By Patrick Cremona

Published: Tuesday, 20 December 2022 at 12:00 am

---

However you spend your Christmas, one thing that can be pretty much guaranteed is that at some point over the festive period you’ll want nothing more than to settle down in front of the TV to watch a classic film.

Of course, the various streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have plenty of brilliant options, but there’s also another great way to treat yourself to a good film – simply by tuning in to terrestrial TV.

There’s a huge selection of treats showing on the box over the festive season this year, from Christmas favourites like Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life, to modern Bond flicks such as Skyfall and No Time to Die and classic musicals like Singin’ in the Rain and West Side Story.

We’ve put together a list of some of the best movies to watch for free on TV this Christmas and New Year, separated by genre – take a look below to find out what’s on at no cost.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for the best Christmas TV shows to watch this year, why not check out our guide.

Best free kids films on TV this Christmas and New Year

Beauty and the Beast

One of the most high profile of Disney’s recent live action remakes, this new version of the tale as old as time was a huge hit with audiences – and although it falls short of the 1991 animated classic, it still makes for a rewarding viewing experience. Emma Watson stars as Belle and is joined in the cast by an exceptional all-star line-up including Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad, while the musical numbers are well staged – with a show-stopping rendition of Be Our Guest a particular highlight.

Wednesday 21st December, BBC One, 2:45pm

Paddington 2

We’re eagerly anticipating the third film in the superb Paddington series, but while we wait, this second film in the franchise makes for a delightful treat. After having been adopted by the Brown family in the first film, the lovable Peruvian bear decides to accumulate enough money to buy the perfect gift for his aunt on her 100th birthday, only to come up against a larger-than-life villain played by Hugh Grant in sparkling form. Updated for the modern day but retaining the comforting spirit of the original, this is easily one of the best family films of the last decade – and a thoroughly re-watchable one too.

Thursday 22nd December, BBC One, 3:35pm

Home Alone

Disney

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a showing of this beloved festive classic – which remains the best entry in the ever-expanding Home Alone franchise. Macauley Culkin gives one of the all-time great child performances as the plucky kid left behind by his parents, who utilises all manner of complex booby traps to stave off a home invasion by a pair of incompetent burglars. No matter how many times you’ve seen it before, this remains a raucous laugh riot that should definitely get you in the festive spirit.

Christmas Eve, Channel 4, 5:25pm

Farmageddon

SEAC

Shaun the Sheep returns for another adventure in this hit animated comedy from Aardman, which follows his adventures after an unusual extraterrestrial unexpectedly shows up on Mossy Bottom Farm. Full of smart sci-fi nods and all the slapstick shenanigans you would expect from the stop-motion studio’s output, this is a treat for all the family.

Christmas Day, BBC One, 1pm

Frozen

Disney

One of Disney’s most successful ever animated features, Frozen is coming up for its 10th anniversary next year – and still remains just as popular with young viewers around the world. The plot is well-known by now: after keeping secret her power to freeze anything and anyone, Elsa becomes queen and accidentally plunges the land into permanent winter. Cue all sorts of memorable tunes, lovable characters, and charming adventures – all sure to keep just about any audience member thoroughly entertained.

Boxing Day, BBC One, 12:25pm

Mary Poppins

SEAC

There aren’t many films more timeless or magical than Mary Poppins – the hit musical adaptation of PL Travers’s book about a practically perfect nanny who arrives to care for the two kids of an overworked London banker. Packed full of wonderful set pieces, delightful performances, and some of the most catchy tracks ever written for the screen – including Chim Chim Che-ree, A Spoonful of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – this is truly one of the best family films ever made.

Boxing Day, BBC One, 2:25pm

The Mitchells vs the Machines

Netflix

This enjoyable film was only released in 2021, but it’s already gone down as something of a modern classic. One of the most original new animated flicks of the past few years, it follows the titular dysfunctional family as they find themselves fending off a robot apocalypse when things take an unexpected turn on their family road trip, with the very future of humankind now resting on their shoulders. Full of eye-popping visuals and smart gags, the film boasts a starry voice cast that includes the likes of Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph and Olivia Colman.

Boxing Day, ITV1, 3:30pm

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Universal Pictures

Few directors working today have made as many bonafide classics as Steven Spielberg – and this tremendous film from 1982 remains one of his very best. Telling the story of an alien creature who is adopted by a young boy when he is left behind on Earth, it’s an emotional and rather profound exploration of friendship and childhood – undoubtedly one of the finest family films ever made.

Tuesday 27th December, ITV1, 1:30pm

Moana

SEAC

Another hugely popular modern Disney musical, Moana features some brilliantly catchy tunes penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with highlights including You’re Welcome and How Far I’ll Go. It follows Moana, the future leader of her island community, as she sets sail on a perilous mission to rescue her home from encroaching darkness – forming an uneasy alliance with the mischievous demigod Maui (brilliantly voiced by Dwayne Johnson) in the process.

