John Byrne picks his top TV highlights for this festive season, ranging from Mrs Brown's Boys to Wallace and Gromit to, eh, Squid Game.
In no particular order...
Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without Brendan O’Carroll (below) and the gang.
In a festive special entitled Ding Dong Mammy, it’s Christmas in Finglas again and Agnes is failing to convince the gang she’s not grumpy!
Meanwhile Cathy pulls the Finglas community together in support of a festive good cause and Buster sources a sustainable tree.
St Stephen’s Day, BBC One
The Brockmans are back for the first new episode of the hit comedy since 2019.
All the original cast are reprising their roles, so Hugh Dennis returns as dad Pete, Claire Skinner plays mum Sue, Tyger Drew-Honey as eldest son Jake, Daniel Roche as middle child Ben, and Ramona Marquez as daughter Karen.
The new episode will follow the chaos in the downsized Brockman family home, as Pete and Sue grapple with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults.
Here they are on the recent Children in Need night on BBC One:
The event also marks the 1500th anniversary of Ireland’s beloved St Brigid, offering a unique blend of music, heritage, and festive joy.
This year’s performers include May Kay, Paul Noonan of Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, and Colm Mac Con Iomaire.
Also joining the celebrations are the 25-strong all-female choir Dulciana, rising stars Kingfishr, the Theodora Byrne ensemble, Grammy Award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens as well as Kildare native, the aforementioned Celine Byrne.
Christmas Day, BBC One
The Time Lord returns for a special festive episode ahead of its 15th season next year and this time Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor will be joined by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan as Joy.
The storyline is wrapped in secrecy - but the episode has been written by former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat.
The storyline is wrapped in secrecy - but the episode has been written by former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat.
December 28, Sky Arts & NOW
This feature-length documentary records the return of Blur, in a year the band released their first record in eight years, the critically acclaimed album The Ballad of Darren.
The film follows the unique relationship of band members and mates Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree as they reunite to record new songs and play London's Wembley Stadium in 2023.
Christmas Day, BBC One
This is a sort of sequel to The Wrong Trousers, which featured Feathers McGraw. He’s back and looking for revenge on Wallace and Gromit.
The much-loved man-and-dog duo are apparently on top form, with Peter Kay returning as Chief Inspector Macintosh, as well as cameos from Diane Morgan (Motherland), Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton), Muzz Khan (Brassic) and Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds).
All that – and Wensleydale cheese!
Christmas Eve, Virgin Media One
Ah, Nathan once again!
Not for the first time, Nathan Carter hosts his own Christmas show. I’ve vague memories of meeting him at the Mansion House for a Yuletide gig some years ago.
Nathan’s new special promises an electrifying performance, showcasing his dynamic live show and incredible band.
Christmas Day, BBC One
It wouldn't quite be Christmas without an episode of Strictly and a stand-alone episode battle for the Silver Star trophy.
Llast year saw EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and professional dancer Nancy Xu triumph on the dance floor.
This year's line-up includes comedian Josh Widdicombe, EastEnders legend Tazmin Outhwaite, presenter Vogue Williams (above), drag artist Tayce, Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Formula 3 racing driver Billy Monger.
Cork City’s young rap collective the Kabin Crew headline their first ever Christmas Special to top an amazing year.
2024 saw them release their hit song The Spark (feat the Lisdoonvarna Crew), which went viral and amassed over 2 billion plays on social media.
This special will feature brand new songs from the Kabin Crew, as well as a chance to get to know the members of the crew some more.
We will find out more about the community ethos of the Kabin, learn about how they started collaborating with the Lisdoonvarna Crew and see the work that happens every day in the Kabin.
December 29, Sky Documentaries & NOW
This is an unauthorised salute to an uncompromising spirit and a force of nature - the ultimate female music icon of our time. (Taylor Swift excepted.)
The origin story of a punk feminist who didn’t care about being slut-shamed, and who refuses to disappear quietly or tastefully – announcing 'the most controversial thing I ever did was stick around’.
An intimate and immersive experience as we witness how Madonna became the artist who conquered the world, using a wealth of archive and audio-only interviews.
Christmas Day, BBC One
A trip to Nonnatus House has been a Christmas staple for years - but unlike previous years, the BBC drama will be giving fans a double-episode.
So it's two 60-minute episodes rather than a stand alone 90-minute one.
