The best Christmas TV we can't wait to watch this year
The festive season is officially upon us, meaning that it's time to cosy up on the sofa with a big box of Celebrations and feast your eyes on the best Christmas TV.
From the highly-anticipated return of your favourite sitcoms (we're looking at you, Gavin and Stacey and Outnumbered) to dramas like Call The Midwife and The Split: Barcelona, there's a host of great telly for you to watch this year.
So, make sure to win the annual fight for the remote control, as from comedies to dramas and everything in between, we've collated our top Christmas TV picks we can't wait for...
Outnumbered Christmas Special
Release date: 9.40pm, Thursday 26 December, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
The Brockman family are back as award-winning comedy Outnumbered returns to BBC One this Christmas. It's been eight years since we last saw Peter, Sue, Jake, Ben and Karen but this festive season, the parents are gathering their family for a traditional celebration. Yet, in true Outnumbered style, things don't go to plan as fate, neighbours, hyenas and bus replacement services get in their way, resulting in a very chaotic Christmas Day for the Brockman family.
Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special
Release date: 9pm, Christmas Day, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
We're heading back to Barry! That's right, the beloved sitcom is returning to our screens for the final time this festive season with James Corden, Ruth Jones, Mathew Horne and Joanna Page all reprising their roles as Smithy, Nessa, Gavin and Stacey. It's been five years since we last saw the characters and left Nessa down on one knee after asking Smithy to marry her. So, did he say yes? Tune in to Gavin & Stacey: The Finale on Christmas Day to find out!
Doctor Who Christmas Special
Release date: 5.10pm, Christmas Day, BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+
Like Brussels sprouts, mince pies and Santa Claus, Christmas is not complete without an episode of Doctor Who. Ncuti Gatwa is back as our favourite Time Lord, with Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan joining him for a festive adventure. In the episode, titled 'Joy to the World', we time travel from the Blitz to the Orient Express and Mount Everest, as the Doctor takes us on a festive adventure with unexpected consequences.
Falling for Christmas
Release date: Streaming on Netflix now
Lindsay Lohan's new feel-good Netflix film is perfect for snuggling up on the sofa on those hazy days between Christmas and New Year.
Call The Midwife Christmas Special
Release date: 8pm on Christmas Day and 7.30pm on Boxing Day, BBC iPlayer and BBC One
It’s not Christmas without a big box of chocolates, quality time with loves ones and, of course, an episode of Call the Midwife. This year will be no different as we head back in time for not one, but two festive specials of the drama with our favourite midwives and misters, including Laura Main, Stephen McGann, April Rae Hoang, Edward Shaw and Alice Brown. They're busy preparing for a carol concert when news of an escaped prisoner throws the festivities into disarray...
The Split: Barcelona
Release date: 9pm, Sunday 29 and Monday 30 December, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
The Defoe family are back as Abi Morgan’s hit legal drama The Split returns for a two-part special this December. But, we're swapping London for Barcelona as we go on a sun-soaked wedding weekend with Nicola Walker, Annabel Scholey and Fiona Button all reprising their roles.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
Release date: 3.55pm, Christmas Day, BBC One and iPlayer
The Strictly Come Dancing special is back this year with the ballroom once again transformed into a Christmas wonderland as six celebrities compete for the show's Silver Star trophy. Taking part this year are: comedian Josh Widdicombe, drag artist Tayce, presenter and podcaster Vogue Williams, Gladiator and Olympian Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, actress Tamzin Outhwaite and racing driver and TV presenter Billy Monger. We can't wait!
The Merry Gentlemen
Release date: Streaming on Netflix now
Chad Michael Murray and Britt Robertson star in a new Christmas rom-com that promises to "heat things up" this season. It sounds like the perfect festive movie for a night-in with friends.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone
Release date: 10.15pm, Christmas Eve, BBC Two and iPlayer
Mark Gatiss returns with a new ghost story this Christmas, based on E. Nesbit's short story, Man-Size in Marble. In her final days, the author starts recounting "the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura". The couple are happily settling into their small cottage in a quiet village when they receive some ominous warnings from their superstitious housekeeper, hear the legend of the marble knights that are said to rise from their churchyard tombs on Christmas Eve, and make a terrifying discovery...
That Christmas
Release date: Streaming on Netflix now
From the mastermind between Love Actually, That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends and should be a great watch for all the family this festive season.
Black Doves
Release date: Thursday 5 December, Netflix
Keira Knightley is the lead star for Black Doves, a new thriller series from Netflix. Written by Joe Barton, best known for his work on Giri/Haji and The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Black Doves sees Keira play Helen, a woman with a secret identity who embarks on a passionate affair which will "endanger her carefully constructed web of subterfuge". It's already earned some great reviews, so we can't wait to get stuck in over Christmas.
Strike: The Ink Black Heart
Release date: 9pm, Monday 16 December, BBC One and iPlayer
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are returning to our screens this December for more of this hit crime drama from the BBC, in co-production with HBO and Warner Brothers. Once again adapted from J.K. Rowling’s bestselling crime novels, the new episodes see Strike and Robin tackle their toughest case yet, leading to unmasking a crazed killer in a deadly finale.
SAS Rogue Heroes Season 2
Release date: 9pm, New Year's Day, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
The hit BBC show from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is back for a second season. Starring Jack O'Connell, Connor Swindells, and Alfie Allen, the drama depicts the origins of the Special Air Service during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II.
Vera Season 14
Release date: 8pm, New Year's Day, ITV and ITVx
Renowned film, theatre, and television actress Brenda Blethyn OBE makes an emotional return for the 14th and final series of ITV’s popular crime drama. Spanning two epic feature-length episodes, these new stories titled 'Inside' and 'The Dark Wives', intertwine gripping murder mysteries with the heartfelt narrative of Vera’s personal journey.
Missing You
Release date: New Year's Day, Netflix
Catch us watching all five episodes of this new Harlan Coben thriller adapted for Netflix when it lands on New Year's Day. Missing You follows the smash-hit Fool Me Once and focuses on missing people detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), whose own fiancé mysteriously vanished eleven years ago. But then, she finds him on a dating app, and everything begins to unravel...
The Traitors Season 3
Release date: 8pm, New Year's Day, BBC One and iPlayer
It only seems like yesterday that we were all hooked on The Traitors. It's fair to say that the hit BBC game show dominated office kitchen and WhatsApp group chats when season two aired last January, so we're delighted to report that it's coming back for a third on New Year's Day. Mark your calendars now!
You Might Also Like
