Christmas is a hectic time, right? We all know that.
For some of us, if the run-up to Christmas wasn’t already busy enough as it is, there’s often not a moment to breathe on the big day itself between presents being opened, travelling to see people, entertaining guests, slaving over a hot stove for hours, and eating plenty of food.
Sometimes though, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs with some time to spare, and that’s why the distraction of festive television is so brilliant.
For others, sitting around to watch the TV is an important part of Christmas itself.
No matter what your situation is, there’s some cracking things to watch on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year - with classic seasonal films, to festive specials of our favourite shows, and a few family-friendly additions all on the agenda.
So, just like we have done for the past couple of years, we've once again rounded-up the best of the bunch to create our TV guide.
Here’s just five of our picks.
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Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing 2025
BBC Two
Christmas Eve - 9pm
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing 2025 / Credit: BBC
Bob and Paul (and terrier Ted too, of course) are back for another Gone Fishing Christmas Special, and this year, they're heading down to Devon and Cornwall for their festive treat.
The duo fish the stunning rivers Lyd and Camel in Devon, and even head out to sea in Cornwall on a traditional fishing boat.
There's also appearances by other famous faces Dawn French and Dr Anand Patel, and they're even welcomed into No6, Paul Ainsworth’s celebrated restaurant in the heart of Padstow, for some Michelin-starred fine festive dining.
You can watch Gone Christmas Fishing 2025 on BBC Two at 9pm on Christmas Eve.
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Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2025
BBC One
Christmas Day - 5:30pm
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2025 / Credit: BBC
We’ve all come to expect a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at this point, haven’t we? After the iconic ballroom dance competition programme has been bringing us smaller, festive editions of the show we all know and love since 2004, it’s back once again this Christmas Day.
Six celebrity contestants will be taking to the floor to impress the judges and battle it out for the Christmas glitter ball trophy.
Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, singer and cook Melanie Blatt, and Irish singer-songwriter Brian McFaddan are just some of the big names competing this year.
You can catch Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One at 3:55pm on Christmas Day.
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The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off
Channel 4
Christmas Day - 8pm
The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off / Credit: Channel 4
For the first time since Peep Show wrapped in 2015, fan favourites David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King, and Sophie Winkleman are reuniting on screen.
And this time, they’re donning festive jumpers and rolling up their sleeves to tackle a series of seasonal baking challenges.
Under the watchful eyes of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, and with plenty of mischief and charm from Bake Off hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, you can expect laughter and chaos in this Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off special.
Watch The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off on Channel 4 at 8pm on Christmas Day.
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Amandaland Christmas Special
BBC One
Christmas Day - 9:15pm
Amandaland Christmas Special / Credit: Natalie Seery (BBC/Merman)
Massively-popular BBC sitcom Amandaland is back for a festive special on Christmas Day.
You'll get to see title character Amanda and her family head to Aunt Joan’s country house, but the plans change when Mal and Anne tag along and she struggles to recreate the magical Christmases she spent there as a child.
Anne’s in despair at being separated from her family, and Felicity is increasingly irritated by her sister’s constant high spirits. Meanwhile, Mal sees a hidden photo that seems to reveal a deep family secret.
You can catch the Amandaland Christmas Special on BBC One at 9:15pm on Christmas Day.
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Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2025
Channel 4
Boxing Day - 9pm
Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2025 / Credit: Brian J Ritchie (via Channel 4)
What's Christmas without a quiz? It's time to remember everything you've already forgotten from this past year, as the Jimmy Carr is back with the annual Big Fat Quiz of the Year for 2025, and a handful of famous faces will be put to the test.
This year, Jonathan Ross, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, Roisin Conaty, and Lou Sanders all answer questions about Katy Perry, Lily Allen, and THAT Coldplay concert.
You can watch Big Fat Quiz of the Year on Channel 4 at 9pm on Boxing Day.
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Fancy a festive film?
As an added bonus, we thought we'd just round up all the Christmas films that are being shown on telly in the coming days, as there's nothing like sitting down to watch a festive flick to get you into the spirit of the season.
Nativity! - Monday 22 December at 2:20pm on BBC One
Bridget Jones's Diary - Monday 22 December at 10:10pm on BBC Three
Home Alone - Christmas Eve at 5:35pm on Channel 4
Love Actually - Christmas Eve at 9:10pm on ITV
When Harry Met Sally - Christmas Day at 11:35pm on BBC One
There's also just plenty of great films on in general, ones that aren't strictly Christmas films or set during the festive season like the ones mentioned in that list.
Here they are:
Mrs Doubtfire - Monday 22 December at 6:35pm on ITV2
Oppenheimer - Tuesday 23 December at 11pm on BBC Three
E.T - Christmas Eve at 1:35pm on ITV
Sister Act - Christmas Eve at 1:35pm on Channel 4
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Christmas Eve at 2:55pm on BBC One
Paddington - Christmas Eve at 5:30pm on BBC One
The Devil Wears Prada - Christmas Day at 6:50pm on Film4
Jaws - Christmas Day at 9:15pm on BBC Two
Edward Scissorhands - Boxing Day at 6:55pm on ITV2
Four Weddings and a Funeral - Boxing Day at 10:15pm on BBC One
Elvis - Saturday 27 December at 7:45pm on BBC One
2001: A Space Odyssey - Sunday 28 December at 6:15pm on ITV4
The Godfather - Sunday 28 December at 10pm on BBC Two
Challengers - Sunday 28 December at 10pm on BBC Three
School of Rock - Monday 29 December at 6:45pm on ITV2
Pretty Woman - New Year’s Eve at 9pm on ITV1
The Sound of Music - New Year’s Day at 3:15pm on BBC One
Back To The Future (the whole trilogy) - New Year’s Day from 7:10pm on BBC Three
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Featured Image - BBC | Disney+ / 20th Century Studios (Press Images)
Art & Culture
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”: A Story of Survival at Leeds Grand Theatre
An unflinching and empowering portrait of Tina Turner’s life.
Bringing the life of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll to the stage, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical arrives at the Leeds Grand Theatre with an energy that is both electrifying and deeply affecting. More than just a celebration of Tina Turner’s iconic career, this production offers a powerful portrayal of the hardship she endured and the extraordinary strength it took to overcome it.
While the musical is packed with well-known hits, it is the story behind them that leaves the greatest impact. From her early years to her rise to global stardom, the production lays bare the reality of Tina’s life, particularly the abuse and control she experienced at the hands of Ike.
These moments are handled with care but never softened, forcing the audience to confront the emotional and physical toll of her journey. It is this honesty that gives the show its real power this is not just a story of success, but one of survival.
Image: Supplied
A standout element of the production is the use of a younger Tina to show the early stages of her life and career. These scenes reveal her vulnerability, ambition, and the experiences that shaped her resilience, giving crucial context to her struggles with Ike and making her eventual empowerment all the more powerful. From hopeful, constrained performer to fiercely independent icon, her journey feels earned and deeply moving.
At the heart of the show is Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi, whose portrayal of Tina is nothing short of extraordinary. She captures every facet of the performer from vulnerability to fierce determination allowing the audience to fully experience Tina’s lowest moments as well as her eventual rise.
Image: Supplied
Opposite her, David King-Yombo delivers a chilling performance as Ike, embodying the manipulation and control that defined their relationship. Their dynamic is deeply uncomfortable at times, but essential in highlighting the magnitude of Tina’s resilience.
Equally striking is the musical’s staging and visual storytelling, which mirrors Tina’s emotional journey. Intimate early-life moments and larger-than-life concert sequences are enhanced with lighting, set design, and choreography.
Iconic numbers such as “Disco Inferno,” “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” and “Private Dancer” are brought to life with golden disco balls and soaring spotlights, celebrating her rise while reflecting her transformation from oppression to empowerment. These moments are met with overwhelming audience enthusiasm, making Tina’s struggles and triumphs feel immediate, immersive, and unforgettable.
Image: Supplied
The only area that felt slightly less polished was the stage combat. While the physical tension between Tina and Ike was effective in conveying conflict and control, some of the choreography occasionally felt a little uneven, which momentarily pulled focus from the emotional intensity of those scenes. Even so, these moments were brief and did little to diminish the overall impact of the production.
By the final moments of the production, Tina prepares once more to take the stage, the narrative comes full circle the show ends the same way it began, with Tina getting ready for her gig. This framing is both thoughtful and powerful, giving the audience a moment to reflect on and celebrate the journey they have just witnessed.
Having experienced her struggles, triumphs, and transformation, the audience is invited to share in the exhilaration of her performance, turning the theatre into a concert-like celebration of resilience, empowerment, and music. As Tina herself, who worked on the production before her passing in 2023, described on opening night, the show is “poison turned into medicine.”
Ultimately, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical is a story of empowerment forged through adversity. For audiences at the Leeds Grand Theatre, this is more than a night at the theatre; it is an emotional, inspiring, and unforgettable tribute to a woman who refused to be defined by her past.
Running until 4 April. Tickets available now here.
Featured image - Supplied
Art & Culture
Adventurous people from Yorkshire needed to take part in next series of BBC’s Race Across the World
Emily Sergeant
Are you a fan of travelling? Got a bit of a competitive streak in your nature? Well, this might just be your calling then.
The BBC is, once again, casting for the next series of Race Across the World.
The BAFTA-winning hit show draws in thousands of viewers each week, and now producers are on the look-out for ‘intrepid duos’ of all ages who reckon they’re ready to take a step into the unknown, and embark on an epic race across land and sea for the next seried – and that includes Yorkshire residents.
With applications for the next series of the massively-popular show now open, nomadic people from Yorkshire are being encouraged to take part.
On a limited budget and away from the luxuries of modern technology and conveniences, those lucky applicants selected to take part in the next series will get the chance to experience life in some of the world’s most beautiful and remote locations.
Adventurous Mancs are needed to take part in the next series of Race Across the World / Credit: BBC
Navigating their way across thousands of miles, they’ll travel through spectacular scenery and dynamic cities, visit ancient wonders, learn local customs, and take part in time-honoured traditions.
But, as producers are keen to point out, ‘the physical journey is only half of the story’. That’s because, as the contestants take on the challenge of travelling across the world, the greatest thing they’ll discover along the way could actually be about themselves and one another.
Putting out a UK-wide casting call on the BBC website this week, producers Studio Lambert wrote: “We are now accepting applications for the next series of Race Across the World. This experience is open to all, whether you’re a seasoned traveller or total novice.
“We want to hear what undertaking a trip like this would mean to you, and with a cash prize at stake, what lengths you would go to to win.”
Fancy it then? Applications for the next series of Race Across the World are now open for anyone over 18 years of age, with a deadline date of 29 March 2026, and you can find out more information and apply via the BBC website.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2025 
