It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as the BBC brings viewers a December to remember with plenty of programmes and box sets to delight and entertain everyone across the UK this yuletide.
The BBC’s fantastic festive line up will be available live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer and across our channels as both favourites and new offerings from the worlds of drama, comedy, entertainment and factual programmes sit alongside the very best in arts, music and religious programming. Viewers will be enthralled and captivated by a line-up like no other whenever and wherever they want to watch.
Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer says: “Nothing brings people across the UK together like Christmas on the BBC and this year we’ve got a world-class line-up like no other. Get ready to escape and be entertained with an incredible range of new festive shows across every genre, live or on demand, there’s something for everyone.”
There is a story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages in a heart-warming, film based on Charlie Mackesy’s best-selling book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, and there are more animated adventures with this year’s Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler intergalactic adaptation, The Smeds and The Smoos.
Get ready to escape into other worlds over the season with a selection of gripping new dramas. We head to a small Scottish town in the life-affirming Mayflies starring Martin Compston, Tony Curran and Ashley Jensen. Sally Wainwright’s multi-BAFTA award winning hit Happy Valley returns to the BBC for its much-anticipated third and final series.
The Call The Midwife Christmas Special sees a talent show and a fresh start for the midwives and over on the Island of Saint Marie, Commissioner Patterson (Don Warrington) is left haunted by memories of the past in a festive, feature-length episode of Death In Paradise. The residents of Walford get set to celebrate Christmas in EastEnders; while new drama boxsets to binge over the festive season include the final chapter of the epic trilogy His Dark Materials, and Strike: Troubled Blood, which sees Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) visit family in Cornwall when he’s called on to solve a mysterious cold case.
Amongst a raft of entertainment specials, Michael McIntyre will be spinning his enormous yuletide wheel when he is joined by Gino D’Acampo, Alesha Dixon and Bear Grylls all attempting to win money for their favourite charities plus Bradley Walsh returns with a festive special of the legendary Blankety Blank, Romesh Ranganathan’s The Weakest Link and Mo Gilligan debuts TV’s newest and biggest music game show, That’s My Jam.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to the Ballroom for a fab-u-lous all-star Christmas special, plus there is a stocking stuffed with other entertainment highlights including festive episodes of The Hit List, Question of Sport, Pointless, University Challenge, Would I Lie To You and QI plus Richard Osman will open the doors to brand new episodes of his Festive House of Games and The Graham Norton Show will return for its traditional New Year’s Eve edition.
For the first time ever, the Men’s FIFA World Cup Final will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 18 December – which team will bring it ho ho home?
Comedy fans will have plenty to look forward to with loads of specials coming up. School’s out for the festive season in Motherland and Bad Education is back with not only an all-new class K, but also former classmates too. Elsewhere, Wicky heads to a blood-soaked crime scene in an ice cream parlour in The Cleaner and over in Button House the Ghosts are touched by Alison’s thoughtful generosity and are inspired to give her a special Christmas present in return.
For fans of Mrs Brown’s Boys there are two visits to Finglas this festive season and as the snow begins to fall, it’s a welcome break at the coffee shop after a spot of Christmas shopping in Two Doors Down. Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith present a special festive film from their award-winning anthology series Inside No. 9 and Detectorists, the multi award winning comedy series about metal detecting enthusiasts Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones), returns for a feature length special plus there will be even more laughs to come in Live at The Apollo and Frankie Boyle’s 2022 New World Order.
For the first time in Gone Fishing’s history, the angling duo leave the riverbanks of Britain behind and Paul takes Bob on a dream fishing trip to Norway – the country were Cod is God and a place that truly embodies the traditional spirit of Christmas and Dame Mary Berry will be joined by Angela Hartnett, Monica Galetti and Rylan Clark shares her ultimate Christmas feast, packed with tips to plan and get ahead for the big day whilst Sara Pascoe invites celebrities for a festive Sewing Bee Special.
It’s holiday season at The Repair Shop, where the dedicated team of craftspeople are ready to lovingly restore some treasured Christmas keepsakes; and Antiques Roadshow hosts a Special Episode about toys and games and how they have shaped our childhoods.
Natural history lovers will be transported to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, as we meet a group of Barbary macaque monkeys in Dynasties II (Macaque) before Gordon Buchanan gets close to seven incredible huskies on a treacherous dogsled adventure through Canada’s spectacular Yukon wilderness in Snow Dogs in the Wild and there will be a special edition of Frozen Planet II.
In music, Top Of The Pops returns for a Christmas special hosted by Radio 1’s Clara Amfo and Jack Saunders and in Cliff at Christmas Sir Cliff Richard chats to Sara Cox about his incredible 64 year career and also performs some of his Christmas classics, new songs and best loved hits. On New Year’s Eve Jools Holland will host his annual Hootanany whilst Eurovision and break through music artist of 2022, Sam Ryder, is joined by some of music’s biggest stars to put on a spectacular New Year’s Eve party.
In My Life at Christmas, actress and comedian Sally Phillips meets three well-known faces to explore how their memories of Christmas reflect the enormous changes they have gone through in their lives, careers, family and faith and there will be three special episodes of inspiring hymns in Songs of Praise, together with uplifting stories of faith from around the UK and beyond.
Winding down Christmas Day to a gentle close, Oti Mabuse reads the story of the first Christmas from the Gospel according to St Luke in On Christmas Night and Carols From King’s will feature the world-renowned choir, directed by Daniel Hyde, singing carols old and new.
Bringing some foodie fun to the festive season, MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back once again for two specials, inviting eight of the most memorable celebrities from past series back into the infamous MasterChef kitchen and a sensational year of sport will be celebrated as BBC Sports Personality of the Year comes live from MediaCity UK in Salford.
Count Magnus is the latest ghost story for Christmas from Mark Gatiss coming to the BBC and Gatiss also stars as Jacob Marley in a stage production of A Christmas Carol in his own retelling of Dickens’ classic winter ghost story.
There will be a new adaptation of Coppélia which combines enchanting animation and live action dance in a modern take on the much-loved ballet and Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker offers a distinctive contemporary take on the classic Christmas tale plus one of the world’s leading forensic investigators, Professor Dame Sue Black, will deliver this year’s Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution.
A host of children’s favourites including Ben Cajee, Jennie Dale, Andy Day and Justin Fletcher will star in CBeebies latest reimagining of a the classic pantomime Dick Whittington and Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! alongside loads more Christmas Crackers for the young ones to enjoy including a Malory Towers Christmas Special, Dodger Christmas Special and Mr Tumble himself Justin Fletcher and friends are back with a Christmas episode of Something Special.
And if all that weren’t enough, there will be hundreds of box sets and classic Christmas specials to stream on BBC iPlayer from much-loved shows like Gavin and Stacey, Ghosts, Miranda, Citizen Khan, Call the Midwife and Not Going Out.
