From carols at Kilmainham and Geantraí to Strictly sparkle, big family films, and a St Stephen’s Day laugh, these are the shows worth booking a spot on the couch for this festive season.
Christmas week has a habit of disappearing in a blur of food, visitors and wrapping paper, so it helps to have a short list of what’s on when.
Below are 20 highlights, from big festive centrepieces to smaller, cosy watches that slot neatly into the busy parts of the day. There’s something for all family.
Christmas Eve, 24 December
Santa’s Holiday
RTÉ One, 5.15pm.
If you’re looking for a Christmas Eve kids’ pick that won’t have adults checking their phones after five minutes, this Irish-made animation is a good shout. In Santa’s Village, little elf Maeve and her clever dog Rocket are faced with one impossible task: convince Arthur, the most hard-working elf in the workshop, to put down his tools and actually take a break for the holidays.
Christmas in Kilmainham
RTÉ One, 6.20pm
This is one of those RTÉ Christmas staples that earns its place every year: big location, big sound, and a crowd that makes it feel like an occasion at home. Marty Whelan hosts from the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, with a line-up that’s made for mixed company, including Imelda May, Garron Noone and The High Kings, backed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, plus the Daughters of Jerusalem choir from Palestine. There will be big sing-along moments, and a few quieter performances that make you pause. It’s an ideal “Christmas starts here” programme while the last festive prep is being finished.
The Snowman
Channel 4, 7.15pm
Raymond Briggs’ animated classic remains one of the most quietly powerful pieces of Christmas television. There’s no dialogue and very little plot in the traditional sense, just a young boy, a snowman who comes to life, and a magical night-time journey that’s carried almost entirely by visuals and Howard Blake’s score, including the famous Walking in the Air.
High Road Low Road Winter Special
RTÉ One, 8.00pm
This festive edition of High Road Low Road sends chef Kevin Dundon and comedian Kayleigh Trappe to Gastein in Austria for snowy scenery, hot food, cosy interiors, and the inevitable comparisons when they swap stories. Dundon will obviously sniff out the best bites on offer, and Trappe is a great fit for the format because she says what everyone at home is thinking. It’s an easy watch, but it still feels like a treat.
Father Ted Christmas Special
RTÉ2, 8.30pm
There’s a reason this episode still gets quoted like it aired last week. A Christmassy Ted is built around a simple idea, Ted wants a quiet Christmas, and then everything that can derail it does, quickly and magnificently. You’ve got the department store chaos, the Golden Cleric obsession, the visitors who won’t leave, and Dougal doing exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong moment. It’s also an episode with proper set pieces, not just one-liners, so it holds a room even when half the household has seen it a dozen times!
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special
Channel 4, 9.00pm
Jimmy Carr hosts a special Christmas insta of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, packed with festive surprises. Jon Richardson and Daisy May Cooper take on Rob Beckett and Judi Love. Katie Norris joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner. And because it’s Christmas, Joe Wilkinson is back in his traditional role of making Rachel’s life harder during the letters and numbers rounds.
Goodbye June
Netflix
Goodbye June is a family drama set just before Christmas, where an unexpected turn in a mother’s health throws four adult siblings and their father into a very recognisable kind of chaos: old roles reappearing, tensions bubbling up, and the sense that everyone is trying to be “fine” until they can’t. The twist is that June is quick-witted and determined to handle things on her own terms, with blunt honesty, biting humour and real warmth. It’s also notable as Kate Winslet’s directorial debut, with a cast that includes Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren and Stephen Merchant.
Christmas Day, 25 December
White Christmas
8.05am, RTÉ One
A Christmas morning classic, White Christmas is pure old-school Hollywood comfort: big musical numbers, warm humour, and a pace that feels gently unhurried compared with modern family films. It also suits the way Christmas morning actually works in most houses, where people drift in and out with tea, toast, and whatever toy has just become the centre of the universe.
Gladiators Celebrity Special
BBC One, 3.35pm
The Christmas Day edition keeps the reboot’s simple pleasures and swaps in four very game celebrities: Joe Wicks, Nicola Adams, Vogue Williams and Sam Thompson. Father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh are hosting and you can expect plenty of fast-paced events that look impossible from the sofa and an Eliminator deciding who’s earned bragging rights.
Nollaí
TG4, 4.50pm
This is a new Irish-language animated Christmas special with a gorgeous story. Nollaí is a deer who’s been raised on a farm by his human family, but a discovery turns his life upside down when he realises he may be the last giant Irish deer (the Megaloceros). That sets off a quest back to the stone circle where he was found. With his sister Sadhbh and a Christmas-obsessed-bat called Stoca along for the ride, he finds a portal that opens into the realm of the giant deer.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
BBC One, 5.30pm
Strictly’s Christmas special is reliably built for the big day: sparkly, upbeat, and easy to enjoy even if you’ve barely followed the main series. This year’s celebrity line-up includes Scarlett Moffatt, Melanie Blatt, Jodie Ounsley, Nicholas Bailey, Babatunde Aleshe, and Brian McFadden, each paired with a pro. The routines are polished, the tone is looser, and the show leans into what it does best: big staging, familiar tunes, and that warm ballroom atmosphere that feels made for Christmas telly.
