Join us as we explore what to watch on the BBC this Christmas, from returning classics to festive specials, addictive drama and rib-tickling comedy. There is something for everyone in the BBC Christmas what to watch hamper.
The BBC has unveiled its hamper of festive TV delights on TV and BBC iPlayer over the Christmas period. Audiences will delight in a smorgasbord of spectacular treats that celebrate the very best in homegrown storytelling and creativity. Feast on a range of specials, family favourites, thrilling drama, hilarious comedy and blockbuster movies alongside arts, documentary, music and religious programming.
Drama
Tom Hiddleston is back in the hotly anticipated return of the multi-award-winning hit drama The Night Manager. Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) thought he’d buried his past. Now living as Alex Goodwin – a low-level MI6 officer running a quiet surveillance unit in London – his life is comfortingly uneventful. Then one night, a chance sighting of an old Roper mercenary prompts a call to action and leads Pine to a violent encounter with a new player: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva).
On this perilous new journey, Pine meets Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone), a businesswoman who reluctantly helps him infiltrate Teddy’s Colombian arms operation. Once in Colombia, Pine is plunged deep into a deadly plot involving arms and the training of a guerrilla army. As allegiances splinter, Pine races to expose a conspiracy designed to destabilise a nation. And with betrayal at every turn, he must decide whose trust he needs to earn and how far he’s willing to go before it’s too late.
This year’s festive trip to Poplar sees Call the Midwife celebrate Christmas with two episodes. The residents of Poplar are preparing for Christmas, while Fred (Cliff Parisi) and Violet (Annabelle Apsion) prepare to fly to Hong Kong to visit her son. On arrival and carrying parcels for the sisters, they head to the Branch House in Kowloon, but discover that it has collapsed and there are many fatalities. A rescue mission is hastily organised, and a team from Nonnatus make emergency plans to head out to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, in EastEnders, residents learn the consequences of their actions as they are visited by ghosts of their past, villains of the present, and visions of the future.
Kat remains fiercely protective of Zoe, who is determined to reunite with her long-lost son, but with a mystery tormentor hellbent on driving Zoe out of the Square, the search for answers unlocks shocking secrets that put Kat’s motherly love to the test. During a special episode looking at Nigel’s dementia, Nigel seeks advice from faces of the past in the form of Pat Evans and Barry Evans.
Across the Square, Max arrives hoping for a family truce, only to be hit by a series of bombshells that leave him full of rage and regret, and face-to-face with Cindy Beale. However, as 2026 dawns, everything changes in Max’s world as a shocking flashforward episode provides tantalising clues about what his future holds.
Get ready to spend Christmas in Paradise with specials from both Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise.
In Beyond Paradise, Humphrey has his hands full with a flurry of festive cases, while Martha is busy with a task of her own. Enlisting the help of Anne, Zoe and a special guest, she races to pull off her secret plan. But with an influx of unexpected visitors, a slew of holiday crimes to crack, and a heartwarming reunion on the line, can the team juggle it all and still be ready for a life-changing reveal?
Meanwhile, in Death in Paradise, the office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up to find a stranger dead in the pool of their villa. DI Mervin Wilson and the team identify the murder weapon, but they’re left baffled when they discover that it was locked in a drawer when the murder took place… thousands of miles away from the crime scene, in Swindon!
Dame Joanna Lumley and Tobias Menzies star in The Room in the Tower by E.F. Benson, this year’s Ghost Story for Christmas from Mark Gatiss. For 15 years, Roger Winstanley has been haunted by an unsettling, recurring dream: an invitation to spend the night in the house of an acquaintance, where an unseen terror lurks, and the figures who populate the dream seem to age in real time. Nightmare and waking life seem to finally collide when an invitation to the dreaded room in the tower becomes all too real… Set in the inter-war years, this is Gatiss’s eighth ghost story for Christmas on the BBC. Additional cast includes Nancy Carroll (The Crown), Ben Mansfield (Endeavour) and Polly Walker (Bridgerton).
Natural History and Science
Natural history lovers are treated to a brand-new film from Sir David Attenborough, as he turns his attention closer to home to explore the wildlife of England’s iconic capital in Wild London. Having lived in London for 75 years, Sir David’s intimate knowledge of the city’s natural history means there’s no better guide to introduce audiences to London’s most spectacular wildlife secrets.
Gordon Buchanan heads to Canada’s epic Rocky Mountains in search of one of nature’s most iconic animals: wild horses. Finding two stallions battling over a herd consisting of two mares, two yearlings and two young foals, he immerses himself in their world, hoping to win their trust in Wild Horses, The Rockies and Me.
Space scientist, educator and BBC Sky at Night presenter Dr Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock will give this year’s Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution.