The episodes will see Poplar preparing for a carol concert but the cheery festivities soon take a dark turn when the neighbourhood learns of the news of an escaped prisoner.
Could he be the one to blame for the rise in local break-ins?
There's also set to be some cases of influenza and the Hong Kong flu to contend with, in a show that can be quite dark, but always uplifting.
Christmas Eve, Channel 4
Hosted by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, and judged by Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, five soap stars will see if they have what it takes to become Star Baker.
The wannabe bakers are EastEnders' Dean Gaffney (above), Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star Sheree Murphy and Coronation Street's Shobna Gulati, EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy and Coronation Street and Emmerdale star Chris Bisson.
St Stephen’s Day, Netflix
Nothing says ‘Christmas!’ more than Squid Game.
Said no one ever. But here we are.
Season 2 arrives three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 comes back with a new resolution in his mind.
Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 456 billion won.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who made history at the 74th Primetime Emmys becoming the first Asian to win Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, once again helms the series.
This is the story of Ireland in 1995, a snapshot of a country told through a prize fight between the then unknown Cabra underdog Steve ‘The Celtic Warrior’ Collins and the larger-than-life champion Chris ‘Simply the Best’ Eubank.
It’s the story of a very rare kind of event – one that offers a freeze frame of the state of a nation at a moment when everything was about to change.
Good times were just around the corner – the Irish weren’t rich yet but there was a sense of excitement and expectation in the air.
As an athletic contest it had religion, racism, jingoism and hypnotism and at its heart a heroic against-all-the-odds fight narrative so captivating you simply couldn’t script it.
Here’s a look at Lord Henry Mount Charles (below), the bankrupt estate he inherited and a music festival that would change the world of Irish entertainment forever.
But it came at a cost to his health and his marriage and saw him spiral into the depths of alcoholism. Now in recovery he faces another battle with lung cancer.
Featuring rare archive and candid in depth interviews with Lord Henry, his wife Iona, his brother Simon and his children and friends – including Adam Clayton from U2 – nothing is off limits.
What emerges is a deeply personal portrait of a determined man who often feels at odds with his homeland.
It’s the last-ever journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the show’s final episode.
It’s five years since we left Nessa down on one knee declaring her love for Smithy and asking him to marry her.
In Barry, Bryn’s packing the Picasso in readiness for a trip to Essex. Stacey and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their seventeen-year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely.
Meanwhile, Nessa’s started a new business venture and Neil the Baby’s about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad.
Over in Billericay Pam is stressing out at the prospect of playing hostess, not helped by a newly retired Mick practicing his golf swing.
Christmas Day, Netflix
The NFL Christmas Day comes to Netflix. I guess it won't before something like the Champions League heads this way too.
The streamer will be the global home of the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games: First up, the Super Bowl LVII-winning Chiefs will face the Steelers
Later on, the Ravens will take on the Texans.
Fans of American football probably know this already, but Netflix be streaming at least one Christmas Day game each year as part of a three-season deal.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Mairéad, Sgt Healy and Conor are preparing for the imminent new arrival, with Conor wanting only the best for his mother.
Conor’s still a novice at housework, including washing, so Mairéad decides to give him lessons, clearing out his wash basket thoroughly – only to discover a gun in the basket.
Conor is holding the gun for a friend for a few days in exchange for cash. It turns out that the friend is Jack Hammer, the only person in the world that Billy Murphy is terrified of.
Mairéad insists that the handgun is returned to Hammer, even though it’s Christmas Eve. It’s then that the reral fun begins . . .
St Stephen’s Day, Virgin Media One
This has to be the daftest show on TV. So it's probably the daftest Christmas special too.
Dressed head to toe in elaborate costumes that keep their true identities hidden, 12 celebrities perform as a superstar panel try to guess who’s behind the mask.
Christmas Day, Sky Arts & NOW
Based on the classic Tim Burton movie and featuring the haunting music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, the incomparable Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures Company return to this witty, bittersweet story of an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world.
In a castle high on a hill lives Edward, a boy created by an eccentric inventor.
When his creator dies he is left alone and unfinished with only scissors for hands until a kindly townswoman invites him to live with her suburban family.
Can Edward find his place in the well-meaning community which struggles to see past his curious appearance to the innocence and gentleness within?
.svg)