There’s nothing on TV nowadays, is there? Oh wait a minute, yes there is! Lots, in fact!
We present to you a round-up of festive viewing we think Doctor Who fans will love, including the show itself, extra material, and programmes with Who alumni in that we think you’ll enjoy.
A lot is on the BBC, but that’s not a great shock. Obviously this is all UK scheduling, but some shows will be available in overseas territories.
All times, airdates, and channels correct at the time of writing.
Monday 16th December
The Chelsea Detective: Everyone Loves Chloe
Starring A Town Called Mercy‘s Adrian Scarborough.
Chloe Carmichael, former popstar and one-time darling of the tabloids, is found dead in her Chelsea mansion flat in the days leading up to Christmas. They first suspect a drug overdose, but forensics soon establish that Chloe had been drowned in the bath. Max and the team must contend with a string of potential suspects, including her hard-bitten manager, a conniving journalist, and a Tory MP. Each of them has a secret connecting them to Chloe, but who was it that killed her?
AcornTV.
Friday 20th December
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas Special
In this spin-off of the Father Brown series, Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) must investigate a murder behind the scenes at the Great Slaughter (that’s the name of the village) pantomime, Cinderella.
This is a series which we think Doctor Who fans might enjoy — hence our recommending it earlier this year!
But this one is a bit sad, as it’s the first aired since the passing of creator, Jude Tindall, and Watson commented:
“We so loved making last year’s Christmas special. This Christmas special, it had exactly the same feel to it that it was just a bit magical. Definitely, we all felt festive for it. And it was also penned by Jude Tindall, who sadly we lost this summer. So, that was her last episode that she wrote for us. So, it was sort of tinged with a lot of sadness. Extra special for that very reason as well.”
8pm, U&Drama.
Sunday 22nd December
Bad Tidings
It’s the week before Christmas and Stockport home security expert, Neil (played by Kerblam!‘s Lee Mack) has a problem with his neighbour. Scott (Chris McCausland) swaps their bins, complains about Neil’s ‘project’ car on his drive, and has had his Christmas lights up all year, shining into Neil’s home office. Basically, he’s a git. He’s also blind, and the rest of the street thinks he’s great.
When they try to make Scott the new head of Neighbourhood Watch, Neil can stand it no more. He questions Scott’s suitability for the role (“It’s Neighbourhood Watch!”) and, in the tit-for-tat row which ensues, Neil ends up blowing the power. For the whole street. On Christmas Eve.
Everyone, including Neil’s wife and teenage daughter, is forced to take their Christmas plans elsewhere, leaving Neil and Scott alone and on guard. When infamous local crime family, The Brennans, decide to rob the entire street in one night (“It’s like Santa in reverse”), the odd couple must team up to stop them. They’ve got no lights, no cameras, no alarms, but one of them is blind, which might be an advantage…
7:30pm, Sky Max and NOW.
Death in Paradise
It’s the most wonderful time of the year as we return to sun-drenched Saint Marie, joining the police team and a new Detective Inspector for a festive feature-length Death in Paradise Christmas special.
When holiday maker Stuart Fullwell (Marcus Brigstocke), fresh from performing karaoke dressed as Santa, is found shot dead on the beach by a young boy Ollie – son of Jamie (Jim Howick) – the Saint Marie police team kick into action. But with no Detective Inspector in place of the recently departed Neville Parker, are they capable of tackling such a big case?
With the pressure mounting, Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington from Rise of the Cybermen) is relieved to receive some encouraging news as he learns a British detective is holidaying on the island. Following a somewhat disappointing solo trip, DI Mervin Wilson (The Runaway Bride star, Don Gilet) is aboard a flight back home to London ready to take off, though is informed by his boss that he’s to be seconded to Honoré, whether he likes it or not…
8:30pm, BBC1.
