The festive season is upon us and alongside the manic shopping, panicked baking, and worries about rising family tensions, December also means some great Christmas TV.
From the return of old favourites like Wallace & Gromit and Call the Midwife to a new detective investigating a Death in Paradise, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Here’s your guide to the must-watch shows and when you and your guests can catch them.
1. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Nick Park’s beloved duo return to our screens for the first time since 2008’s short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death.
Vengeance Most Fowl finds Wallace once again at the mercy of his own inventions. When his “smart gnome” develops a mind of its own, it will no doubt be up to Gromit to save the day. But with an old nemesis set to make a dramatic return, Wallace’s faithful sidekick will have his work cut out.
Peter Kay, Diane Morgan, and Reece Shearsmith join a cast that includes Ben Whitehead in his first feature-length performance as Wallace, following the death of Peter Sallis.
Wallace and Gromit and friends will grace our screens on BBC One on Christmas Day before arriving on Netflix in January.
2. Call the Midwife Christmas specials
Fans of Call the Midwife are in for a treat this festive period, with two episodes set to air before the start of series 14 in 2025.
The plot for the festive specials involves an escaped prisoner, the Turner children’s attempt to take part in the Blue Peter Christmas appeal, and Violet’s mince pie competition.
3. Gavin and Stacey Christmas special
It’s been five years since the show ended on a cliffhanger, with Nessa (Ruth Jones) down on one knee, proposing to James Corden’s Smithy.
What was his answer? And what has happened to the rest of the gang from Barry and Billericay?
Jones and Corden have confirmed that the 2024 Christmas special will mark the end of the road for this beloved comedy. More than 11 million people tuned in back in 2019, making it the biggest Christmas Day ratings success in over a decade.
4. Death in Paradise Christmas special
Ralf Little’s Detective Inspector Neville Parker left the much-loved show at the end of its 13th series.
The 2024 Christmas special will see Don Gilet’s DI Mervin Wilson tackle his first murder investigation in a feature-length investigation.
Early indications are that London cop Wilson is unimpressed upon his arrival on the beautiful island of Saint Marie. He’s set to ruffle some feathers, but can his team of recurring characters and some new faces (including Jim Howick and Angela Griffith) win him around?
5. Doctor Who Christmas special 2024, BBC One
The Doctor Who Christmas special sees Ncuti Gatwa’s doctor joined by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan in an episode penned by former showrunner Steven Moffatt.
Expect an epic journey through time and space, from war-torn Manchester to the Orient Express and Everest base camp. And there’s dinosaurs too!
6. Outnumbered Christmas special
The Brockman family are back on BBC One this Christmas.
Sue and Pete return with the whole clan. And, by way of confirming just how long it’s been since we’ve caught up with them (2016, incidentally) they are now grandparents.
Expect the usual noise and mayhem, with difficult neighbours, bus replacement services, and… hyenas.
7. Tiddler
Following on from the likes of The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Julia Donaldson animation.
This year, it’s Tiddler, the tale of a little fish with a big imagination.
When Tiddler is late for school, he invariably has a story to tell, usually an epic adventure involving shipwrecks, seahorses or squid kidnappings.
When Tiddler gets lost, his stories might just be the key to returning safely home.
8. Playing Nice
If you’re looking for something a little grittier this Christmas, try ITV’s Playing Nice. Starring Happy Valley’s James Norton, it’s a psychological thriller about two babies, swapped at birth.
Do the couples keep the youngsters they have raised or reclaim their biological children? Who can be trusted? And are there ulterior motives at play?
9. The Great British Bake Off
Celebrities head to the famous Bake Off tent for a series of Christmas specials on Channel 4.
With Star Baker crowns, Hollywood handshakes, and green room bragging rights to consider, there’s all to play for.
Expect baking disasters and some unexpected triumphs for judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith to consider, while Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond keep only a loose grip on the reigns.
10. All Creatures Great and Small
Over on Channel 5, the All Creatures Great and Small main cast all return for a festive episode.
It’s baby Jimmy’s first birthday, while James and Tristan are back from the war. But is Tristan hiding something about his time in Egypt?
