Kat & Alfie, Rab C. Nesbitt, Mark Gatiss, Mary Berry and Stephen Fry will all be helping the BBC to celebrate Christmas this year, as it brings an array of talent to its screens over the festive season.
Danny Cohen, Director of Television, said: “Brilliant Christmas telly across Drama, Factual, Comedy, Entertainment and Religion is something licence-fee payers rightly expect from the BBC and this year’s holiday schedule delivers that.
“We have massive events such as the Doctor Who re-generation and the incredible return of Sherlock, as well as festive specials from hit shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Call The Midwife, Bad Education, and the Great British Bake Off.
“And there are brand-new treats such as David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and we’ll be showing a wide range of religious programming, including a live broadcast of The First Eucharist of Christmas from Westminster Abbey.”
In Albert Square, Danny Dyer arrives as new landlord of the Queen Vic, whilst Janine’s thoughts turn to murder. In another part of the East End, Jenny, Chummy and Sister Julienne confront a new enemy in Call The Midwife, before peace and love are restored. In The Time Of The Doctor, Clara and The Doctor must go to a quiet backwater planet in order to learn what some strange signals mean for his very existence, and it’s wedding day in Halifax for love struck Alan and Celia as their big day dawns. And the year’s biggest television mystery will at long last be answered – just how did Sherlock fake his own death?
Fans of spooky tales are also in for a treat with a double helping of Mark Gatiss. First up is his dramatization of ghost story The Tractate Middoth, followed by a documentary looking at the work of its writer, MR James.
On Christmas Eve, BBC One will broadcast The First Eucharist of Christmas live from Westminster Abbey celebrated by the Dean of Westminster, in addition to Carols from King’s on BBC Two. The Christmas Day Sung Eucharist will also come live from Westminster Abbey, and on New Year’s Day, The Archbishop’s New Year Message will be the first to be delivered by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood share their tips for a stress-free Christmas, as they help viewers prepare for the festive baking season in The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special.
James May, in a motorbike and side car made of Meccano, takes on his own 37 mile race around the Isle of Man in James May’s Toy Stories: Motorcycle Diary, whilst Jeremy Clarkson tells the tale of the Arctic Convoys of the Second World War, with first-hand accounts from the men who served on these convoys, and who trod treacherous paths to deliver vital war supplies via the Arctic to the Soviet Union.
Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly add some Christmas sparkle as they bring the ballroom to the living rooms of the nation, in the highly anticipated final of Strictly Come Dancing. The ball continues with the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, as Bruce and Tess are joined on the dance floor by a host of special guests, including Sara Cox and Rufus Hound.
There’s more panel show Christmas comedy from Dara O Briain and his teams of top comic talent in Mock The Week, Stephen Fry has some Christmassy questions for his guests, including Jo Brand and Brendan O’Carroll, in QI, and John Humphrys quizzes more famous faces as he and his famous black chair return for another series of Celebrity Mastermind.
Film premieres include Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, Gnomeo and Juliet, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Little Fockers and Megamind. BBC Four will be showing classic Ealing comedies, such as Titfield Thunderbolt, Whisky Galore and Kind Hearts And Coronets, as well as Scott Of The Antarctic, Papillon and The Fir Tree, a biography of a Christmas Tree based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen