{"id":42159,"date":"2024-12-03T17:26:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T16:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/569a3a96-25d2-4a44-b920-1d3c71367746"},"modified":"2024-12-03T18:26:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T17:26:38","slug":"whats-on-tv-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/whats-on-tv-this-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s on TV this Christmas?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From classic Christmas specials to the final episodes of Vera, here’s what to watch during the festive season. We’ve rounded up the best shows to bring the countryside into your home this Christmas <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 03 December 2024 at 16:26 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Christmas and New Year TV programming always offers a feast of entertainment celebrating the countryside. It’s a time of family gatherings, with shows to please even the fussiest telly goers.<\/p>

Once you’ve finished your winter stomp<\/a>, sit back and relax this festive season with our guide to the best TV airing over Christmas 2024.<\/p>

We will continue to update this page as transmission dates and times are released<\/em>.<\/p>

Best TV to watch over Christmas 2024<\/h2>
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl<\/h3>
BBC One, date TBC<\/h4>

<\/div> <\/figure> <p>Wallace & Gromit make their long-awaited return with a new feature-length adventure this Christmas.<\/p> <p>After a recent crime wave of stolen garden goods from across the region, Wallace and his ‘smart gnome’, Norbot, are the main suspects. While Wallace protests his innocence, it\u2019s up to Gromit to battle sinister forces \u2013 or Wallace will never invent again! Feathers McGraw \u2013 the villain last seen in 1993\u2019s <em>The Wrong Trousers<\/em> \u2013 is back with a vengeance.<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mary-berry-s-highland-christmas\">Doctor Who<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-one-13-december-9pm\">BBC One, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"JOY TO THE WORLD Preview | BBC Children in Need | Doctor Who\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L0h80d7yMQs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Join The Doctor for a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth. The festive episode introduces Joy (played by Nicola Coughlan (from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/where-is-bridgerton-filmed\"><em>Bridgerton<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>fame), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her stay is anything but ordinary.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/doctor-who-filming-locations\">Where is Doctor Who filmed? Discover the Time Lord’s greatest filming locations<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas. An old enemy of the Doctor\u2019s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-chicken-run-dawn-of-the-nugget\">Call the Midwife Christmas specials<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-netflix-december-15\">BBC One, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> The beloved long-running period drama returns for a Christmas double bill. Credit: BBC \/ Neal Street Productions \/ Sally Mais <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>For the first time, <em>Call the Midwife<\/em> will celebrate Christmas with a two-part special \u2013 complete with cliff-hanger!<\/p> <p>All the familiar faces will return for a Poplar Christmas set in 1969, where the Nonnatus midwives are busy delivering babies. The funfair comes to the borough, adding a burst of colour and excitement to the frosty landscape, but there are other visitors too \u2013 including influenza and the Hong Kong flu. Add in news of an escaped prisoner, a Blue Peter Christmas appeal, and a mince pie competition \u2013 and you have a recipe for the perfect festive duo!<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li\/> <\/ul> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-all-creatures-great-and-small-christmas-special\">All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Channel 5, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All Creatures Great and Small: Season 5 Official Preview\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ENkS3Hk5a2k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Although no major storylines have been shared for the drama based around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/people\/historical-figures\/who-was-the-real-james-herriot\">vet James Herriot’s<\/a> life, it will be set during Christmas 1941.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/where-is-all-creatures-great-and-small-filmed\">Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed? A guide to the filming locations of this much-loved TV series<\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/yorkshire-vet-filming-locations\">Where is The Yorkshire Vet filmed? A guide to the well-loved TV series<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>It will be baby Jimmy’s first birthday (after Helen gave birth to him in series 5) and James and Tristan will be back from the ongoing war effort.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beyond Paradise Christmas special<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-channel-5-21-december-9pm\">BBC One, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/12\/Beyond-Paradise-Christmas-special.jpeg\" alt=\"Beyond Paradise Christmas Special\" class=\"wp-image-198096\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Uncover a ghostly Christmas story in Beyond Paradise’s Christmas special. Credit: BBC \/ Red Planet Pictures \/ Joss Barrett <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>It\u2019s Christmas time in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/news\/where-is-beyond-paradise-filmed\">Shipton Abbott<\/a>, where Humphrey and the team find themselves wrapped up in two festive cases.<\/p> <p>When a recent widow is ordered to leave his home by a vision of his late wife, he’s thrown into emotional turmoil. Unsure whether the ghostly visions are a manifestation of grief or something more sinister, Humphrey and Esther get to work unravelling the mystery.<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Repair Shop at Christmas<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BBC One, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/12\/Repair-Shop-Christmas-special.jpeg\" alt=\"The Repair Shop Christmas Special 2024\" class=\"wp-image-198097\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Join The Repair Shop team for more heart-warming stories and projects. Credit: BBC \/ Ricochet \/ Cody Burridge <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>The team of experts are back, spreading joy and creating more Christmas magic. Through the barn doors this year are two giant Puffins gifted to a very special children\u2019s bookshop. These Puffins have welcomed generations of children and have been at the centre of the Christmas celebrations for over 50 years.