Take Christmas out of the equation, and midwinter would still be made for settling down in front of a good film. It’s cold, it’s dark, the outside world is expensive; hey, isn’t that the sound of your sofa calling?

Sound like you? Then you’ll want to head over to the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel (CH 228/999) this December, which will be screening a special festive schedule of films and musical theatre. As a treat for you this Christmas, we’re also opening up Virgin TV Ultra HD to all our V6, Virgin TV TV 360 and Stream customers at no extra cost –  bringing you even more dazzling UHD TV to enjoy over the holidays.

From Saturday 17 December to Sunday 1 January, settle down to 9pm films on Virgin TV Ultra HD, the UK’s first and only dedicated 4K Ultra HD channel, broadcast in pixel-packed Ultra HD. (Don’t worry if you don’t have a 4K telly – you can also watch everything it has to offer in High Definition).

Plus, we’re sprinkling musical theatre titles into our schedule in the afternoons and early evenings – because isn’t there something inherently festive about show tunes and jazz hands? Feast your eyes and ears on awesome filmed West End performances, and revel in the next best thing to being in the audience.

In short, Virgin TV UHD is where you’ll find unmissable entertainment in glorious Ultra HD, all in one place this Christmas (and with no adverts, you’ll be wowed without interruptions).

And if gifting you the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel, on us, this Christmas isn’t enough, since Virgin Media and O2 joined forces, our broadband customers get exclusive access to Priority from O2. And to give you a helping hand in making your festive season special, we’re shaking things up this year with 25 days of Priority treats. Find out more here.

Now read on to find out which films and musicals are in store for you this December...

An American In Paris: The Musical

Sunday 18 December, 6.45pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

If you like your musicals glittering, glamorous and romantic, this one’s for you. With songs from musical theatre legends George and Ira Gershwin, the Broadway version of An American In Paris won four Tony Awards before transferring to London’s Dominion Theatre in 2017, where this was filmed live. It’s set in Paris (obviously) at the end of the Second World War, following US Army Lieutenant Jerry Mulligan as he sticks around in the City of Light to pursue a painting career rather than return home. Love triangles, fancy parties and artistic clashes ensue; if musicals were a drink, this would be a sparkling champagne cocktail.

The Wind In The Willows: The Musical

Monday 19 December, 6.55pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

This gorgeous performance of Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book was filmed at the London Palladium in 2017. The show’s got good pedigree: it was written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, with music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (who previously worked with Fellowes on the West End musical version of Mary Poppins). Enjoy watching gentle Mole (Craig Mather), savvy Ratty (Simon Lipkin) and doleful Badger (Gary Wilmot) as they leave their homes along the river to try and help Mr Toad (Rufus Hound) get out of trouble.

Public Enemies

Monday 19 December, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Award-winning director Michael Mann (Heat) helmed this starry 2009 crime drama, starring Johnny Depp as notorious real-life gangster John Dillinger. He – Dillinger, not Depp – was hunted by the authorities during the Great Depression due to his habit of robbing banks and police stations, and Mann’s film picks up during Dillinger’s later years as he is pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, Thor: Love And Thunder) while embarking on a relationship with singer Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose). Watch out for a supporting turn from British TV legend Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) as Baby Face Nelson.

Kinky Boots: The Musical

Tuesday 20 December, 6.55pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Based on the 2005 British film Kinky Boots (which was itself inspired by true events), the uplifting Kinky Boots: The Musical arrived in the West End in 2015. After inheriting a close-to-ruin shoe factory from his father, Charlie Price joins forces with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to make sturdy high-heeled boots in larger sizes. Their unlikely partnership saves Charlie’s business – and forms the basis of a beautiful friendship. We never thought we’d see Cyndi “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” Lauper write the music and lyrics for a stage show set largely in a Northampton factory, but life is full of surprises.

42nd Street: The Musical

Wednesday 21 December, 6.45pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Some stage shows only last a couple of months, but some run for decades. And 42nd Street: The Musical first landed on Broadway way back in 1980, returning to the UK for this West End revival in 2017 – which gives you some idea of how much audiences love it. It’s a wonderful underdog story, following the rehearsal process of a Broadway show at the height of the Great Depression. Can nervous new chorus girl Peggy Sawyer prove she deserves her place in the spotlight? Yes, obviously, and it’s a lot of fun watching her do it.

The King And I: The Musical

Thursday 22 December, 6.20pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Watch the multi-award winning, critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King And I, recorded live at London’s Palladium. Kelli O’Hara (described by the Sunday Times as “Broadway musical’s undisputed Queen”) reprises her Tony Award-winning role as Anna, an English schoolteacher who travels to Bangkok in the 1860s to tutor the many children of the King of Siam. Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) stars as the King, while Ruthie Ann Miles returns to her Tony Award-winning role as Lady Thiang. Prepare to sing along to beloved tunes like “I Whistle A Happy Tune” and “Getting To Know You”.

