It’s the most wonderful time of the year for TV fans, with treats old and new to suit every taste over the holidays. Here are 10 of the best.
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
If you crave Charles Dickens but like your classics with a few more laughs, check out this four-part comedy mash-up of Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Set in Victorian London, this comedy traces the woes of Jedrington Secret-Past (Robert Webb), his wife Conceptiva (Katherine Parkinson) and kids after they are thrown into debtor’s prison by a sinister lawyer.
• 7pm, December 24, BBC Entertainment
Cooking Christmas with Matt and Lisa
British chef and television presenter Matt Tebbutt and actress and celebrity chef Lisa Faulkner are joined by singer Michael Ball to cook their ultimate Christmas dishes. Matt roasts a majestic rib of beef with baby onions, while Lisa serves up a Christmas Pavlova piled high with red fruits coated in a winter spiced syrup.
• 10am, December 24, Food Network
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol
Like an old fruit cake maturing nicely in the cellar, this 1988 holiday special will never go stale. This parody of A Christmas Carol stars Rowan Atkinson as Ebenezer Blackadder, the nicest man in England whose kindness knows no bounds and is abused by all – until the Spirit of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) drops by to congratulate him on his good nature.
• 9.45am, December 21, BBC Entertainment
Billy Elliot The Musical
This TV special is based on the stage adaption of the 2000 movie Billy Elliot. This version – a big hit on Broadway – was filmed in London’s West End and has a rousing score by Sir Elton John. It tells the inspirational tale of a boy’s journey from the boxing ring to the ballet barre, where his life-changing passion for dance transforms his family, along with an entire mining town.
• 2.15pm, December 26, OSN Movies Premiere
Swamp People: Swamp Christmas
Across the bayou, swampers hunt for traditional holiday delicacies straight from their backyards, decorate their trees, wrap their gifts and cook up a crawfish storm. Whether it’s taking the kids on their first big-game hunt, diving in the water to catch fresh meat, or dressing up as Papa Noel, the Cajuns take on Santa Claus in their own unique fashion.
• 1am, December 26, History
Tom and Jerry: Santa’s Little Helpers
The rivalry between Tom and Jerry has been heated and hilarious since their creation in 1940 by animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. This 2014 festive TV movie finds Jerry and his pal Tuffy living the good life in Santa’s workshop – until the unfortunate day on which Tom is rescued by the Claus family. With Tom in the house, merry mayhem ensues.
• 3.30pm, December 26, OSN Movies Kids
Christmas at Castlebury Hall
Life sucks for Jules Daly (Katie McGrath). She’s struggling to make ends meet while working in an antique store and raising her orphaned niece, Maddie, 7, and nephew, Milo, 15. Days before Christmas, she loses her job and her car dies. Their lives change when the children’s estranged grandfather, Duke Edward Huntington (Roger Moore), invites them to Castlebury Hall.
• 3pm, December 23, OSN Movies Comedy
Midsomer Murders Christmas Special
It’s the festive season as DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) welcomes new detective Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee) to Midsomer. But don’t break out the egg nog just yet – a man has been fatally stabbed with an antique sword during a ghost-hunting party at a “haunted” manor house, and they have a tough case to crack.
• 5.30pm, December 22, ITV Choice
Christmas with Holly
Keep the hankies handy for this original and positively reviewed Hallmark presentation. A coffee-shop owner (Sean Faris) is determined to connect with his orphaned niece (Lucy Gallina) in a quaint Washington-state hamlet, but their lives are about to change with the arrival of a free-spirited woman (Eloise Mumford) who opens a toy store just before Christmas.
• 10.45am, December 26, OSN Movies Premiere
Dr Christmas
Bob Pranga and Debi Staron are home stylists to the Hollywood stars. Watch and drool as their company, Dr Christmas, elaborately decorates mansions for the holidays, transforming them into spectacular winter wonderlands. Previous clients have included Ryan Seacrest and the Jonas Brothers, as well as festive set-dressing for TV and film productions, including Surviving Christmas and Friends.
• 9.10pm, December 24, TLC