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/where-is-the-repair-shop-filmed\">Where is The Repair Shop filmed?<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Meanwhile, Will, Kirsten and Mark are facing their own festive challenge of reviving an enchanting miniature Christmas Village that lights up a family home where over 30 foster children have been looked after.<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-countryfile-a-cumbrian-christmas\">A Countryfile Christmas at Highgrove<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-one-christmas-eve-24-december-6pm\">BBC One, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/02\/presenters-65f9873.png\" alt=\"Countryfile presenters around a tractor\" class=\"wp-image-109366\"\/> <\/figure> <p>For the first time ever, the Coronation Pavilion at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/the-10-most-beautiful-royal-gardens-in-the-uk\">Highgrove<\/a> is being turned into a festive Christmas grotto complete with magical fairy lights, willow sculptures, festive wreaths and a pair of huge nutcrackers! The <em>Countryfile<\/em> presenters join in the festivities \u2013 adding the final touches to the Christmas tree, gathering mistletoe from the gardens, and helping trim the giant topiary Christmas pudding.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/countryfile-tv-show\/countryfile-presenters\/20-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-john-craven\">Who is John Craven? All you need to know about the Countryfile presenter<\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/countryfile-tv-show\/countryfile-presenters\/who-anita-rani-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-countryfile-presenter\">Who is Anita Rani? Everything you need to know about the Countryfile presenter<\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/countryfile-tv-show\/countryfile-presenters\/helen-skelton-2\">Who is Helen Skelton? Everything you need to know about the Countryfile presenter<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ghosts-christmas-special\">Fletcher\u2019s Farm Christmas<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-one-christmas-day-25-december-7-45pm\">ITV, date TBC<\/h4> <p>Kelvin, Liz and the family return for a seasonal special where they journey to Finland, visiting another family farm thriving in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Circle. The Fletchers dive into the magic of a Nordic winter by enjoying traditional activities and meeting the animals that flourish in this frosty wilderness.<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-inside-classical-the-hound-of-the-baskervilles\">Charlie Cooper\u2019s Myth Country: Winter Solstice<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-four-christmas-eve-24-december-8-30pm\">BBC Three, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/12\/Charlie-Cooper-Myth-Country-Winter-Solstice.jpeg\" alt=\"Charlie Cooper's Myth Country: Winter Solstice\" class=\"wp-image-198100\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Charlie explores ancient celebrations such as Otter St Mary’s Barrel Burning festival. Credit: BBC \/ Fremantle Media Ltd \/ Roger Keller <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p><em>Charlie Cooper\u2019s Myth Country<\/em> returns with an alternative Christmas special. After the popular first series, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/who-is-charlie-cooper\">Charlie<\/a> is back in his yellow van exploring winter festivals across the country \u2013 from barrel burning in Devon to Morris dancing in Gloucestershire.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/top-10-quirky-christmas-traditions\">History of British Christmas traditions \u2013 including the quirkiest ones still celebrated today<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-ghost-story-for-christmas-lot-249\">Gone Christmas Fishing<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-two-christmas-eve-24-december-10pm\">BBC Two, date TBC<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Best of Ted The Dog | Gone Fishing | Bob Mortimer & Paul Whitehouse\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sYKhwe9-Kgo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>This year’s Christmas special takes Paul and Bob to the sunnier climes of Cahors in south France where they celebrate another eventful year of fishing together. Under the warm autumnal sun, they fish the river Cele and the Lot in search of Mediterranean Bass and French Carp.<\/p> <p>The annual awards ceremony holds more unusual surprises (including a special guest) \u2013 but will Ted the dog make it across the channel and through border control in time to join the party?<\/p> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tabby-mctat\">Vera<\/h3> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bbc-one-christmas-day-25-december-2-35pm\">ITV1, 1st January and 2nd January 2025<\/h4> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1887\" height=\"1262\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/08\/vera1.jpg\" alt=\"vera drama series\" class=\"wp-image-191399\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> The final series of Vera airs in the New Year. Credit: ITV <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Brenda Blethyn makes an emotional return for the 14th and final series of the popular crime drama. Spanning two feature-length episodes, the new stories intertwine gripping murder mysteries with the heartfelt narrative of Vera\u2019s personal journey.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tv\/where-is-vera-filmed\">Where Is Vera filmed? A guide to the beloved UK drama series<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>In the first episode, DCI Vera Stanhope is called to the banks of the Tyne where the body of a young man has been discovered by anglers. A tangled web of grudges, regret, and fraud soon begins to emerge.<\/p> <p>The final episode brings Vera back to a familiar place when a body is found at the foot of legendary local stones The Dark Wives. With memories of childhood dwelling in her mind, Vera must uncover the mystery of why a bright young student would be violently attacked and left so far from home.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li\/> <\/ul> <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From classic Christmas specials to the final episodes of Vera, here’s what to watch during the festive season. 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