christmas dinner.
FILM Gladiator
BBC Two, 9pm
With Paul Mescal ripping up the cinemas in Gladiator II, here’s a chance to catch Ridley Scott’s 2000 original, which laid siege to the box office back then and swept up five Academy Awards. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, a Roman general serving under the emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) at a time of change for the Roman empire. Marcus wants Maximus to take over as regent of a new republic, but the emperor’s scheming, ambitious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) has other ideas. Soon Maximus has lost everything – his family, his freedom – and must use all his wits and combat skills to survive as a gladiator until he can wreak his revenge. Great stuff altogether.
December 27th
Henry Mount Charles – A Lord in Slane
Friday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm
Spot the David Bowie album reference in the title of this documentary about the toff who brought Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Bob Dylan, Bowie and many other big stars to Slane Castle for the iconic annual music fest. Henry Mount Charles was Ireland’s lord of rock, transforming the 1980s live music scene by booking huge international stars to perform at his Boyne Valley estate. But the rock-adjacent life took its toll on his marriage and his health – he is now battling lung cancer. The programme features candid interviews with Mount Charles, his wife Iona and U2′s Adam Clayton.
One Night in Millstreet
Friday, RTÉ One, 9.30pm
It was 1995 and all was quiet in the Co Cork town of Millstreet. But something was stirring – could that be a Celtic Tiger? This sporting documentary looks back to a time when Ireland was on the cusp of a new prosperity, honing in on a night that gripped the nation: a prize fight between Steve Collins, a then-unknown boxer from Cabra in Dublin, and British boxing champion Chris Eubank. It’s a story of a hungry underdog fighting his way to the top table, but also a story of a country finding its feet in the international arena.
FILM Knives Out
Friday, TG4, 9pm
The name’s Blanc . . . Benoit Blanc. Okay, it doesn’t have the same ring as James Bond, but Daniel Craig turns in a commanding performance as an eccentric private detective investigating the apparent suicide of best-selling author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). There’s no shortage of suspects among the fine ensemble cast, which includes Toni Colette, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana De Armas, Michael Shannon and Don Johnson. Blanc interviews his suspects in his languid southern drawl, but there’s no hint of lazy cliche in Rian Johnson’s smart, twisty whodunit.
Streaming
Squid Game 2
From St Stephen’s Day, Netflix
In 2021, this K-horror series was a huge sensation, as viewers bought into the fiendish premise of a deadly game that could only end two ways: a life-changing cash prize or an ultraviolent death. Now the game is being played out once again, and if you haven’t seen the first series, now’s the time to catch up before the next live ammunition round begins. Having survived his first tournament, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) aka Player 456, makes a crazy decision to hit the replay button. Unable to return to a normal life, he is now on a mission to unmask the sinister taskmasters behind Squid Game, so now he’s back in the compound among a new group of participants who have no idea what they’ve let themselves in for. But far from heeding his warnings, his fellow players suspect him of being part of the trickery and deception.
