What to watch on TV on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

There is a whole array of festive offerings.
The first Doctor Who Christmas special since 2017 is among the TV highlights this festive season (James Pardon/BBC Studios/PA)
Laura Harding19 December 2023
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Animated cats, Strictly Come Dancing and the Christmas Day address from the King are among the TV highlights this festive season.

Here is a look at the best television on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

– Christmas Eve

Royal Carols – Together At Christmas (ITV, 7.45pm). The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children host the annual carol service at Westminster Abbey.

Mog’s Christmas (Channel 4, 7.45pm). This adaptation of Judith Kerr’s beloved children’s book by the animation team behind The Tiger Who Came To Tea features a voice cast including Adjoa Andoh, Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.

A Ghost Story For Christmas – Lot No 249 (BBC 2, 10pm). The latest festive ghost story from Mark Gatiss is an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 short story and stars Kit Harington and Freddie Fox.

Beyond Paradise (BBC 1, 9pm). The Death In Paradise spin-off’s first Christmas special is a twist on A Christmas Carol and sees DI Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and DS Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) investigate a series of break-ins where nothing is stolen.

The Great Christmas Bake Off (Channel 4, 8.15pm). Stars of previous series return to the tent for a set of seasonal challenges from Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith, including mince pies, cinnamon snowflake loaves and redemption cakes.

– Christmas Day

Tabby McTat (BBC One 2.35pm). Animated adaptations of the books of Gruffalo creator Julia Donaldson have become a Christmas tradition and this story about a busker’s cat features the voice talents of Sope Dirisu and Rob Brydon.

The King’s Christmas Broadcast (BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV). The first Christmas address from the King attracted bumper viewing numbers last year and the same is likely to be true this year.

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One, 4.40pm). Dan Snow, Keisha Buchanan and Sally Nugent are among the famous faces taking a turn round the dancefloor in the hope of lifting the Christmas glitterball.

Doctor Who (BBC One, 5.55pm). The first Christmas Day special for the sci-fi staple since 2017, The Church On Ruby Road sees Russell T Davies back at the helm and the full debut of Ncuti Gatwa, the first black Time Lord. It also marks the introduction of his companion, Ruby, played by Millie Gibson.

Call The Midwife (BBC One, 8.15pm). A trip to the midwives of Nonnatus House is a seasonal staple and in this extended episode the gang hatch a plan to lift an elderly nun out of depression.

– Boxing Day

Charles III – The Coronation Year (BBC 1, 6.50pm). Helena Bonham Carter narrates a documentary about the first year of the King’s reign.

Vera (ITV, 8pm). Brenda Blethyn is back as the unflappable DCI, investigating a suicide while the office is distracted by Secret Santas.

Big Fat Quiz Of The Year (Channel 4, 9pm). Richard Ayode, Katherine Ryan, Mel Giedroyc and Mo Gilligan are among those joining host Jimmy Carr for a funny look back on the year.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in