As the Christmas Lectures celebrate 200 years since they were first introduced by Michael Faraday in 1825, Dame Maggie will take TV audiences on an extraordinary journey from the surface of the Earth to the farthest reaches of the known cosmos. With a blend of the latest scientific discoveries, futuristic exploration and the hands-on demonstrations that the Christmas Lectures are famous for, Dame Maggie will challenge the idea that Earth is unique in supporting life, exploring compelling scientific evidence that extraterrestrial life could be more common than previously imagined.
When she left Belfast in April 1912, the RMS Titanic was believed to be ‘unsinkable’. Four days into her now infamous maiden voyage, the ship hit an iceberg in the icy waters of the Atlantic. The four-part series Titanic Sinks Tonight pieces together the events, minute by minute, to reveal precisely what happened to the 2,208 passengers and crew that night.
Building on a vast archive of eyewitness testimony, including letters, interviews, memoirs and public enquiries into the disaster, the series uses actors – carefully cast to resemble the survivors – to bring these vivid first-hand accounts to life. Putting viewers in the moment to reveal what individuals all around the ship saw, felt and did that night. There is also analysis from a range of contributors, including ex-marine JJ Chalmers, historian Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, Admiral Lord West, and authors Nadifa Mohamed and Jeanette Winterson.
Comedy
The Amandaland Christmas Special spreads the festive cheer and welcomes the absolutely fabulous Jennifer Saunders, who plays Joanna Lumley’s on-screen sister in a cracker set to guarantee the laughs.
In Mammoth, it’s Tony Mammoth’s first Christmas since coming back from the dead, and he’s determined to make it a special one with his family. In The Mandy Who Knew Too Much, we join Mandy as she has what can only be described as one of the worst Christmases ever.
In the Two Doors Down Christmas Special, Eric and Beth put their tree up earlier than usual, unwittingly kicking off the Christmas season in Latimer Crescent. In Here We Go: Our New Year’s Fireworks Fantasaganza, it’s a typically chaotic Jessop family holiday, featuring a road trip, a missing dummy, and a large crate of unlicensed fireworks! Other highlights include brand new comedy Shedites, by Paddy Houlihan and two specials from Mrs Brown’s Boys.
Plus, there is Stuffed, a modern-day Christmas caper for the whole family to enjoy, which sees Arslan Farooqi (Guz Khan) and his multi-faith family set off on the trip of a lifetime as they swap Coventry for the magic of Lapland.
Entertainment
Strictly Come Dancing returns to the ballroom for a Christmas special. Keep an eye out to see who will be joining Scarlett Moffatt, Melanie Blatt and Jodie Ounsley as they compete to be crowned Christmas Champion. And Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel is one not to be missed as he spins seven more celebrities into a festive fizz.
The most talked about show of 2025 – The Traitors is back! It’s time to take to the edge of your seat once more as 22 people from across the UK descend on a Scottish castle to win up to £120k. Let the mind games begin. Claudia Winkleman returns for the ultimate game of trust and treachery from the Scottish Highlands with an all-new civilian series that is set to grip the nation. And if that leaves you wanting more, you can stay faithful, as Claudia will also present The Traitors at the Proms, a concert featuring melodramatic versions of pop tunes from The Traitors, from Britney Spears’ Toxic to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy.
Everyone’s favourite Traitor Alan Carr is also back as best friends Amanda Holden and Alan return to the sun-drenched village of Moclín in southern Spain in Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Christmas.
Christmas Treasures of the National Trust returns in time for Christmas, unwrapping the festive stories behind some of the country’s most beautiful historic homes and gardens at the most magical time of the year.
The Celebrity Apprentice comes all the way from snowy Lapland, where twelve famous faces step into Lord Sugar’s boardroom for two specials in aid of BBC Children in Need. Taking part are AJ Odudu, Angela Scanlon, Charlie Hedges, Eddie Kadi, Jake Wood, JB Gill, Kadeena Cox, Matt Morsia, Rob Rinder, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza and Tom Skinner.
In the Gladiators Celebrity Special hosted by Bradley and Barney Walsh, four celebrities take on one of the toughest game shows on telly as they battle against the mighty Gladiators. Watch the nation’s favourite PE Teacher, Joe Wicks MBE, take on Sam Thompson and boxing legend Nicola Adams OBE versus Vogue Williams.
To get you in the mood for the competitive Christmas gaming season, there’s a plethora of quizzes, cook-offs, races and nail-biting finishes to choose from: The Weakest Link, The Festive Finish Line and University Challenge. We also have The Great British Sewing Bee and MasterChef, so you can watch some of your favourite programmes get some added special celebrity sparkle.
Dame Helen Mirren, Julia Donaldson and Rob Brydon stop by The Repair Shop this Christmas, hoping for some very special repairs from the barn’s wonderful team of experts. Hollywood legend Dame Helen Mirren arrives, along with a beloved but badly broken cello. Julia tasks furniture restorer Will Kirk and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay with repairing a toy farmhouse that once belonged to her granny.
You can also watch The Graham Norton Show New Year’s Eve for some sparkling chat, jokes and music as Graham and a sofa of star guests mark the end of 2025.
If you’re lacking in inspiration on what to cook this year, then you could get some help from Dame Mary Berry as she celebrates the magic of the season’s traditions in A Mary Berry Christmas. She’ll be sharing some of her favourite traditional dishes and some exciting new ones. Along with her celebrity friends, there will be a whole stocking of festive fun.
And as a sweet treat, Paddy McGuinness and Cherry Healey unwrap the festive secrets behind Britain’s beloved gingerbread biscuits for this special instalment of Inside the Factory: Christmas Gingerbread Special.
For those who want to be eased into Christmas, join Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and terrier Ted as they head to Devon and Cornwall for Gone Christmas Fishing. They fish the stunning rivers Lyd and Camel in Devon and head out to sea in Cornwall, joined by local star Dawn French, their favourite doctor Anand Patel and visit top chef Paul Ainsworth in his Padstow restaurant.
Staying in the countryside, join journalist and television presenter Janet Street Porter, choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, singer and actor Chesney Hawkes, former footballer and TV personality Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock, broadcaster and presenter Angellica Bell, plus Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer and choreographer Neil Jones as they house-hunt across the UK in Celebrity Escape to the Country.
My Life at Christmas with Anita Rani is back, and guests this year are rock star Sir Rod Stewart and his wife, broadcaster Penny Lancaster; legendary children’s TV presenter and child rights advocate, Baroness Floella Benjamin; and Paralympian and broadcaster Ade Adepitan.
You can also start your days with Morning Live at Christmas as the programme will bring together the BBC’s most trusted experts to serve up the best money, health, food and time-saving tips and advice to help get you through the festive season. Reflecting on a year of acts of kindness, join Alex Jones, Roman Kemp and JB Gill for a special One Big Thank You Christmas edition of The One Show as they celebrate those who go above and beyond to bring festive cheer.
Plus, to celebrate another fantastic year of sport, don’t miss the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards show hosted by Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott.
Arts and Music
Inside Classical: A Classical Christmas sees the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers take centre stage in an evening of festive delights recorded live at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.
Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar and Broadway royalty Stephanie J. Block lead a stellar cast in a sizzling new production of Cole Porter’s legendary musical comedy, Kiss Me, Kate. Filmed especially for the big screen and accompanied by a full orchestra, the show tune classics keep coming – from ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ to ‘Too Darn Hot’, ‘Always True To You (In my Fashion)’ and ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’.
And this year there are two special The Reads, Bafta and Olivier Award-winning actor Monica Dolan gives a captivating performance reading of Jane Austen’s much-loved and last completed novel, Persuasion, while Steffan Rhodri gives an enchanting performance reading of C.S. Lewis’s timeless story of Narnia – a magical world of adventure, courage and Turkish Delight.
As ballet legend Sir Peter Wright approaches his 100th birthday, his famed production of The Nutcracker takes centre stage at The Royal Opera House.
The magician Herr Drosselmeyer is on a quest to save his nephew, Hans-Peter, who has been transformed into a Nutcracker doll by the wicked Queen of the Mice; the only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to defeat the Mouse King and find a girl to love. A flicker of hope comes to Drosselmeyer in the form of the young Clara, whom Drosselmeyer meets on Christmas Eve. With a swish of Drosselmeyer’s cape and a little bit of magic, a cosy festive gathering turns into a marvellous adventure.
Set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s music, Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker was first performed by the Royal Ballet in 1984, and this production was filmed in 2023 at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House.
Jason Manford hosts a celebration of the most memorable musical performances in Big Night of Musicals by The National Lottery. It will feature show-stopping numbers from some of the UK’s biggest West End and touring productions – including Wicked, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, The Bodyguard, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, Phantom of the Opera and Back to the Future: The Musical – as well as star performances from Alfie Boe and Beverley Knight, unforgettable group numbers and emotional moments that have defined the series.
Highlights include a spectacular circus-themed opening number from The Greatest Showman; musical theatre legend Michael Ball OBE performing with Our Dementia Choir, and a dazzling performance of Electricity from Billy Elliot by two grassroots groups. Plus, a spine-tingling all-star performance of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables, featuring four Jean Valjeans.
Top of the Pops: Review of the Year 2025 returns for its yearly special, hosted by Clara Amfo. And if music videos are your thing, then Christmas Hits: The Videos That Sleighed is a living room dance fest waiting to happen.