Inside No. 9: The Party’s Over
The door may have closed on Inside No.9, but there’s still time to venture behind the scenes. This documentary tells the story of one of TV’s darkest and most celebrated comedies, featuring cast interviews and extensive candid moments with creators Reece Shearsmith (Sleep No More) and Steve Pemberton (Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead). Cameras are admitted everywhere throughout the making of the show’s final series, from the writers’ room to the makeup trailer, from prop store to set design, making this the perfect farewell to the multi-award winning series.
9pm, BBC2.
Monday 23rd December
The Famous Five: Mystery at the Prospect Hotel
The Famous Five is based on Enid Blyton’s iconic stories and follows the daring young explorers as they encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets.
In episode one, Mystery at the Prospect Hotel, it’s summer 1940 and the Five are reunited at a grand hotel on Cragstone Ridge. An old foe, Thomas Wentworth, awaits them as he needs their help.
Wentworth has seen into the future and foretells the murder of famous jazz singer Cab Vee, who is visiting the hotel. With a host of likely suspects, each with their own motive, can the Five figure out who is trying to kill him?
Joining the core cast in episode one are Jack Gleeson, Maria Pedraza, Amir Wilson, James Wilby, Rita Tushingham, Jonathan Aris (Joy to the World), Jamie Andrew Cutler, and Jemima Rooper. The first series of The Famous Five is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer and episode two will air in 2025.
5.25pm, CBBC; it’s repeated on BBC1 at 10.20am on Tuesday 31 December.
Would I Lie To You?
Rob Brydon is back in the host’s chair for a festive edition of the award-winning comedy panel show Would I Lie To You?.
And as ever, David Mitchell (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) and Lee Mack are the lightning-quick team captains. Over the course of the show, a stellar cast of celebrity guests reveal amazing stories about themselves. But are they telling the truth, or are they making it all up? David Mitchell is joined by Jimmy Carr and Laura Smyth, while Lee Mack is joined by Rustie Lee and Lenny Rush (The Legend of Ruby Sunday/ Empire of Death).
7pm, BBC1.
The War Games in Colour
It’s time to step into the excitement of The War Games once again, as one of Doctor Who’s classic tales is to receive a spectacular new colourisation.
Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone – but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.
For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story.
In addition, the episode will also feature the Second Doctor’s never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.
The War Games colourisation is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for BBC. Executive Produced by Russell T Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Joel Collins. Lead Colourisation Artist is Richard Tipple and Edited by Benjamin Cook.
BBC4.
Tuesday 24th December: Christmas Eve
The Doctor Who Prom 2024
Doctor Who fan favourite Catherine Tate presents a concert of music, monsters and mayhem featuring soundtracks from the iconic series; a brand new, specially shot feature for the new Doctor and a host of scary aliens as they thrill a packed audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
In a concert like no other in all of time and space, the much-loved music, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, is accompanied by specially edited sequences from the series.
Monsters old and new make dramatic appearances in the hall with fans getting the fright of their lives as they confront them face to face.
Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 features a never-before-seen short film by the series’ showrunner Russell T Davies, Pantheon of Discord, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, Nicholas Briggs as the voice of The Vlinx and Jinkx Monsoon as the god of music, Maestro. Mrs Flood, played by Anita Dobson, makes a surprise guest appearance, and everything is wrapped up in spectacular lighting and special effects.
The concert showcases Murray Gold’s epic music, including his new themes for the Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson. Alongside the new music, fan favourites such as I am the Doctor, written for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and A Good Man, which perfectly captured Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor also feature. There are also stunning performances of Abigail’s Song and Vale Decem featuring acclaimed Soprano Aida Garifullina, and composer Segun Akinola’s The Thirteenth Doctor written for Jodie Whittaker’s spin as the time-traveller.
No Doctor Who Prom would be complete without a special performance of the show’s iconic theme tune, heard in a new arrangement. Doctor Who makes its much-anticipated return to the Proms, the fourth time it’s delighted audiences as part of the eight-week festival of music.