Wednesday 28th December, BBC One, 3:50pm

Inside Out

Disney

Pixar has put out a huge number of classics since debuting with Toy Story back in 1995, and this 2015 effort is one of the animation studio’s very best. Following the various anthropomorphised emotions living inside the head of 11-year-old Riley, it’s a film that is as entertaining as it is profound – deftly and intelligently dealing with emotional conflict in an accessible way. As ever, the animation is inventive and bright with some brilliant visual gags sprinkled through the runtime.

New Year’s Eve, BBC One, 2:50pm

Best free action films on TV this Christmas and New Year

Skyfall

Skyfall ©2012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. © MGM

There will likely always be some debate about which of Daniel Craig’s outings as 007 is truly the best – but whichever way you spin it, Skywall will never be far from the top of the list. Arguably the most personal Bond film of all, it sees the iconic agent face up to his past when long-held secrets are brought to the fore during a confrontation with criminal mastermind Silva (Javier Bardem). The film features some of the finest performances in Bond history – with Judi Dench especially outstanding in her swansong as M.

Thursday 22nd December, ITV1, 8pm

Die Hard

20th Century Fox

Every year there are endless arguments about whether Die Hard is a Christmas film, but whatever side of the argument you sit on, there’s one thing that can’t be denied – it’s an absolutely terrific action flick. Bruce Willis is on fine form as New York cop John McClane, who is forced to defend his estranged wife’s LA office building when German terrorists led by criminal mastermind Hans Gruber (a superb Alan Rickman) attack. Full of brilliant action and even better dialogue, it’s deservedly regarded as a bonafide classic.

Thursday 22nd December, ITV, 11:15pm

The Magnificent Seven

SEAC

Boxing Day, BBC Two, 5:30pm

An American remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai, this remains one of the most enduring Westerns ever made – helped by a superb cast that includes Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. It concerns events after a team of elite gunmen are hired by a desperate village that has been constantly plagued by a group of hardened bandits, and famously features a musical score for the ages.

1917

Universal

Sam Mendes’s World War One epic won a raft of awards upon its release in 2019 – with the impressive way in which it was filmed to look like one continuous shot coming in for particular praise. The simple plot sees two young soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, both excellent) tasked with delivering a life-saving letter to British frontline leaders on April 6th 1917, with their harrowing adventure unfolding in real-time.

Tuesday 27th December, BBC One, 9pm 

Heat

SEAC

Michael Mann’s epic crime saga was the first film to see Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share the screen (they had both appeared in The Godfather Part II but not in any of the same scenes) and their first encounter is one of many memorable moments in this terrific film – with the final shootout another highlight. It follows the cat-and-mouse chase between a hardened detective and a notorious professional thief who is desperate to complete one last heist.

Wednesday 28th December, BBC Two, 10:30pm

No Time to Die

2021 Danjaq, LLC & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Daniel Craig’s Bond swansong proved a little divisive on its initial release in 2021 – but no one could deny that it was a bold end to a brilliant chapter in 007 history. It sees Bond come up against Rami Malek’s villain Safin, who is using a deadly biological weapon for very nefarious purposes…

New Year’s Day, ITV1, 8pm

Best free rom-coms on TV this Christmas and New Year

You’ve Got Mail

SEAC

The second collaboration between Nora Ephron, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks – following Sleepless in Seattle – is an updated version of Ernst Lubitsch’s The Shop Around the Corner. Ryan and Hanks star as owners of rival New York bookshops unaware that they are also each other’s secret internet pen pals.

Friday 23rd December, Channel 5, 1:25pm

Four Weddings and a Funeral

SEAC

Together with a group of his friends, 30-something Charles is regularly invited to weddings, but he wonders if he will ever be ready to tie the knot himself. Then, at a country marriage, he meets the beautiful but elusive Carrie, who seduces him that night and leaves him utterly bemused when she returns to America the following day.

Christmas Eve, Channel 4, 10:40pm

Love Actually

Universal Pictures

This modern festive classic from Richard Curtis follows several interconnected stories in London in the run-up to Christmas Day. People from various walks of life – among them adult film performers, a washed-up rock star, and the British Prime Minister – suffer the emotional highs and lows of being in love.

Christmas Day, ITV1, 10:45pm

Yesterday

SEAC

Cycling home after a gig, aspiring musician Jack is hit by a bus during a strange power cut. He wakes up to find himself in a world where nobody has heard of the Beatles, so takes advantage of this by passing their songs off as his own. Success soon comes his way – but it threatens to come between him and his manager and best friend, Ellie.

New Year’s Eve, BBC One, 7:20pm

Long Shot

SEAC

Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen star in this 2019 rom-com about a free-spirited journalist who realises that the accomplished politician he runs into is his former babysitter and childhood crush. Unexpectedly – and against the advice of those closest to her – she ends up hiring him as her speechwriter when she decides to run for the presidency, with charming and sometimes hilarious results. 