Plus, the New Year is covered with Ronan Keating & Friends: New Year’s Eve Party, and Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra welcome in the New Year with Jools’ Annual Hootenanny.
Religion
There will be a vibrant range of religious programming this year including live worship, musical celebration, traditional carols and spiritual contemplation including Midnight Mass, broadcast live from OLEM Church, Cambridge, Christmas Morning Service from Bradford Cathedral, and Carols From King’s, the traditional celebration of Christmas with music and readings, recorded in the candlelit Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, led by the dean, the Reverend Dr Stephen Cherry, and not to be missed, The Archbishop of Canterbury Elect’s New Year’s Day Message.
Films
If it’s blockbuster films you want this Christmas, then look no further than this stellar line-up. Rock’ n’ Roll with Elvis, Baz Luhrmann’s glittering jukebox exploration of the life, career, rise and fall of Elvis Aaron Presley is a fascinating and fantastical biopic that defies simple genre labels. On the one hand, Elvis is a shimmering tribute to a musical legend many call the King of Rock and Roll and on the other, it’s a melancholic portrait of the horrors of fame and the devil in disguise: Money.
Elvis is a fantasia, a fairytale with moments of spine-tingling beauty and deep, inescapable horror. In Luhrmann’s world, Elvis is a puppet from the moment he agrees to let Colonel Tom Parker (a sinister and almost cartoon-like Tom Hanks) into his life. Parker’s strings extend from every limb of our dancing and singing boy – pulling, manipulating and controlling every move.
Austin Butler brings this scared, delicate, beautiful, and powerful man to life with such love, grace and sincerity that one could almost be watching the hip-swinging King himself. Of course, some fairytales have happy endings, but not this one. We all know how this story ends. But that doesn’t make the final few frames of Luhrmann’s movie any less heartbreaking as the puppet master squeezes every last drop of energy from his marionette before the strings finally break.
Fancy something lighter? How about Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a funny, exciting, dazzling, genuinely smart, and compelling film. Children not terrified by it will love it, and even adults will find themselves reflecting on the film’s messages. Whether you come for the comedy, the colours, the thrills or the themes, it is a brilliantly entertaining movie!
How about something more serious with Oppenheimer? Nolan’s technical marvel from 2023. Or sweat the night away with Challengers, where Guadagnino thrusts every inch of tension to its maximum breaking point as a cataclysmic world-ending mood pervades the final moments of Art and Patrick’s game, culminating in a propulsively explosive climax that leaves you writhing in your seat as all the frustration is finally released. Game, set and match to Luca Guadagnino.
Children and Family
Christmas on the BBC wouldn’t be the same without an animated adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved picture books. The Scarecrows’ Wedding is an enchanting romance about two devoted scarecrows featuring an all-star voice cast including Rob Brydon, Jessie Buckley, Domhnall Gleeson and narrated by Sophie Okonedo. Full of heart and humour, it’s a joyful story of loyalty, love, and learning that the most important thing isn’t a grand gesture – it’s simply being together.
Join The Famous Five – Big Trouble on Billycock Hill, when a Spitfire crashes near Kirrin Cottage, the Five must work together to save the injured pilot and find out the truth of what happened to him, before his enemies strike again. Blue Peter’s Christmas Cracker with Strictly, CBeebies & Come Alive sees three lucky competition winners go behind the scenes on the set of Strictly Come Dancing to meet the stars of the show, Joel takes on a starring role in the CBeebies Panto; and the cast of Come Alive the Musical join us for a show-stopping performance inspired by The Greatest Showman.
Dexter Procter: The 10-Year-Old Doctor is the world’s youngest-ever medic who starts his new job. Unfortunately, his colleague thinks that children shouldn’t be doctors and is determined to get him fired. Go Get Arty is back, and the Kwapongs get seasonal in the Family Challenge with snow-globe sweaters that let it snow.
A magical new animated film, Nollaí, a landmark co-commission from BBC Northern Ireland, TG4 and S4C, is set to arrive on screens in time for Christmas. Produced by Belfast-based Taunt Studios with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) and Screen Fund, and Coimisiún na Meán, Nollaí invites viewers into a heart-warming fantasy adventure led by an ordinary deer with an extraordinary secret.
And it wouldn’t be Christmas on CBeebies without the CBeebies Christmas Panto, so settle in with your little ones and watch the retelling of the popular fairytale, Cinderella. And there’s so much more to enjoy together, including Shaun the Sheep – Fleece Navidad, Pudsey and the Thread of Hope, Spidey and His Amazing Friends – A Snow Day for Aunt May / Hanukkah Heist, The Weasy Family – Mission Christmas, Dodge’s Pup School – The Christmas Show and an I Spy, You Spy Christmas Special.
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