4:10pm, BBC2.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone
Mark Gatiss (Cold War; Twice Upon a Time) brings E. Nesbit’s chilling short story Man-Size in Marble back to life in his seventh Ghost Story for Christmas.
In her final days, author Edith Nesbit recounts the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. The couple are settling into a small cottage in a quiet village when their idyll is overshadowed by the superstitious warnings of their housekeeper, Mrs Dorman, and the legend of the village church’s tomb effigies – a pair of marble knights who are said to rise from their slabs on Christmas Eve…
Jack dismisses this is as mere folklore. But as the fateful night draws near, he feels drawn to the church, leaving Laura at home, all alone.
Starring Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) as Jack Lorimer; Phoebe Horn (The Motive and the Cue) as Laura Lorimer; Celia Imrie (The Bells of St John) as Edith Nesbit; Monica Dolan (Sherwood) as Mrs Dorman; and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice) as Dr. Zubin.
10:15pm, BBC2.
Wednesday 25th December: Christmas Day
Strictly Come Dancing
The Ballroom will once again be transformed into a magical winter wonderland, so expect festive cheer, jingle bells, mistletoe madness, bedazzling baubles and six celebrities — including Nightmare in Silver star, Tamzin Outhwaite — all sleighing their way to Elstree in a bid to be crowned the Strictly Christmas Champion 2024.
In the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, produced by BBC Studios, each of the six couples will perform a festive fuelled routine in the hope of impressing the judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas, and the voting studio audience. But who will emerge the Christmas star of the evening, and lift the sought after Christmas trophy?
3:55pm, BBC1.
Doctor Who: Joy to the World
The main event!
Ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte? The Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, returns this Christmas for a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth.
The episode introduces Joy, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.
Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?
Joining Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan is a cast of exciting guest stars, including Steph de Whalley as Anita, Jonathan Aris as Melnak, Joel Fry as Trev, Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia.
5:30pm, BBC1.
Doctor Who Unleashed
We’re walking in a Whovian wonderland! Steffan Powell is on set with Nicola Coughlan and Ncuti Gatwa as they film this year’s Christmas special. Steven Moffat tells us what it takes to write a festive episode, and Steff gets a prosthetics makeover.
7:10pm, BBC3.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Wallace & Gromit make their long-awaited return with a brand new feature-length adventure on the BBC this Christmas.
After a recent crime wave of stolen garden goods from across the region, Wallace and his pre-programmed smart gnome, Norbot, are the main suspects. While Wallace proclaims his innocence, it’s up to Gromit once again to battle sinister forces, or Wallace will never invent again!
But who could possibly be behind such evil actions?! Rightfully behind bars for all this time, Feathers McGraw – last seen in 1993’s BAFTA and Academy Award winning short The Wrong Trousers – is back with vengeance.
Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and featuring the voices of Ben Whitehead as Wallace, Reece Shearsmith as Norbot, Peter Kay (Love & Monsters) as Chief Inspector Macintosh, and Lauren Patel as PC Mukherjee, alongside Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh (Martha Jones’ mum, Francine), Muzz Khan, and Lenny Henry (Spyfall).
6:10pm, BBC1.
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale
It’s five years since we left Nessa down on one knee declaring her love for Smithy (The Lodger‘s James Corden) and asking him to marry her. And a lot has happened in those five years.
In Barry, Bryn’s packing the Picasso in readiness for a trip to Essex; Stacey (Joanna Page from The Day of the Doctor) and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their seventeen-year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely. Nessa’s started a new business venture and Neil the Baby’s about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad.
Over in Billericay Pam is stressing out at the prospect of playing hostess, not helped by a newly retired Mick practicing his golf swings in the living room and there have been more ups and downs in Pete and Dawn’s relationship. Join us on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip.
9pm, BBC1.
26th December: Boxing Day
Blankety Blank
The iconic gameshow Blankety Blank returns for a festive special on BBC One. Bradley Walsh, aka Thirteenth Doctor companion, Graham O’Brien, is joined by six celebrities who will help four contestants to try and win some of telly’s most ‘unique’ prizes by filling in the missing BLANKS.
