It's A Wonderful Life named the best Christmas film of all time

Over 3,000 readers had their say but it was 1946 hit It's A Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and directed by Frank Capra, which emerged the winner with 16 per cent of the votes.

Based on Philip Van Doren Stern's short story The Greatest Gift, which is loosely based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars and is widely considered a Christmas classic.

It also features on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best films ever made.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) was the second-favourite with Christmas film with 12 per cent of votes from RadioTimes.com readers, and Elf (2003), starring Will Ferrell came in third with 11 per cent.

Interestingly, the hotly-debated Die Hard (1988) was voted the fourth best Christmas film, receiving an impressive 10 per cent of the votes.

While it remains the topic of many an argument whether or not Die Hard is in fact a Christmas film, it's popularity in our poll shows there are plenty of festive movie buffs who designate it as such.

The full results of the poll are as follows:

1. It's A Wonderful Life (16 per cent, 497 votes)
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol (12 per cent, 363 votes)
3. Elf (11 per cent, 323 votes)
4. Die Hard (10 per cent, 296 votes)
5. Home Alone (eight per cent, 230 votes)
6. Love Actually (seven per cent, 200 votes)
7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (four per cent, 127 votes)
8. White Christmas (four per cent, 113 votes)
9. Scrooge (four per cent, 107 votes)
10. Miracle on 34th Street (three per cent, 98 votes)
11. Polar Express (three per cent, 95 votes)
12. The Snowman (three per cent, 81 votes)
13. The Holiday (three per cent, 76 votes)
14. Arthur Christmas (two per cent, 66 votes)
15. Scrooged (two per cent, 60 votes)
16. Nativity! (two per cent, 54 votes)
17. The Santa Clause (two per cent, 48 votes)
18. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (two per cent, 47 votes)
19. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (one per cent, 45 votes)
20. The Christmas Chronicles (one per cent, 29 votes)
21. Jingle All The Way (one per cent, 24 votes)
22. Klaus (one per cent, 22 votes)
23. Happiest Season (zero per cent, 15 votes)

This year’s Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.

If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Movies hub for all the latest news.