Wonka
RTÉ One, 6.15pm
A genuinely great Christmas Day film choice. It’s bright, funny and easy for a full room to agree on. Womka acts as an origin story for the young chocolatier played by Timothée Chalamet, as he arrives in the wintry city determined to open a chocolate shop and promptly runs into trouble with the local chocolate cartel. Olivia Colman’s Mrs Scrubbit adds a wicked edge, and the whole thing has that festive touch: warm -hearted, visually playful and perfect for family viewing.
Westlife 25: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
RTÉ One, 6.30pm
This is a great Christmas Day slot for a family-friendly, “leave it on and sing along” special. The Royal Albert Hall setting gives it that big occasion feel, and Westlife know exactly how to play a crowd in a way that works just as well from your sofa. Expect the hits, the polished vocals, and a production that’s glossy and full of early noughties nostalgia.
Geantraí na Nollag 2025
TG4, 8.00pm
TG4’s Christmas Geantraí special, which celebrates 20 seasons of the much-loved show, was filmed at Mount Falcon Estate in Mayo. There is a serious line-up, including Paul Brady, Tommy Fleming (with pianist Conal Early), Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich and Laoise Kelly, plus newer voices and musicians across harp, concertina and song, and the Mayo Ensemble led by Stephen Doherty.
Call the Midwife Christmas Special (two-part event)
BBC One, Thu 25 Dec, 8.15pm (Part 1) and Fri 26 Dec, 8.30pm (Part 2)
This year’s Christmas story is told across two hour-long episodes, splitting time between wintry Poplar and Hong Kong. The set-up begins with Violet and Fred travelling to the city to visit her son, only to find their trip overtaken by disaster when the Branch House in Kowloon collapses with multiple fatalities. A rescue mission is quickly organised, and a team from Nonnatus heads out, while the younger midwives keep the services going back home.
Mrs Brown’s Boys
RTÉ One, 9:05pm
Mrs Brown decides the family needs a proper Christmas photo, which immediately turns into a mission to get everyone in the same place, in the same mood, at the same time. On top of that, Buster arrives with one of his trademark Christmas tree ideas, promised with “maximum impact”, while Cathy works herself into a fret over what presents to buy everyone.
St Stephen’s Day
Stranger Things 5 Volume 2
Netflix, 1.00am(Ireland)
Volume 2 is a three-episode drop (episodes five to seven) and Netflix has confirmed the episode titles: Shock Jock, Escape From Camazotz, and The Bridge. Story-wise, the final season is set in the autumn of 1987, with Hawkins “scarred by the opening of the Rifts” as the group’s goal narrows to one thing: find and kill Vecna, who has vanished. The government response is part of the pressure too, with Hawkins under military quarantine and the hunt for Eleven intensified, forcing her back into hiding.
The Masked Singer Christmas Special
Virgin Media One, 7.35pm.
Joel Dommett hosts the festive edition, with the usual “detectives” on the panel: Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama. The Christmas format is tighter than the full series: four masked celebrities perform, you get the clue packages and panel theories, then the unmaskings come quickly enough that it never drags. The four new costumes for 2025 have already been revealed: Mistletoe, Goose A-Laying, Figgy Pudding and Santa’s Sack. It’s big, silly, and very watchable in a busy house because you can miss a few minutes and still keep up with who’s who.
Keys To My Life: Jim Sheridan
RTÉ One, 8.00pm.
Brendan Courtney meets director Jim Sheridan for a one-hour Christmas edition of the series, built around the places that shaped him rather than a standard sit-down interview. The programme follows Sheridan through a trail of addresses that spans his early Dublin life and later years abroad, including Sheriff Street, Dalkey and Hell’s Kitchen in New York. Along the way, it takes in the career that made him a key figure in modern Irish cinema, with a nod to the Oscar-era breakthrough around My Left Foot (1990).
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2025
Channel 4, 9.00pm
The annual St Stephen’s Day staple returns with Jimmy Carr back in the host’s chair and a strong panel of comedians tackling the biggest moments of 2025. The confirmed team line-up for this year pairs Jonathan Ross with Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan with Nick Mohammed, and Roisin Conaty with Lou Sanders, each duo battling to remember (or very generously misremember) the headlines, mishaps and memes that defined the year.
Full TV listings here