9.30pm, BBC One
A Christmas nativity story with quite a difference as the Cork City petty criminals return in a seasonal special of the Irish sitcom. Chris Walley’s Jock O’Keeffe seems no longer to be part of the cast, his place as sidekick to the hapless Conor MacSweeney now being taken by Shane Casey’s Billy Murphy. Anyway, Conor’s mother Mairéad (Hilary Sweeney) is heavily pregnant with her and Sergeant Troy’s baby. Conor is trying his best to help his mother but is still a novice at domestic housework, including washing, so Mairéad decides to give him lessons, clearing out his laundry basket thoroughly – only to discover a handgun in the basket. Chef Rachel Allen guest stars.
Return to Paradise
8pm, BBC One
There are Christmas special episodes of both Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise in the coming fortnight. In the meantime, here’s the penultimate visit to Dolphin Cove and the Australian spin-off, where a quiet afternoon of lawn bowls turns to chaos when accusations of cheating are made and shots ring out from an ornamental bushranger’s gun. Anna Samson, reacting to everything with that overly theatrical stare, stars as DI Mackenzie Clarke.
8.30pm, ITV1
ITV goes into its default Christmas schedule – that’s to say, more or less surrendering the ground to Channel 4, Sky and the BBC with repeats. This is a re-run of last year’s Christmas special with DCI Stanhope’s boss insisting that she examine an apparent suicide – a high-profile case on her home stomping ground of Holy Island. Brenda Blethyn dons the familiar hat and raincoat.
Alex Murphy as Conor and Hilary Rose as Mairead (Photo: Vico Films/BBC)Celebrity Gogglebox
9pm, Channel 4
A compilation of standout moments from the most recent series watches the famous faces as they in turn watch Bridgerton, MILF Manor, In With a Shout, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, The UnXplained: Mysteries of the Universe, and coverage of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US election.
9pm, More4
The chasm between the haves and have-nots fuels this ongoing South African crime drama starring Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) as a journalist, Edie, investigating the murder of her brother in an upscale Cape Town neighbourhood. She’s still trying to clear the names of her late brother’s teenage children, but Edie’s tentative closeness with her nephew is now shattered when she makes a shocking discovery at a party.
Only Child
9pm, BBC One
Richard (Greg McHugh) embarks on a journey to gather together some of Ken’s (Gregor Fisher) nearest and dearest for his surprise 75th birthday party. However, tracking down the elusive Brian – Ken’s oldest friend whom he lost touch with – proves quite the challenge. Elsewhere, Richard’s self-taped audition for a major role is troublesome.
10.40pm, BBC One
Sharing the sofa space are James Corden and Ruth Jones, ahead of the much-anticipated Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, actor Timothée Chalamet who is playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, and Colman Domingo, who is performing with real-life former inmates in Sing Sing. Plus Andrew Garfield plugs his new movie and Icelandic singer Laufey performs her new single.
Saturday
Pick of the day: Strictly Come Dancing: 20 Fabulous Years
7pm, BBC One
Not all of them have been fabulous, of course, and 2024 was the year in which the Strictly brand became tainted with controversy. But forget that for the next 85 minutes, because this bumper 20th anniversary retrospective is one for the fans. It features behind-the scenes footage and interviews with dancers, judges, presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly and some of the 309 celebrities who have braved the dance floor, while also delving into the evolution of the show.
6.15PM, BBC One
Romesh Ranganathan marks Strictly Come Dancing’s 20th anniversary by quizzing eight dancers past and present for charity. Celebrities James Bye, Zara McDermott and 2019 winner Kelvin Fletcher play alongside professionals Carlos Gu, Michelle Tsiakkas, Lauren Oakley, Kai Widdrington and Joanne Clifton. Ranganathan asks the general knowledge questions against the clock as the celebs and pro dancers try to avoid getting answers wrong, knowing that at the end of each round, the team must vote off the player they believe is the worst. It could all get very personal very quickly. Who will have the brains and quick reflexes to make it all the way to the end and be crowned the winner?
