It’s the most wonderful time of the year in TV land, and there’s a sled load of viewing gifts just waiting to be unwrapped this December as both regular channels and streaming services air their festive treats.
From heartwarming family classics to entertainment specials, drama giants and seasonal comedy, there’s something for everyone to look forward to in Christmas 2025’s schedules.
Here are the TV highlights we’re most looking forward to for the festive season – keep checking back as more titles are announced.
BBCThe Scarecrow’s Wedding | Christmas Day
The Scarecrow’s Wedding (BBC/Magic Light Pictures)
The annual Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler adaptation has become a festive tradition for many a family on Christmas Day. Donaldson has said, “The Scarecrows’ Wedding is my favourite of all the books I’ve created with Axel Scheffler,” which is high praise indeed, with The Gruffalo and The Highway Rat also in their repertoire.
Rob Brydon returns to the voice cast as usual, this time joined by Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson with Sophie Okonedo as narrator. Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay are scarecrows in love, but when Harry goes out to collect one last thing for their wedding, and Reginald Rake steps in, chaos looms.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special | Christmas Day
Strictly’s Neil Jones in the 2024 Christmas special. (BBC Public Service)
Christmas Day viewing doesn’t get more glitzy and festive than the highly anticipated Strictly Christmas special.
Scarlett Moffat, Melanie Blatt, Jodie Ounsley (aka Gladiators’ Fury), Nicholas Bailey, Babtunde Aléshé and Brian McFadden are all confirmed for the festive special.
Strictly’s Christmas 2025 will be a tearjerker for loyal fans of the show, as it’s the final time we’ll see outgoing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman in the ballroom.
The Night Manager | New Year’s Day
Tom Hiddleston is back in a new series of The Night Manager. (BBC)
It’s been nearly a 10-year gap between The Night Manager series – even longer than the wait Line of Duty fans have had to face. But in a much-anticipated end-of-year treat, Tom Hiddleston is finally back as Jonathan Pine – or Alex Goodwin, as he goes by these days.
He’s been living a quiet life as a low-level MI6 agent, but a violent encounter with a Colombian businessman kicks off a perilous new journey into international arms dealing.
The Traitors | TBC
Although the new series of The Traitors hasn’t announced an air date yet, we’re expecting to see it back on screens on New Year’s Day again and while we wouldn’t like to wish away Christmas, this is undoubtedly the most looked forward to treat of the season.
Claudia Winkleman is back at the castle following the runaway success of the celebrity spin-off, this time with 22 new civilian players and “new twists”. There’s also a Traitors at the Proms special to look forward to for fans of the soundtrack.
Gladiators celebrity special | TBC
Can the celebrities beat the Travelator? (BBC)
The Gladiators celebrity special is back for a second year as the contenders get ready for another full series in the new year.
Hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh welcome four famous contestants to take on the Gladiators in this one-off special. The nation’s PE teacher Joe Wicks takes on presenter Sam Thompson, whilst boxing legend Nicola Adams is up against podcaster and 2025 I’m a Celeb campmate Vogue Williams.
Stuffed
Stuffed brings Christmas comedy from Lapland. (BBC)
When Arslan Farooqi (Guz Khan) gets an unexpected £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, he and wife Hannah (Morgana Robinson) decide to go on a festive getaway to Lapland with their family.
However, Arslan discovers that the bonus was a mistake and must be repaid immediately, leading to Christmas chaos in this warm-hearted comedy, which also stars Sue Johnston.
The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas specials
Eddie Kadi, Tom Skinner, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza, Charlie Hedges, Matt Morsia, Rob Rinder, Angela Scanlon, Kadeena Cox, AJ Odudu, Jake Wood and JB Gill join Lord Sugar. (BBC/Naked)
The Apprentice celebrity special is back, this time with a festive spin as the teams compete over biscuit sales. Excitingly, you can actually buy Jolly McTrouble (a gingerbread biscuit with butter toffee, vanilla and Christmas pudding flavoured festive icing) and Gary the Penguin (gingerbread with a blend of lemon, bubblegum and white pepper) from 14 November to raise money for Children in Need.
Lord Sugar’s celebrity apprentices are AJ Odudu, Charlie Hedges, Eddie Kadi, Jake Woods, Kadeena Cox and Rob Rinder, who will go up against Angela Scanlon, JB Gill, Matt Morsia, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza and Tom Skinner in two episodes.
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Mark Gatiss continues his own festive tradition with another classic ghost story adaptation for Christmas Eve. This time, he turns to E.F. Benson’s The Room in the Tower, about a nightmare-plagued man who receives a real-life invitation to spend a night in a friend’s tower, which has long haunted his dreams.
The star cast is led by Joanna Lumley and Tobias Menzies.
Call the Midwife Christmas special
Call the Midwife is always a Christmas favourite. (BBC)
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a snow-filled visit to Nonnatus House, and the Call the Midwife special is sure to be top of many viewers’ wish lists.
When senior members of the Nonnatus House staff head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission, the younger midwives are left to cope alone in Poplar, with the two-part special split between the Far East and the East End.
