What’s On TV This Christmas?

Christmas – and Twixmas – is the perfect time to snuggle up and rewatch your festive favourites. But if you’re looking for newness, luckily we Brits are treated to a whole host of special episodes filled with tinsel, cheer and seasonal drama. Here’s a guide to what’s on TV this Christmas, featuring our top picks.

Christmas TV Guide 2024

Gavin (MATHEW HORNE), Pam (ALISON STEADMAN), Smithy (JAMES CORDEN), Nessa (RUTH JONES), Stacey (JOANNA PAGE) in Gavin and Stacey: The Finale. (BBC/Toffee International Ltd./Tom Jackson)

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale

Brits are bubbling with excitement for the much-awaited return of Gavin & Stacey this Christmas – officially the final time the Barry and Billericay gangs will reunite. Subtitled ‘The Finale’, the episode comes after the 2019 special episode, which was one of the most-watched non-sporting TV events in a decade, reeling in a whopping 18.5 million viewers. This time around, we rejoin the gang five years after we left them – when Smithy asked Nessa to marry him. A lot has happened between then and now, but all you need to know is that Christmas is in Essex this year – and the whole gang is there to celebrate.

WATCH: Gavin & Stacey: The Finale will air at 9pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Superfans should tune into BBC Radio 2 Breakfast on Monday 23 December from 6.30–9.30 AM when Ruth Jones and James Corden will host a Gavin & Stacey takeover.

The Great Christmas Bake Off

Bake Off fans are treated to a festive special episode every year, and 2024 is no different. Pitting five soap stars head-to-head, fans can expect the return of beloved presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith judging the contestants’ creations. Vying for the grand prize (Star Baker and ultimate bragging rights, of course) are five members of soap royalty: Chris Bisson, Natalie Cassidy, Dean Gaffney, Shobna Gulati and Sheree Murphy.

WATCH: The Great Christmas Bake Off will air on Channel 4 at 8pm on Christmas Eve.

NICOLA COUGHLAN in the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2024. © BBC Studios 2023/James Pardon

Doctor Who: Joy To The World

Ncuti Gatwa is back a year after his debut as the 15th Doctor for a festive special – and this time he’s joined by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan. As he deciphers the mysterious Time Hotel, expect more mystery, frolics and fun.

WATCH: Doctor Who will air on BBC One at 5.10pm on Christmas Day.

Ben (DANIEL ROCHE), Karen (RAMONA MARQUEZ), Pete (HUGH DENNIS), Jake (TYGER DREW HONEY) & Sue (CLAIRE SKINNER). (BBC/Hat Trick (ON) Ltd/Adam Lawrence)

Outnumbered Christmas Special

Reuniting after eight years, the Brockman family is back together for a special festive episode filled with characteristic wit, squabbles and heartwarming family moments. This time, however, the trio of children are all grown up. Read all about what to expect here.

WATCH: The Outnumbered Christmas special will air at 9.30pm on Boxing Day on BBC One. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Keira Knightly as Helen in Black Doves. (Netflix)

Black Doves

If you haven’t tuned into this brand new Netflix spy drama yet, Christmas is the perfect time. Backdropped by London in the run-up to Christmas day, Keira Knightly stars as Helen Webb, a shrewd mother and dedicated wife to the defense minister – who also happens to be a spy. The series begins with the mysterious assassination of her secret lover Jason, and the drama unfolds from there. Here’s what to expect.

WATCH: All episodes of Black Doves are streaming now on Netflix.

Miss Higgins (GEORGIE GLEN), Cyril Robinson (ZEPHRYN TAITTE), Sister Veronica (REBECCA GETHINGS), Nancy Corrigan (MEGAN CUSACK), Trixie Aylward (HELEN GEORGE), Mrs Wallace (LINDA HARGREAVES), Sister Julienne (JENNY AGUTTER), Geoffrey Franklin (CHRISTOPHER HARPER), Violet Buckle (ANNABELLE APSION), Dr Turner (STEPHEN MCGANN), Joyce Highland (RENEE BAILEY), Rosalind Clifford (NATALIE QUARRY), Nurse Crane (LINDA BASSETT) in the Call the Midwife Christmas special. (BBC/Neal Street Productions/Olly Courtney)

Call The Midwife

It’s the first-ever two-part Christmas special for Call the Midwife this year, whisking us back to Poplar in 1969 with the Nonnatus midwives in their element, delivering an abundance of babies. However, with new visitors bringing new flus to the borough and an escaped prisoner on the loose, everything isn’t as rosy as it seems. Read all about what to expect here.

WATCH: Part one of the Call the Midwife Christmas special will air on BBC One on Christmas Day, followed by part two on Boxing Day.

The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Special

Looping back to festive competitions, Sarah Pascoe will put four celebs – H from Steps, Kellie Bright, Fatiha El Ghorri and Charlotte Crosby – to the test in a special episode of The Great British Sewing Bee this Christmas. For some textile envy, one of the challenges is to craft a cosy onesie…

WATCH: The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Special will air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursday 19 December 2024.

The Festive Pottery Throw Down

Another one! This festive competition will see novice celebrity potters Martin Kemp, Rachel Riley, Tom Rosenthal and Babatunde Aleshe throw down and take to the wheel, tasked with tough pottery challenges set by Rich Miller and Keith Brymer Jones.

WATCH: The Festive Pottery Throw Down will air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Boxing Day.

Jack Whitehall & Michael Bublé in Jack In Time For Christmas. (Prime Video)

Jack In Time For Christmas

British comedian Jack Whitehall took to the States to film this festive special, starring friendly familiar faces as Whitehall races along an implausible journey to make it back home to the UK in time for Christmas. Here’s exactly what to expect.

WATCH: Jack in Time for Christmas is available to stream now on Prime Video.

Gromit, Norbot & Wallace in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. (BBC/Aardman Animations Ltd 2024/Richard Davies)

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

A familiar foe will return to our TV screens this Christmas: Feathers McGraw. Causing even more havoc in the lives of Wallace and Gromit, this new Aardman film will see invention-savvy Wallace becoming a little too reliant on his gadgets and gizmos, with faithful Gromit stepping in to save the day. Read about what will happen here.

WATCH: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will air at 6.10pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. In the rest of the world, the film will be released on Netflix on 3 January 2025.

DI Mervin (DON GILET) in the Death in Paradise Christmas Special. (BBC/Red Planet Pictures/Philippe Virapin)

Death In Paradise

There’s a festive spin on Death in Paradise’s return to BBC One, with Don Gilet arriving in Saint-Marie as the island’s new detective, Mervyn Wilson, who is faced with a double Santa homicide.

WATCH: Death in Paradise airs Sunday 22 December at 8.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Humphrey Goodman (KRIS MARSHALL) and Martha Lloyd (SALLY BRETTON) in the Beyond Paradise Christmas Special. (BBC/Red Planet Pictures/Joss Barrett)

Beyond Paradise

On the other side of Christmas, Kris Marshall’s Death in Paradise spin off also has a Christmas special on TV this year. Returning to Humphrey (Abbot) and Martha’s (Sally Bretton) cosy life in Shipton Abbot, we find the duo tasked with not one but two cases – all with a festive backdrop.

WATCH: The Beyond Paradise Christmas special will air on BBC One at 9pm on 27 December.

© Juhan Noh/Netflix

Squid Game

It may not be particularly festive, but the return of this Netflix hit is worth setting aside some Boxing Day time for. Rejoining Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), Squid Game season 2 is all about revenge as our protagonist uses his winnings from his first trip to the games to uncover the larger powers at play. But his research ultimately reaches a dead end – pushing him to re-enter… Find out more about what’s in store here.

WATCH: Squid Game season 2 will land on Netflix on Boxing Day.