Romesh Ranganathan hosts The Weakest Link (Photo: BBC/Alan Peebles)Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas
7.10pm, BBC Four
Pioneering TV chef Fanny Cradock and her sidekick husband Johnnie are little more than a retro joke these days, but in her pomp, Cradock was the DeliaSmith/Mary Berry/Nigella Lawson of her time. Anyway, here is a taste of herimperious style, with five back-to-back episodes of her 1975 series cooking a highly traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings.
8.25pm, BBC Two
BBC Two gives over its evening to Annie Lennox, who will be turning 70 on Christmas Day. It begins with this trawl of the archives for Lennox and Dave Stewart’s 80s synth-pop band Eurythmics. Then, at 9.55pm, there’s Annie Lennox at the BBC which features more archive performances by the singer-songwriter, and Annie Lennox: BBC One Sessions, at 10.55pm, which features a performance by the singer at LSO St Luke’s in London. Sweet dreams were made of this.
Casualty: All I Want for Christmas
9.20pm BBC One
It’s Christmas Day in the emergency department and the team face a blood shortage. While Stevie (Elinor Lawless) fights to save lives, Iain risks his own to ensure the hospital doesn’t go short. This groundbreaking episode featuresreal-life testimonies from contributors who have been directly impacted by UK blood donation, as well as interviews with key workers who form the country’s blood service.
Sunday
8pm, Channel 4
The Scottish PopMaster puts together his perfect Christmas playlist and talksto some of the stars behind the hit festive songs, who go on to choose their own favourites. Among the contributors are English singer-songwriter Jona Lewie, Liz Mitchell of 70s disco/reggae band Boney M, Roy Wood of Wizzard and Electric Light Orchestra fame, East 17’s Tony Mortimer, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, singer, actress and author Pauline Black, record producer and songwriter Pete Waterman, broadcaster Lauren Layfield and “Walking in the Air” singer Aled Jones. Plus, singer-songwriter Paul Young recalls one of the most iconic moments in pop history.
Death in Paradise
8.30pm, BBC One
Don Gilet makes his debut as the lead detective following Ralf Little’s departure. His first case involves a holidaymaker (played – inevitably briefly – by Marcus Brigstocke) who has been killed while dressed as Father Christmas. Commissioner Patterson worries about the team’s ability to tackle such a case without the guiding hand of a chief investigator, but he is relieved to learn that a British detective inspector, Mervin Wilson (Gilet), is currently holidaying on the island, and arranges for him to extend his stay.
7.30pm, Sky Max
There’s no Not Going Out special this Christmas, but this entertainingfeature-length comedy starring Lee Mack has the same vibe. It also happensto co-star Strictly’s man-of-the moment, Chris McCausland, as Scott, a Stockport neighbour of Mack’s home-security expert Neil. Neil is being driven mad by Scott having his Christmas lights on all year and constantly swapping bins, but all the rest of the street think that Scott, who is blind, is great. It’s the last straw,however, when the street tries to make Scott the new head of Neighbourhood Watch. “It’s Neighbourhood Watch!”, objects Neil. “I mean, hello?”.
Chris McCausland as Scott and Lee Mack as Neil in Bad Tidings (Photo: Natalie Seery/Sky)Inside No 9: The Party’s Over
9pm, BBC Two
A real treat for fans of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s dark comedy anthology, which finished in June after nine series (and 55 very different episodes). The writer-actors take us behind the scenes of the final series,from the writer’s room and props store to the make-up and set-design. We alsolearn of various working titles.
Hallelujah: The Gospel Messiah
9pm, BBC Four
Gareth Malone hosts as conductor Marin Alsop leads the BBC Concert Orchestra in a reinterpretation of Handel’s 1741 oratorio Messiah, infused with gospel, jazz and R&B, at the Royal Albert Hall. Regularly performed as Too Hot to Handel across the US, this marks the European premiere of the rearrangement.
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