The halls are decked, the turkey’s ordered and now it’s time to put your feet up and enjoy some Christmas telly. But don’t waste your valuable downtime sifting through TV guides. We’ve already put the finest Christmas telly treats worth watching in one convenient place! Check out our top picks available now and throughout the festive period that’ll keep you entertained all December long.

We’ve got the best Christmas TV across BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Max and more, handily broken down into Drama, Comedy, Family, Entertainment and Factual.

You also don’t need to battle for the remote this Christmas. Thanks to the Virgin TV Go app, you can register on up to 5 devices and view on 2 devices simultaneously at no extra cost. You can access more than 100 live TV channels on the go from your devices, including your iPhone, iPad, Android mobile or tablet, and PC/Mac. Bookmark our Christmas TV listings page for updates from now until the festive season.

Drama

The Chelsea Detective Christmas Special

Thursday 19 December, 8pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116). Series 1-2 available in U&Drama on demand now

Things are far from merry and bright in the well-heeled district of West London this yuletide. When pop star Chloe Carmichael is found dead just days before Christmas, it’s up to DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) and DS Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme) to get to the bottom of the mystery that has a journalist, a Tory MP and Chloe’s former manager at the heart of it.

All Creatures Great And Small: Christmas Special

Monday 23 December, 9pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)

It’s Christmas 1941 and the festivities are in full swing at Skeldale House as James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) prepare for their son Jimmy’s first birthday. However, when Mrs Hall’s world is turned upside down by some worrying news, she finds an unexpected connection with an abandoned fox cub that’s brought to the surgery.

Doctor Who: Joy To The World

Christmas Day, 5.10pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

Is it even Christmas Day if you’re not tuning into the Doctor Who festive special? This year’s instalment features the return of Ncuti Gatwa and he’s joined by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan in her time-travelling debut. When Joy (Coughlan) checks into a hotel room, she discovers a secret passage to the Time Hotel where dinosaurs, the Doctor and a dangerous plan to destroy Earth await her.

Squid Game

Find season 2 in Apps > Netflix from Boxing Day. Season 1 and Squid Game: The Challenge available now

Consider all our Boxing Day plans cancelled. Because after a three-year hiatus, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is back in the game and the stakes have never been higher. In the long-awaited new season, viewers follow Player 456 as he returns to the Squid Game fortress to make those behind the deadly competition pay for their atrocities. But only time will tell whether he’ll survive all the cruel and chilling challenges that lie ahead for the second time. Eek!

What else is on:

• The Good Ship Murder Christmas Special – Wednesday 18 December, 9pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)
• Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas Special – Friday 20 December, 8pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)
• Death In Paradise Christmas Special – Sunday 22 December, 8.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• Call The Midwife Christmas Special – Part One, Christmas Day, 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) and Part Two, Boxing Day, 7.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
  
• Beyond Paradise Christmas Special – Friday 27 December, 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• The Split: Barcelona – Sunday 29 December, 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
  

Comedy

Bad Tidings

Sunday 22 December, 8.30pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111) + in Sky Max on demand

Chris McCausland and Lee Mack are sworn enemies forced to save Christmas in this laugh-out-loud and feel-good flick. After warring neighbours Scott (McCausland) and Neil (Mack) cause a power outage on Christmas Eve, their street is forced to evacuate which attracts the attention of a local crime family. They’re planning a heist, but first they’ll have to get through Scott and Neil. Home Alone-inspired mischief and chaos ensue.

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale

Christmas Day, 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

What’s occurring? A lot has happened since we left Barry five years ago when Nessa proposed to Smithy, and we can’t wait to catch up with the Shipmans and friends in the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey. Plus, don’t miss new documentary Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell which tells the 17-year story of this beloved sitcom from series creators Ruth Jones and James Corden. Tidy!

Outnumbered Christmas Special

Boxing Day, 9.40pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

Nearly a decade after Outnumbered left our screens, the Brockman clan are back and bigger than ever. The original cast including Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner all reprise their roles in this festive episode, which features the Brockmans downsizing their family home and the not-so-smooth sailing of having adult children. Expect bus replacement services, plenty of chaos and, er, hyenas.

• The Young Offenders Christmas Special – Friday 20 December, 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special – Christmas Day, 11.05pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• Big Fat Quiz Of The Year – Friday 27 December, 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104) + Apps > Channel 4
• Taskmaster’s New Year Treat – Sunday 29 December, 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104) + Apps > Channel 4
• Cunk On Life – Monday 30 December, 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

Family

The Night Before Christmas In Wonderland

Available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert U

Jolly old Saint Nick (Gerard Butler) is about to embark on his annual gift-delivering journey when he receives a last-minute letter from the Princess of Hearts, whose Christmas-hating mother the Queen (Emilia Clark) has banned the holiday. The red-suited hero heads for Wonderland to save the day with some assistance from Alice (Simone Ashley).