New Year’s Day, BBC One, 11:45pm

Best of the rest on TV this Christmas and New Year

Casablanca

SEAC

Often regarded as one of the best films of all time, this tremendous romantic drama follows the developing romance between cynical cafe owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and beautiful Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) who arrives with her husband seeking passage to America. Equal parts thriller and romance, this is a wonderfully gripping and immensely quotable film that is thoroughly deserving of its fine reputation.

Thursday 22nd December, 3:35pm, BBC Two

Edward Scissorhands

SEAC

Tim Burton’s 1990 gothic classic about a synthetic man with scissor hands remains one of his very finest creations – and includes one of Johnny Depp’s very finest performances. It follows events after the title character is taken in by Peg, a kindly Avon lady, only for things to take a turn for the worse when he is blamed for a crime he did not commit.

Friday 23rd December, BBC Two, 4:45pm

It’s a Wonderful Life

Getty

Frank Capra’s superb film is often regarded as one of the best Christmas films ever made – but it’s also one of the best films ever made full stop. It follows the life of George Bailey (an extraordinary Jimmy Stewart), who finds himself unable to escape his small town – but who learns to value the importance of family and friendship following a crucial intervention from his guardian angel. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, it has an outstanding ending which hasn’t lost any of its power since the film was first released in 1946.

Christmas Eve, Channel 4, 1:25pm

North by Northwest

One of the finest films in Alfred Hitchock’s peerless filmography, this excellent espionage thriller sees an innocent man (Cary Grant) accidentally pulled into a dangerous plot. Complete with buckets of tension, a helping of wicked humour, and two incredibly memorable set pieces – one featuring a rouge airplane and the other an irresistible climax at Mount Rushmore– this is an unquestionable masterpiece from the master of suspense.

Christmas Eve, BBC Two, 1:40pm

Catch Me If You Can

SEAC

This ’60s set drama – based on a true story – was directed with characteristic brilliance from Steven Spielberg, with Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks at their charismatic best as a prolific fraudster and the tenacious FBI agent charged with bringing him down. It’s also perfect viewing for the festive season – with several key scenes taking place around Christmas.

Christmas Day, Channel 4, 10:55pm

Goodfellas

SEAC

Simply one of the best films ever made, gangster epic Goodfellas is arguably Martin Scorsese’s crowning achievement – a consistently thrilling film about the rise and fall of real-life mobster Henry Hill. The cast – including Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro – are incredible across the board, but it’s Joe Pesci as the dangerously volatile Tommy DeVito who just about steals the show.

Boxing Day, BBC Two, 10:15pm

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

20th Century Fox

This iconic Western paired Paul Newman with Robert Redford (they would reunite four years later for The Sting), with the duo starring as the eponymous outlaw heroes who have a knack for robbing banks. With its witty script, luminous photography and jaunty score, it remains one of the most popular Westerns of all time.

Tuesday 27th December, ITV4, 3:30pm 

La La Land

Damien Chazelle’s swoon-worthy ode to the technicolor musicals of Hollywood’s Golden Age might have famously fallen just short of picking up the Oscar for Best Picture – but it remains a truly enjoyable picture, full of brilliant spectacle and memorable musical sequences. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone excel in the lead roles, and the ending is especially spectacular.

Thursday 29th December, 9pm, BBC Three

Raiders of the Lost Ark

SEAC

Few films are as re-watchable as the Indiana Jones trilogy – and this opening instalment arguably remains the best of the bunch. Introducing Harrison Ford as the adventurous archeologist, this is a pure cinematic joy from beginning to end – with some stellar action set pieces and brilliant chemistry between Ford and Karen Allen – as Indy fights off a troop of Nazis.

Friday 30th December, Channel 4, 8pm

Get Out

Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning horror recently made it onto Sight and Sound’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies Ever Made – and with very good reason. It follows Chris, a young African-American photographer who is understandably anxious when he’s invited to stay with his wealthy white girlfriend’s parents at their family estate – only for things to end up even worse than he can possibly have imagined.

Friday 30th December, E4, 10pm 

West Side Story

United Artists

Steven Spielberg’s brilliant new version of West Side Story opened in cinemas last year, but the original remains one of the best movie musicals ever made. Filmed in glorious technicolor, this is an outstanding film with numerous iconic scenes – from the tremendous finger-clicking opening to the electric rooftop rendition of America. Rita Moreno, who stars in a different role in the newer film, is particularly good value as Anita.

New Year’s Eve, BBC Two, 3:10pm

Singin’ in the Rain

MGM

There can be no better example of the movie musical than Stanley Donen’s joyous 1952 classic, which includes a string of unforgettable musical numbers (the title song, Good Morning, Good Morning and All I Do is Dream of You are some of many highlights) and stupendous performances from Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. If this doesn’t lift your spirits and get you dancing, then nothing will.

New Year’s Day, 1:15pm, Channel 5

Check out more of our Film coverage or find something to watch now with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

The Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.

---