Some of your family members might try and give a profound speech about the meaning of Christmas, but for many, it is really about planting oneself in front of the telly and not moving for days as the pile of snack wrappers grows at an alarming rate. Here are some of the Christmas specials gracing our screens for the 2024 festive season to look forward to.
1. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Was anything else going to be number one? You’re already humming the theme tune in your head and the childlike grin is breaking out across your face at the thought of new Wallace And Gromit dropping on Christmas Day. This is what we wished for and it is here to cure our longing for a new FMSS (Feathers McGraw Scheming Session). Vengeance Most Foul is the first new W&G action since 2008, and we’ve felt every minute of that long 16 years since A Matter of Loaf and Death. Are any of these other specials big enough to be projected onto Battersea Power Station? Didn’t think so.
📺 BBC 1 6:10pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
2. Gavin And Stacey: The Finale
Perhaps the third best G (after Gromit and gingerbread) to happen at Christmas this year. It’s another comeback from the Gavin And Stacey crew with fans eager to find out what will be occurring after the last episode aired at Christmas in 2019. This one seems like it really will be the last one ever, with Matthew Horne calling it the ‘perfect ending’ for the show. We’ll still be on the edge of our seats, mind – Ruth Jones has told fans that the episode ‘might not be what your are expecting’. Can’t beat a bit of festive mystery, can you?
📺 BBC 1 9pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
3. Outnumbered
Also back for the first new episode since 2019, the cast of Outnumbered are getting the band back together for an inevitable evening of what can only be described as a chaotic Christmas.
📺 BBC 1 9:40pm, Boxing Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
4. The Festive Pottery Throwdown
A cocktail of transfixion, relaxation, and elation can be found by gazing at pottery being made from scratch and having heated arguments with your family over which creation is the best. Nothing screams Christmas quite like that.
📺 Channel 4 9pm, Boxing Day
5. Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
Less relaxing than pottery, but Strictly will be sure to create some shout-out-the-TV moments for us to cherish this Christmas in its afternoon slot – if you can still move after your giant roast. This year’s lineup includes Josh Widdecombe, Tayce, Vogue Williams, Tamzin Outhwaite, and more!
📺 BBC 1 3:55pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
6. The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year
The year might have flown by faster than you can ever remember, but now you’ve got to recall what happened as The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year returns to our screens for its annual laughathon to see us into the new year. Jimmy Carr is on hosting duties as usual and you can expect quips and gags galore from this year’s panel of Richard Ayoade Rob Beckett, Katherine Ryan, Chris McCausland, Judi Love, and Maisie Adam.
📺 Channel 4 9pm, December 27
7. Doctor Who: Joy To The World
Ncuti Gatwa is returning to our screens as the Doctor on Christmas Day with star of Derry Girls and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan coming in as Joy Almondo. Together they will undergo a top-secret festive mission that can only be uncovered on December 25…
📺 BBC 1 1 5:10pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
8. EastEnders
This is what the day is leading up to. You’ve cracked the chocolate open and you’re ready to see what’s happening next at the Queen Vic pub. This year, we’re being spoiled, with the EastEnders Christmas special airing across two episodes which is about the most festive and joyful thing that could happen. Where will it rank in our very own Albert Square expert Tamsin’s list of the best EastEnders Christmas episodes? We’ll have to wait and find out.
📺 BBC 1 1 7:30pm & 10:35pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
9. Mrs Brown’s Boys
This one is happening again.
📺 BBC 1 11:05pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer)
10. Call The Midwife
Another returning festive favourite is Call The Midwife, which is part of BBC 1’s marathon of Christmas specials. A double-episode (as opposed to the usual longer singular episode) means that we’re getting two hours of festivity from CTM, starting with an episode on Chrismas Day and culminating in a Boxing Day special. This time, we start with a carol concert taking a turn when news of an escaped prisoner emerges.
📺 BBC 1 8pm, Christmas Day (+ BBC Iplayer) and 7:30pm, Boxing Day