By Lauren Morris

Published: Wednesday, 09 November 2022 at 12:00 am

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With Halloween out of the way and the evenings getting shorter, it’s officially time to start thinking about Christmas!

While we all love a wintery day out, you can’t beat sitting in front of the TV in a cosy blanket at Christmas time – and with so much coming to our screens this year, there’s no shortage of jolly content to tuck into.

Whether you’re looking forward to the long-awaited return of Bad Education or can’t wait for The Witcher: Blood Origin to make its Netflix debut, there’s a lot to choose from towards the end of December.

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol‘s Luke Evans will be hosting his own musical special on BBC Two and as for animation, there’s BBC One’s The Smeds and the Smoos – an adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s book of the same name – as well as short film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, starring Idris Elba.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a slew of specials, from Strictly Come Dancing‘s festive offering to Call the Midwife‘s annual winter episode – but what other stocking fillers can we expect to see on the TV guide this year?

Here’s everything we know so far about the 2022 Christmas TV schedule.

Best Christmas TV for 2022 – your guide to what to watch

1. Luke Evans Showtime!

Beauty and the Beast’s Luke Evans is coming to BBC Two this Christmas with a festive entertainment special, Luke Evans Showtime!

The actor and stage star will be singing songs from his latest album A Song For You, with the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Olly Murs, Beverley Knight and other guest stars stopping by to perform.

Evans, who stars in Netflix’s Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, performed a track from his new album on Strictly Come Dancing in November and will be recording the special on Thursday 10th November ahead of its December airdate.

2. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

BBC One is adapting Charlie Mackesy’s bestselling novel, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, into an animated short film to air during the Christmas period.

With the likes of Idris Elba, Tom Hollander, Gabriel Byrne and Jude Coward Nicoll lending their voices to the short, this film follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse as they journey together in the boy’s search for home.

“The journey of making the film of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse with my ridiculously talented and kind animation team has been a magical one,” Mackesy said, teasing the upcoming film.

“It’s so great to think the story will be in the nation’s homes this Christmas – and I really hope it helps bring comfort, love and laughter.”

3. Bad Education Christmas Special

Bad Education is returning to BBC Three this festive season, with Jack Whitehall reprising the role of hapless teacher Alfie Wickers ahead of season 4.

While Form K are all grown up, Alfie’s former students Stephen (Layton Williams) and Mitchell (Charlie Wernham) are back at Abbey Grove to follow in his footsteps in this 45-minute special.

Gavin & Stacey’s Mathew Horne will be back as Mr Fraser, who is no longer headteacher but continues to hang around the school kitchen to the frustration of HR. Meanwhile, fans can expect a few newcomers in the cast, including Vicki Pepperdine (The Windsors), who stars as new headteacher Ms Hoburn.

4. Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy

Britain’s Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy is hosting his own Christmas special for ITV. The comedian, also known as Lee Ridley, is bringing back his Christmas Eve show, set to feature a line-up of big name comics who’ll be delivering a bit of festive cheer.

While ITV is yet to confirm the line-up for the upcoming special, last year’s episode saw the likes of Bill Bailey, Rosie Jones, Omid Djalili and Joel Dommett perform sets at Salford’s Media City.

5. Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special

While the Strictly Come Dancing final isn’t too far away, the BBC One show will be back with its annual festive special, with a new line-up of stars taking to the dance floor in the hopes of a 10 from Craig Revel-Horwood.

The BBC is yet to reveal which celebrities will be slipping into their dancing shoes, however the special is due to be recorded in advance on Wednesday 7th December.

Last year’s special saw Fred Sirieix, Moira Stuart, Jay Blades, Adrian Chiles and Mel Giedroyc take part, however it was The Voice UK’s Anne-Marie who emerged victorious with her partner Graziano Di Prima.

6. Call the Midwife Christmas Special

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Call the Midwife special as the midwives of Nonnatus House return to our screens to deliver another round of December babies.

