Why hello there fellow 2020 survivors, how the devil are you doing? We hope that you’re okay and keeping your spirits up (or at least drinking them, like we are). It’s been a tough 10 months and it now feels as though our Christmas bubble has been well and truly popped. With most of the UK in either Tier 3 or Tier 4 and the proposed Christmas bubbles cancelled, our festive season really isn’t going to be the same this year.
Don’t lose hope. We will get through this together. You’ve been amazing and you will keep going like the troopers you are – we would give you a great big hug if we could! But instead, we thought we would recommend some good TV for you to watch over the festive period. Let’s face it, what else are we going to do? Luckily for those of us who have binged every boxset known to man, there are some good programmes coming our way.
Sit back and relax, we’ve scanned the TV schedules so you don’t have to and picked some Christmas TV crackers to distract us over the festive period:-
Ghosts – Ghosts of Christmas Past – 8:30pm, BBC1, Wednesday 23 December
We fell in love with this funny, spooky sitcom during lockdown part 2 and we’re hoping that the Christmas special won’t fail to disappoint. We’re going back to join Alison, Mike and the ghost gang at Button House where this year they’ll be celebrating with Mike’s family… Meanwhile, the ghost contingent naturally all have their own views on Christmas. This episode will apparently focus on the backstory of 1990’s MP Julian – perhaps we’ll finally learn how he died with his trousers off?
Motherland – 9:00pm, BBC2, Wednesday 23 December
Another corker of a comedy series from the BBC. ‘Motherland’ is a fabulous series focusing on the realities and hilarities of parenting as seen through the eyes of the drop-off gang of mothers (and token father) who meet each day at the school gates. They’re worn-out, bitchy and cynical and I hope that Christmas keeps them in the same spirit. This Christmas episode apparently sees them heckling the Nativity play and trying to ruin the glam, fake mum Amanda’s Christmas party. One to be enjoyed with a nice gin methinks!
The Great Christmas Bake Off – 7:40pm, Channel 4, Christmas Eve
No TV schedule is complete without a slice of the Paul Hollywood cake – those blue eyes see straight through you, even if his personal life raises the odd eyebrow. Paul and Pru (love Pru!) are back for Christmas to give us some uncomplicated, feel-good bakes. With Pru sporting some funky blue hair (I honestly want to be her when I get older) and co-hosting duties assigned to Matt Lucas and Tom Allen, it’s sure to be the icing on our Christmas Eve cake.
Roald and Beatrix: The Tale of the Curious Mouse – 8:15pm, Sky 1, Christmas Eve
I can’t wait to see Dawn French on Christmas Eve! In this drama, she is playing a middle-aged Beatrix Potter whose career and sight is failing. She happens to meet a grieving boy and his mother. The boy turns out to be a young Roald Dahl. I can already feel the Christmas magic just reading the synopsis. Dawn’s Potter is grumpy and apparently the young Dahl is charming. The Radio Times calls this one ‘a delightful surprise’. We’re all in!
One Night in Hamleys – 9:00pm, Channel 4, Christmas Eve
When you were a child, did you ever dream about being locked in a toy store overnight? We did and so did comedians Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett and Tom Allen. For one night only they are granted every child’s Christmas wish and get locked inside the famous Hamley’s toy shop on Regent’s Street. They get to play games, raid the shelves and do all the things they dreamed of doing when they were kids. We’re quite jealous.
Bridgerton – Netflix, Christmas Day
Lauded as the ‘new Downton’, Netflix’s 8 part comedy of manners has received a lot of hype that I very much hope it lives up to. Narrated by the fabulous Julie Andrews as a kind of Regency ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Bridgerton’ tells the story of the widowed Lady Bridgerton and and the assorted romantic entanglements of her 8 children in London high society. It looks gorgeous, the trailer hints at brilliance and it is the first period drama that we have seen with a racially diverse cast. Looking forward to bingeing this one on Christmas Day with a tub of Roses and a glass of wine!
The Great British Christmas Sewing Bee – 7:45pm, BBC1, Boxing Day & 8:00pm, BBC1, New Year’s Eve
Oh Joe Lycett, how we’ve missed you, Patrick and Esme! There’s nothing we love more than joining you in the sewing room for a competitive creative challenge. With celebrities added to the mix for the first of two specials over the festive period, it’s sure to be a creative cracker! Celebrity contestants this year include Denise Van Outen, Sara Pascoe, Shirley Ballas and Dr Ranj Singh.
Doctor Who – 6:45pm, BBC1, New Year’s Day
Yes, we are putting this on the list – one for all the family (or the grown-up sci-fi fan in your home). When we last left the Doctor, she had been imprisoned by the Judoon. Cue the return of the devastatingly charming Captain Jack Harkness who returns to help her companions take on the Daleks. With action and drama on the menu, get ready to get your tissues out as we say goodbye to Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole as Graham and Ryan. We hope it’s not a heartbreaker.
The Serpent – 9:00pm, BBC1, New Year’s Day
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a new drama series from the BBC. ‘The Serpent’ is a true-crime saga following conman and serial killer Charles Sobhraj and his accomplice Marie-Andree Leclerc as they con and murder their way through 1970’s South East Asia with a Dutch diplomat hot on their trail. The setting and the costumes look amazing and it’s sure to be a feast for the senses. If it’s anything like ‘The Night Manager’, then we’re sold.
We hope that you enjoy these festive offerings and join us on the sofa this Christmas. It may not be Christmas as we know it, but it’s still a chance for us all to rest, recuperate and enjoy a bit of entertainment.
SJB
So Just Be 