As usual, the festive episodes will lead into a new series in January, and 2026 will also see the debut of a prequel series set in Poplar during World War Two. There’s also a movie in the works, but that project will need time to gestate yet.
Amandaland Christmas special
Jennifer Saunders joins the Amandaland cast for the Christmas special. (BBC)
Motherland fans might have been mourning the sitcom’s Christmas special along with the end of the series, but luckily, spin-off Amandaland can also fill the gap in the festive schedules.
Lucy Punch, Joanna Lumley and Philippa Dunne return for a Christmas collab in SoHa, ahead of series two, which is on the way for 2026. Lumley will be joined by Jennifer Saunders in the festive special, who plays her sister, Aunt Joan, freshly arrived in London from the countryside.
Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise
Death in Paradise features a Christmas murder mystery. (BBC)
Paradise fans get two festive specials this year – in Shipton Abbott, DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) has a strange mystery to solve when a man with no memory turns up in town clutching a photo of him, but what is their connection? There’s also a Christmas caper with a man stuck inside his snowman suit.
Over in Saint Marie, the weather might be sunnier but DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) is facing some gritty crimes when a body is found floating in a pool the morning after an office Christmas party. But when the murder weapon is found to have been in a locked drawer in Swindon at the time, the team have to call on a familiar face for help with the head-scratcher.
The Repair Shop Christmas special
Julia Donaldson and Helen Mirren will make a trip to The Repair Shop for its 2025 Christmas Special, along with Rob Brydon. (BBC)
Heartwarming favourite The Repair Shop couldn’t be cosier Christmas viewing, and the hour-long festive special includes some famous faces hoping to fix sentimental items. Helen Mirren, children’s author Julia Donaldson, and Rob Brydon who is regularly in the voice cast of her story adaptations at Christmas all stop into the workshop.
MasterChef Christmas specials
It’s been a turbulent year with plenty of heat on the MasterChef kitchen – and after long-running hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode were both axed, these Christmas specials will be Torode’s final BBC appearances.
Torode is still on air judging the pre-recorded celebrity series – something that had to be scrapped last year because of Wallace’s involvement – and the Christmas special will be a champion of champions episode starring former winners Natalie Coleman, Thomas Frake, Chariya Khattiyot and Brin Pirathapan.
Also on the BBC this Christmas: Mrs Brown’s Boys, EastEnders, Two Doors Down, Here We Go, Shedites, The Graham Norton New Year’s Eve Show, Ronan Keating and Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party, Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Christmas, Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel, The Weakest Link, Festive Finish Line, Wild London, My Life at Christmas with Anita Rani, Inside the Factory: Christmas Gingerbread Special, A Mary Berry Christmas, The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas special, Sports Personality of the Year, Carols From King’s, Top of the Pops Review of the Year, Jools’ Annual Hootenanny, The Mandy Who Knew Too Much, Christmas University Challenge, Gone Christmas Fishing, Christmas Treasures of the National Trust, The Nutcracker from the Royal Ballet, 2025 Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution.
ITVRed Eye
Martin Compston joins Jing Lusi for Red Eye season two. (ITV)
ITV’s airborne thriller returns for a new series, and this time Jing Lusi’s DS Hana Li is joined by a former rival turned colleague, head of embassy security Clay Brody who is played by Line of Duty star Martin Compston.
They must put their differences aside and work together to stop a plane being blown up that has MI5 boss Madeline Delaney on board.
Royal Carols Together at Christmas – Christmas Eve
The Princess of Wales hosts her fifth charity carol concert, always a star-studded festive event. Hannah Waddingham, Dan Smith, Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor are amongst the celebrity performers and readers at the 5 December service which will air on Christmas Eve.
The Masked Singer Christmas special
Family favourite The Masked Singer returns with Jonathan Ross, Maya Jama, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan trying to guess the identities of four festive performers. The contest, hosted by Joel Dommett, then launches a new full series in the new year.
Accidental Tourist
Ant and Dec send Stephen Mulhern to South Korea. (ITV)
Ant and Dec team up with Stephen Mulhern in a one-off special strikingly similar to An Idiot Abroad, which saw Ricky Gervais and Stephen Mulhern send travel-phobe Karl Pilkington globe-trotting.
This time, Mulhern is the reluctant traveller with the Geordie duo pulling the strings as he sets off for the trip of a lifetime to South Korea.
The Royal Variety Performance
A festive classic, the Royal Variety Performance is back at the Royal Albert Hall and hosted by Jason Manford. Look out for highlights from the Paddington musical, Les Miserables, Jessie J, Stephen Fry, and of course Britain’s Got Talent winner Harry Moulding.
Torvill and Dean: The Last Dance
Olympic legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been said to be heading into their final ever Bolero performance a few times now, but this documentary follows the lead up to their actual final skate together on a farewell tour as well as looking back over their incredible careers.
Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge
The King and Steve Backshall share tales of the Arctic. (ITV)
King Charles and Steve Backshall bond over their shared love of the environment and enthusiasm for tackling climate change in this feature-length film. The King looks back at his own adventure to the Arctic in 1975 and reflects on climate change over the last 50 years.
Also look out for: The Hunting Wives, The Family Next Door, The 1% Club Rollover, The Big Soap Quiz – Coronation Street v Emmerdale, Bullseye, Catchphrase, Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win, The 1% Club, Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening, Wheel of Fortune, Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, You Bet!, Inside M&S at Christmas, Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball,
Channel 4Taskmaster
Greg Davies and Alex Horne are back with festive episodes. (Channel 4)
Greg Davies and Alex Horne are gifting Taskmaster fans a Champion of Champions special featuring Sam Campbell, John Robins, Andy Zaltzman, Mathew Baynton and the current series 20 winner, as well as Taskmaster’s New Year Treat which will span two episodes for the first time ever.
For serious fans, look out for the Taskmaster advent calendar.
The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off
The cast of Peep Show have reunited for a festive-themed edition of Celebrity Bake Off. (Channel 4)
Bake Off’s Christmas specials are always a treat, and this year they’ve upped the ante with a Peep Show-themed contest featuring stars of the beloved sitcom. Expect to see David Mitchell (Mark), Olivia Colman (Sophie), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Matt King (Super Hans) and Sophie Winkleman (Big Suze) take to the tent – but sadly, no Robert Webb (Jeremy).
Dear Father Christmas – Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
A heartwarming festive treat with an all-star cast – 16-year-old Chris (Lenny Rush) is still a firm believer in Father Christmas, but when his widowed dad (James Buckley) decides he’s more than old enough for the talk, Chris sets out to prove his sceptic dad wrong.
The cast also includes Greg Davies, Rochenda Sandall and Asim Chaudhry.
Channel 5All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special
Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot and Patrica Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small. (Channel 5)
The Channel 5 favourite returns following series six for another Christmas special from the Dales.
Excitingly, ahead of the Christmas special, fans will also be treated to All Creatures Great and Small: Behind the Magic, where Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly presenter and trainer Graeme Hall will show how the drama’s animal stars are put through their paces.
SkySalt Path: A Very British Scandal
It was the publishing scandal of the year – just as Raynor Winn’s memoir about a homeless year on the South West Coast Path with husband Moth was adapted for the big screen, new information came to light about whether the story was even true. This documentary takes a look behind the headlines.
Tinsel Town
Kiefer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson star in Tinsel Town. (Sky)
Sky’s big festive film is unashamedly Christmassy. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Brad Mac, a Hollywood action star whose film franchise is unexpectedly cancelled. His career takes a pivot as he’s sent to a job in the UK, where he discovers he has been cast in a panto with Rebel Wilson playing his dance instructor.
Brad is forced to swallow his pride as he tries to pull the community together. Can he do it? Oh no he can’t! Oh yes he can!
Amadeus
A luxurious five-part adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s award-winning play about the rise and fall of 18th-century superstar composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, played by The White Lotus’s Will Sharpe. Sky Arts is also set to feature a season of accompanying Mozart documentaries and programmes.
Streaming
If nothing takes your fancy in the linear TV schedules, there are plenty of gems to uncover on the streaming services this Christmas. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to.
NetflixWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – 12 December
Josh O’Connor and Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. (John Wilson/Netflix)
Netflix makes its fair share of Christmas movies, but if you want to look beyond the festive cheese then you’ll be pleased to find the third Knives Out instalment.
Daniel Craig returns as sleuth Benoit Blanc for another fun mystery and this time his co-stars will include Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin and Andrew Scott.
Stranger Things – 26 November, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve
The end is nigh for Stranger Things. (Netflix)
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things might not be particularly festive, but it’s one many fans will be looking forward to this Christmas.
Although the first four episodes stream on 26 November, there are treats in store with the next three released on Christmas Day and the finale streaming on New Year’s Eve.
Man Vs Baby – 11 December
After the success of Rowan Atkinson’s Man vs Bee, the Blackadder star returns with another slapstick treat in which Trevor Bingley has left the stressful world of housesitting behind to become a school caretaker. However, when the chance to house sit a luxury mansion arises, he takes it, only to find himself with a lost baby on his hands, just in time for Christmas.
Emily in Paris – 18 December
Another Netflix favourite also reaches season five this December, as Emily finds herself in Rome rather than Paris. But could a misjudged decision lead to career disaster?
Disney+
Taylor Swift has some Eras Tour updates. (Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
It’s been a while since Taylor Swift took the world by storm with her epic Eras Tour, but the ever-business-savvy star still has a couple of extras to release for streaming. First up on 12 December is The Final Show, which will be much-anticipated viewing even for fans who saw the tour in person or the previously released filmed version on Disney+. It includes the full Tortured Poets Department album, which was added to the tour after its release in 2024.
On the same day, the streamer releases the first two episodes of six-part behind-the-scenes documentary The End of An Era, showing what went into the tour. Episodes three and four land on 19 December, and the final two are on Boxing Day.