It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… at least in the world of television and radio. Flick through the latest Radio Times issue and you can’t escape the fact that the holiday season is almost upon us, as broadcast executives pre-empt the usual feast with something extra to tempt us.
Which means that among the familiar fare on TV and radio this week you will also find the occasional Christmas special cropping up, starting with Inside No. 9 and Motherland. We feature both in this issue, and we also mark that traditional year-end celebration of sport, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Then there are those programmes that were clearly commissioned with Christmas in mind, such as Gordon Buchanan’s great Yukon adventure, in which the presenter crosses the frozen Canadian wilderness on a sled towed by huskies.
Meanwhile on radio, actors Julian Sands and Bill Pullman team up to bring us a Radio 4 drama adaptation of Algernon Blackwood’s spine-tingling 1907 novella The Willows.
All of which is the perfect way to prepare for the season ahead. But for those happy to hold off on the festive cheer, there’s still plenty to enjoy. We interview Ruth Wilson, whose turn as the villainous Mrs Coulter in the BBC’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials continues this week as the final season begins.
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Also in this week’s Radio Times:
- Richard E Grant on his wife’s tragic death and his memoir, remaining a “glass three quarters full” sort of person, the generosity of Nigella and Prince Charles, his future ambitions, and his fantasy of starring in a Quentin Tarantino movie.
- Hugh Quarshie on Riches, dubbed “the Black Succession”, racism lurking never far below the surface of society, his views of Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman, and the bolder sense of Black identity.
- The writer of Vardy v Rooney: a Courtroom Drama, Chris Atkins, reflects on how his own experiences with the justice system informed his writing. Meanwhile, the cast including Michael Sheen and Natalia Tena discuss the tabloid frenzy of the case, the destruction of two working class women, and finding sympathy with “warrior” Rebekah Vardy.
- Speaking to Radio Times’ View From My Sofa podcast: Dick and Angel Strawbridge on their first meeting, the film that inspired Escape to the Chateau, their initial reservations, how they run the business, and why they’ve brought the series to an end.
His Dark Materials season 3 airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 18th December. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.