Best Man Holiday

Friday 23 December, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Do you love a feel-good festive flick around the holidays? Well, this could be just to think to kick off Christmas. Fifteen years after they were last together, a group of college friends – including Lance (Morris Chestnut, Rosewood), Harper (Taye Diggs, All American), Candace (Regina Hall, Nine Perfect Strangers) and Robyn (Sanaa Lathan, Love and Basketball) – reunite for the holiday season in a sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man. As the characters attempt to navigate their past feuds and romances, secrets are unearthed and truths are faced.

The Theory Of Everything

Christmas Eve, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) scooped an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an SAG Award for his performance as Stephen Hawking and it’s no wonder. Redmayne not only impersonates but embodies Hawking, from his time as a postgraduate meeting future wife Jane (Felicity Jones, On The Basis Of Sex) to his diagnosis with motor neurone disease. It’s truly fascinating to watch Hawking’s physical change align with his academic success.

Unbroken

Christmas Day, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Sick of festive films by Christmas day and in the mood for something determinedly un-jolly? Stick on this Angelina Jolie-directed Second World War drama. Jack O’Connell (SAS: Rogue Heroes) stars as real-life US Olympic runner and Army officer Louie Zamperini, who has to fight to survive after his plane comes down in the ocean and he’s sent to prisoner-of-war camp by the Japanese military. As a character, Louie is firmly in O’Connell’s wheelhouse –a tough, charismatic bloke dealing with trauma – and he’s predictably excellent, even layering a solid American accent on top.

Baby Mama

Boxing Day, 7.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Rest assured that if a film stars comedy duo Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Parks And Recreation), we’re gonna watch it. Baby Mama features Fey as Kate Holbrook, a successful businesswoman who has always put her career before her personal life. At 37, she decides to have a baby but after discovering her chances of conceiving are slim, she hires Angie Ostrowski (Poehler) to be the surrogate mum. But things take a weird turn when Angie turns up at her door looking for a place to live and the pair’s conflicting personalities cause a huge clash.

Trainwreck

Boxing Day, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Amy Schumer (I Feel Pretty) plays Amy Townsend, a hard-drinking, hard-partying magazine writer, in this hilarious romantic comedy. Her father raised her to think monogamy is a lie and she’s spent her life not taking love too seriously. That is, until she has to write a profile on successful sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader, Barry) and finds herself falling in love. Expect many laugh-out-loud moments as the chemistry between Schumer and Hader sizzles – plus former WWE star John Cena is truly hilarious as Amy’s casual sex buddy.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Wednesday 28 December, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

A guitarist in a popular Toronto band, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, Superbad) has no shortage of female admirers. But his head is turned by the mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds Of Prey), who’s just arrived in town from New York. To his dismay, Scott soon discovers Ramona has a series of imposing exes – and they're all determined to eliminate him as competition for her heart. Adapted from a popular graphic novel series, this quirky, action-packed rom-com from Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright draws on video game and comic book styles to endearingly original effect.

Jarhead

Wednesday 28 December, 10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Many war films explore the psychology of conflict. But Jarhead is unusual in how closely it studies the mental effects of life in the military – and how it emphasises the unglamorous tedium involved in war. Directed by Sam Mendes (who went on to work on James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre as well as First World War epic 1917), it stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) as a Marine sniper struggling to cope with boredom, isolation and issues from home while waiting for combat during the Gulf War. Jamie Foxx (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman) co-star.

Zero Dark Thirty

Thursday 29 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Zero Dark Thirty was Kathryn Bigelow’s return to directing after the triumph of The Hurt Locker, which saw her become the first woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar. It’s another modern war thriller, this time dramatising the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama Bin Laden. Critically acclaimed, it’s unsparing in its depiction of interrogations – so be warned, it’s not one to watch if you’re squeamish. Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye) stars as fictional CIA intelligence analyst Maya, with a supporting cast including Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Kyle Chandler and Chris Pratt.

The Visit

New Year’s Day, 10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Directed by M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), this found-footage horror flick follows a pair of siblings who reconnect with their grandparents after a family estrangement. A visit to Nana and Pop Pop’s isolated farmhouse initially seems like wholesome fun – but soon, teenagers Becca (Olivia DeJonge, Elvis) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould, The Exchange) realise their mum might have had the right idea about cutting off her folks. Mysterious and unnerving with moments of surprising humour, this film’s plot twist will leave your jaw on the floor.

Shake up your Christmas

Since Virgin Media and O2 joined forces, our broadband customers get exclusive access to Priority from O2. We’re shaking things up this year with 25 days of festive treats on Priority. Find out more below, plus check out all your Christmas TV, movie and sports listings.