Tiddler

Christmas Day, 2.35pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

This starry adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved tale is sure to keep your family entertained this Christmas. Newcomer Reuben Kirby is Tiddler, a little fish with a big imagination who tells his teacher a new story every day about why he’s late for school. But when he gets lost in the deep wide ocean, his creative storytelling helps him find his way home again. Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham narrates this charming half-hour story while Lolly Adefope, Rob Brydon and Jayde Adams lend their vocal talents.

Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Christmas Day, 6.10pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

Head back to Wigan with Wallace and Gromit for a new feature-length adventure. After a recent crime wave, Wallace and his pre-programmed smart gnome, Norbot, are the main suspects. But who could be behind it? Feathers McGraw – last seen in 1993’s BAFTA and Academy Award-winning short The Wrong Trousers – is back with a vengeance. Cue Gromit’s furrowed eyebrows…

What else is on:

• The Primrose Railway Children – Apps > BBC iPlayer now
• Cooking Buddies Christmas Special – Apps > BBC iPlayer now
• Blue Peter’s Christmas Spectacular – Apps > BBC iPlayer now
  
• My Life: The Snowman And Me – Apps > BBC iPlayer now
  
• The Famous Five (series 2) – Monday 23 December, 5.25pm, CBBC HD (CH 701) + New Year’s Eve, 10.20am, BBC One HD (CH 101)  

Entertainment

The Great Christmas Bake Off

Christmas Eve, 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104) + Apps > Channel 4

You don’t get more Christmassy than a Christmas Bake Off – except maybe an episode of your favourite soap. This special combines the two as soap icons Chris Bisson, Natalie Cassidy, Dean Gaffney, Shobna Gulati and Sheree Murphy from EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale all compete for the coveted Christmas Star Baker.

The Piano Christmas Special

Christmas Day, 7.05pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104) + Apps > Channel 4

Claudia Winkleman, Mika and Lang Lang gather around the piano for an unforgettable festive celebration at London’s Battersea Power Station. With the help of their travelling piano and talented contestants from The Piano’s second series including winner Brad Kella, the group perform Christmas classics such as “Walking In The Air”, “O Holy Night” and Joni Mitchell’s “River”. Pass the tissues…

What else is on:

• Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas Special – Wednesday 18 December, 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111) + in Sky Max on demand
• The Great Christmas Sewing Bee – Thursday 19 December, 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• Bullseye Christmas Special – Sunday 22 December, 6pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103) + Apps > ITVX
• Gogglebox Best Of 2024 – Christmas Eve, 9.15pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104) + Apps > Channel 4
• Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special – Christmas Day, 3.55pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer
• The Masked Singer Christmas Special – Boxing Day, 7.30pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103) + Apps > ITVX

Factual

Winter On The Farm

Find series 4 in Apps > My 5 now

Join Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson as the winter season rolls in at Cannon Hall Farm in South Yorkshire. Across four episodes, the duo are joined by familiar friends and farmers as they take on a series of new challenges including showing sheep at a local show, stargazing in the wilderness, giving cows their winter pedicure and taking an unforgettable trip to Finland. Plus, you can catch Christmas On The Farm 2024 at 9pm on Tuesday 17 December on Channel 5 HD (CH 105).

The Devil’s Climb

Sunday 22 December, 9pm, National Geographic HD (CH 183) + in National Geographic on demand

World-famous rock climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell take on the greatest challenge of their lives in this documentary directed by fellow climber and filmmaker Renan Ozturk. Over the course of the programme the daredevil duo cross half a continent to complete one perilous climb – the Devils Thumb, a legendary 9,000-foot peak that’s surrounded by Alaskan wilderness. Inspiring stuff.

Inside No. 9: The Party’s Over

Sunday 22 December, 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102) + Apps > BBC iPlayer

Christmas has come early for Inside No. 9 fans with this fly-on-the-wall documentary that celebrates a decade of one of TV’s most loved comedies. Step behind the scenes of the award-winning series with candid moments from the writers’ room, make-up trailer and set design workshop that were captured during the show’s final run, as well as exclusive interviews with series creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.

What else is on:

• Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide With Josie Gibson – Apps > Channel 4 now
• Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped – Apps > BBC iPlayer now
  
• Chateau DIY at Christmas – Apps > Channel 4 now
  
• The Yorkshire Vet: A Donkey For Christmas – Tuesday 17 December, 8pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)
• Mary Makes Christmas – Wednesday 18 December, 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101) + Apps > BBC iPlayer