The upcoming festive special will see the return of Rhoda Mullucks, whose baby was born with birth defects after Dr Turner prescribed her medication – a season 6 plot that tackled the Thalidomide scandal.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview, the show’s creator Heidi Thomas said that the Mullucks family will reappear in the Christmas special as Rhoda deals with another pregnancy. “We haven’t actually been with that family for five years, so we’re picking up the pieces for them and it makes for a very special Christmas special.”

7. Doc Martin Christmas Special

Martin Clunes reprises his much-loved role of Doc Martin in the ITV comedy-drama’s upcoming festive special. While season 10 ended with the cynical medic appreciating the town of Portwenn more after a near-death experience, the Christmas special is set to be the perfect festive present for fans of the show.

The current Doc Martin cast members are expected to return for the festive special, including Caroline Catz as Martin’s wife Louisa as well as Ian McNeice (Bert Large), Joe Absolom (Al), Jessica Ransom (Morwenna) and Selina Cadell (Sally Tishell).

8. The Witcher: Blood Origin

While not particularly festive, The Witcher: Blood Origin is making its Netflix debut on Christmas Day this year, with the prequel starring Michelle Yeoh as deadly sword-elf Scían in a world set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher.

This upcoming fantasy-drama tells the story of the Elven civilisation before its fall, with the likes of Laurence O’Fuarain, Sophia Brown, Mirren Mack and Nathaniel Curtis rounding out the rest of the cast.

Release date: Netflix, 25th December 

9. Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special

Unsurprisingly, Agnes Brown will be back on BBC One this Christmas in the first of two festive 2022 specials. Brendan O’Carroll will reprise the role of Agnes Brown for a Christmas special as she muddles through another wintery period with her chaotic family.

The Irish sitcom, which follows pensioner Agnes Brown and the family shenanigans she gets up to, has aired on BBC One since 2011, returning for a Christmas special every year since 2013.

While the BBC is yet to reveal the cast for the upcoming special, it is likely to include Jennifer Gibney (Cathy), Fiona O’Carroll (Maria), Martin Delany (Trevor), Danny O’Carroll (Buster), Rory Cowan (Rory) and Eilish O’Carroll (Winnie).

10. The Greatest Snowman

Channel 4

Sue Perkins is fronting another special from The Greatest Snowman – Channel 4’s snow building competition. In the upcoming episode, celebrities will travel to a snowy mountaintop to build a series of snow creations, which will be judged by Swedish sculpting sisters Sara and Emilie Steele as well as renowned British artist Taslim Martin.

The show first aired last December, with Dani Dyer, Liam Charles, Johnny Vegas and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen taking part in the snowman-building competition. Llewelyn-Bowen will be back to offer artistic tips and advice to this year’s famous competitors, who are yet to be announced.

11. Death in Paradise Christmas Special

BBC

We’re returning to the isle of Saint Marie this festive season as Ralf Little returns for another Death in Paradise Christmas special. The episode will follow the detectives as they deal with the season 11 cliffhanger, which saw Commissioner Patterson (Don Warrington) discover that he had fathered a daughter with his former lover Maggie (Orla Brady).

The BBC detective drama released a first-look at the upcoming Christmas special earlier this year, teasing Ralf Little and Don Warrington in their roles. As for the rest of the cast, Élizabeth Bourgine (Catherine Bordey), Tahj Miles (Marlon Pryce), Shantol Jackson (Naomi Thomas) and Ginny Holder (Darlene Curtis) are confirmed to be back for this festive affair.

12. The Smeds and the Smoos

BBC

The BBC is adapting another book from Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) and Axel Scheffler into a Christmas special, with The Smeds and the Smoos arriving on our screens this December.

Featuring the voices of Bridgerton‘s Adjoa Andoh and Strictly Come Dancing winner Bill Bailey, The Smeds and the Smoos – which is based on the book of the same name – follows the family rivalry between the red Smeds and the blue Smoos. When young smed Janet (Ashna Rabheru) and smoo Bill (Daniel Ezra) escape together, the two families must learn to overcome their differences to find their little ones.

Looking for something to watch? Visit our TV Guide or our Streaming Guide.

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