In this festive addition, joining the panel this week are Jane McDonald, Joel Dommett, Jonathan Ross, Oti Mabuse, Sara Pascoe, and The Vivienne.
Outnumbered Christmas Special
The Brockmans are back! Written and directed by the show’s creators, Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the Outnumbered Christmas Special will follow the chaos in the downsized home of Pete and Sue Brockman, as they grapple with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults, with their own lives to lead.
The stars of the original much-loved series are returning, including Hugh Dennis as dad Pete, Claire Skinner (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) as mum Sue, Tyger Drew-Honey as eldest son Jake, Daniel Roche as the middle child Ben, and Ramona Marquez as daughter, Karen.
In a moment of adversity, Sue and Pete gather all their offspring (including one grandchild) to try and celebrate a traditional family Christmas and share some unwelcome news with their children. But fate, neighbours, hyenas and bus replacement services get in their way.
9:40pm, BBC1.
Friday 27th December
Beyond Paradise
It’s Christmas time in Shipton Abbott, where Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and the team find themselves wrapped up in two festive cases.
When recently widowed Bob Holland (Mark Heap) is ordered to leave his home by a vision of his late wife Linda (Rosalind Adler), he is thrown into emotional turmoil, a vivid reminder of his harrowing grief. Deeply disturbed by this series of troubling events, he turns to his friend Anne (Barbara Flynn, from Flux) for comfort, who shares his encounters with the Shipton Abbott police team. Unsure whether Bob’s ghostly visions are a manifestation of grief or something more sinister, Humphrey and Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) get to work unravelling the mystery. Bob’s daughter Fiona (Tamla Kari) and her husband, a maverick inventor Colin (Seann Walsh), appear stumped and concerned when deliberating who could be behind this ghostly apparition. Is Bob simply struggling with the pain of the first Christmas without his wife, or is there a darker force at play?
Meanwhile, Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) and Margo (Felicity Montagu) are on the case after a break-in at the church leaves the nativity scene incomplete. With the Christmas service fast approaching, and CS Charlie Woods (Jade Harrison) due to attend, can Kelby solve the mystery of the missing Virgin Mary and impress the Chief Superintendent?
Away from the station, Humphrey and Martha’s (Sally Bretton) fostering journey continues as they open their home to introverted teenager Jaiden (Austin Taylor) over the festive period. Struggling to connect, and with Humphrey otherwise occupied at work, Martha feels out of her depth. Can she overcome her self-doubt and find a way to bond with Jaiden? And will he open up and let her in before the holidays arrive?
9pm, BBC1.
Sunday 29th December and Monday 30th December
The Split: Barcelona
Abi Morgan’s hit legal drama The Split returns to BBC iPlayer and BBC One for a very special Spanish extravaganza set over one sun-soaked weekend. The two-part special will explore the themes of love, legacy, and modern marriage, through a sparkling cast of characters that audiences know and love.
Two years on from the third and final series, formidable family lawyer Hannah Defoe (Nicola Walker, aka Eighth Doctor companion, Liv Chenka) and her family are back and have gathered for a beautiful wedding at a magnificent vineyard, nestled in Catalonia’s wine region. The weekend will introduce audiences to a host of new characters, including Toby Stephens as Archie Moore, and glamorous hosts Alvaro (Manu Fullola) and Valentina (Romina Cocca).
Fans of The Split will also be reunited with returning cast includingStephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey (Flux), Fiona Button, Deborah Findlay, Ian McElhinney (Ascension of the Cybermen/ The Timeless Children), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Elizabeth Roberts, and Alex Guersman.
9pm, BBC1.
And keep an eye on the DWC over the festive period because we’ve lots of features and reviews in store, to keep you entertained as we turn to 2025. Plus, we’ll have all your usual news, and our traditional DWC annual, free to download!
