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All The Best Christmas TV To Plan Your Festive Schedule Around

From the highly-anticipated The Great Christmas Bake Off to Call the Midwife Christmas Special, we've got you covered...

Bake off
by Aaliyah Harry |
Posted on

The hin­ter­land be­tween Christ­mas Day and 31st De­cem­ber is the one time of year when it’s en­tirely ac­cept­able to forgo all so­cial in­ter­ac­tion in favour of loung­ing in front of the TV - in fact, it’s ac­tively en­cour­aged, ide­ally with a tin of choco­lates close to hand.

To make the most of your screen time - and avoid drift­ing off in front of yet another Bond film in a post-turkey stupour, or worse yet, accidentally trapping yourself in a Netflix loop that consists solely of The Princess Switch 3 or classic Home Alone (you can even rent the house now thanks to AirBnb) - we’ve con­sulted the TV sched­ule to bring you an edit of the shows and Christmas specials that every­one will be talk­ing about over the fes­tive pe­riod. As ever, it's a mix of the obligatory big-budget period dramas, some family friendly options and a sprinkling of reality TV. Pass the Cel­e­bra­tions…

What to watch this Christmas...

The Best Christmas TV 2021

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  • Call The Midwife Christmas Special
    BBC

    Call The Midwife Christmas Special

    If you've missed Sister Mildred, you'll be relieved to hear she'll be back for this year's Call The Midwife Christmas Special. According to the BBC, In this new episode it's December 1966, and an extremely busy time. Not only is the maternity home chock-a-block with expectant mothers – many of whom are also having problems in their personal lives – but preparations are also underway for Lucille and Cyril's Boxing Day wedding.BBC One, 8pm, Christmas Day.

  • Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
    BBC

    Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special

    Of course, we couldn't compile this list without including the Christmas dose of Strictly. Six new famous faces will be paired up with pro's – including pop star Anne Marie and Mel Giedroyc – will battle on the dance floor in the hope of being crowned Christmas champions. Keeeeep dancing! (Even if you are stuffed full of Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes.) BBC One, Christmas Day.

  • Mary Berryu2019s Festive Feasts
    BBC

    Mary Berry’s Festive Feasts

    The nation's treasure, Mary Berry, will be gracing our screens soon as she prepares to teach three cooks how to create a fantastic Christmas Feast to surprise someone special. In this special Christmas-themed cookery show, the kitchen novices are invited to Mary's home to tell her about the deserving person they want to treat. BBC, date TBC.

  • A Very British Scandal
    BBC

    A Very British Scandal

    This three-part series, starring Claire Foy, follows the divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. In this series one of the most notorious, deceitful and brutal legal cases of the 20th Century is told.BBC One, 9pm, Boxing Day.

  • The Great Christmas Bake Off
    Channel 4

    The Great Christmas Bake Off

    Get your mince pies ready, as this year we are being treated to a very festive bake off. It's the collaboration we never knew we needed - Bakeoff and hit show It's a Sin will be joining forces! It's A Sin's Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis and Shaun Dooley will all be battling for the title of top baker this Christmas. Channel 4, 8pm, Christmas Day.

  • The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year
    Channel 4

    The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year

    Time to see if you do better during this quiz than you did at the office Christmas party… This year's line-up - alongside regular Jimmy Carr - celebrity features include Sarah Millican, James Acaster, Jonathan Ross, Judi Love and Guz Khany. A lot more fun than University Challenge.Channel 4, 9pm, Boxing Day.

  • Doctor Who New Years Day Special
    BBC

    Doctor Who New Years Day Special

    With the latest series of Doctor Who having just launched on BBC One, fans are eagerly awaiting its Christmas special already. Titled Flux, the new series is the end of an era for Jodie Whittaker, as she recently announced her exit from the series. According to BBC, it will revolve around characters Sarah and Nick. Sarah owns and runs ELF storage, while Nick is a customer who visits his unit every New Year's Eve. So we know it's set on New Year's Eve and also not everything goes to plan...BBC One, New Year's Day.

  • Emily In Paris
    Netflix

    Emily In Paris

    Although this is not strictly Christmas TV, it definitely still counts. With the new official trailer having just dropped, Emily In Paris is set to be the binge-worthy Netflix drama we all need to lose ourselves in after a week of Christmas celebrations. The highly anticipated second series promises complicated romances for Emily, glamorous fashion and did we mention it's set in Paris? What's not to love...Netflix, 22 December.

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Call The Midwife Christmas Special
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CREDIT: BBC

Call The Midwife Christmas Special

If you've missed Sister Mildred, you'll be relieved to hear she'll be back for this year's Call The Midwife Christmas Special. According to the BBC, In this new episode it's December 1966, and an extremely busy time. Not only is the maternity home chock-a-block with expectant mothers – many of whom are also having problems in their personal lives – but preparations are also underway for Lucille and Cyril's Boxing Day wedding.BBC One, 8pm, Christmas Day.

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