BBC confirms Christmas TV schedule including The Split special and Call the Midwife
It's looking a lot like Christmas!
The nation's TV sets are in for an exciting one this festive period, as the BBC has announced its jam-packed Christmas 2024 schedule, with a long list of programmes airing from Saturday 21st December to Friday 3rd January.
Over on BBC One, there is a line-up of festive favourites to look forward to this year, including Call the Midwife and The Split Christmas specials.
The midwives of Poplar will be back on screens with two episodes airing from 8pm on Christmas Day and 7:30pm on Boxing Day. Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan return to The Split for a two-part special on Sunday 29th December, airing at 9pm.
It wouldn't be Christmas Day on the BBC without an instalment of Doctor Who, either, with Ncuti Gatwa returning once more in Joy to the World alongside Nicola Coughlan.
He and the Bridgerton star will find themselves in a spot of timey-wimey trouble on Christmas Day at 5:10pm.
That isn't the only special airing on Christmas Day, with viewers headed back to Barry for the final ever episode of Gavin & Stacey!
In this year's special, "Bryn's packing the Picasso in readiness for a trip to Essex, Stacey and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their 17-year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely" – viewers can tune in at 9pm.
Gavin & Stacey isn't the only sitcom making a return to TV screens, with the Brockman family making a comeback in an Outnumbered Christmas special! Fans can tune into the episode on Boxing Day at 9:40pm.
Much to the delight of Wallace & Gromit fans, the beloved duo will be back for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which will see iconic villain Feathers McGraw on a hunt for revenge, with the feature-length special airing at 6:10pm on Christmas Day.
And it wouldn't quite be Christmas without some crime-solving now, would it? Don Gilet will make his Death in Paradise detective inspector debut on Sunday 22nd December at 8:30pm.
But that isn't all, Beyond Paradise will also be returning for another festive episode on Friday 27th December at 9pm.
For TV watchers in the mood for something to get the water works going, The Repair Shop will be back for what will undoubtedly be emotional viewing on Christmas Eve at 8:15pm.
Soap fans, fear not! EastEnders lovers are undoubtedly in for a treat this Christmas as Cindy and Junior's affair is exposed, and fans can tune into the dramatic two-part episode on Christmas Day at 7:30pm and 10:35pm.
For those looking for some entertainment goodies this festive season, fans can expect the Strictly Come Dancing special to air at 3:55pm on Christmas Day, as well as Blankety Blank at 9pm on Boxing Day.
While plenty of the aforementioned programmes are all to do with Christmas, there are some non-festive shows set to air or make a return to the BBC schedules as we head into the New Year.
A celebrity edition of Gladiators will see Rob Beckett, Joel Dommett, Ellie Taylor and Louise Minchin all go head-to-head in classic Gladiators challenges, including the iconic Eliminator.
The hour-long special will air at 6pm on New Year's Day.
As ever, The King's Speech will air on Christmas Day as usual, with King Charles making his third Yuletide address at 3pm on Christmas Day on BBC One.
And if you're after some films to get stuck into over the festive period, the BBC has got you covered with Chicken Run (Christmas Eve), Moana (Christmas Eve), Minions: The Rise of Gru (Christmas Day) and Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (Boxing Day) among the line-up.
For the action fans among us, SAS Rogue Heroes returns for season 2 on Wednesday 1st January (New Year's Day) at 9pm, starring Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell and Dominic West.
Over on BBC Two, fans will finally get the chance to see Doctor Who at the BBC Proms in all its glory on Christmas Eve at 4:10pm.
You can also join in the New Year celebrations on BBC Two with Jools' Annual Hootenanny from 11:30pm on New Year's Eve (or alternatively, pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor's New Year's Eve Disco will be taking place at the same time on BBC One).
And if you're after something on the spooky side, Mark Gatiss has written and directed short film Woman of Stone for this year's A Ghost Story for Christmas.
Stars include The Sixth Commandment's Éanna Hardwicke, The Thursday Murder Club's Celia Imrie, Black Mirror's Monica Dolan, Taskmaster's Mawaan Rizwan and Call the Midwife's Phoebe Horn, and viewers can give it a watch on Christmas Eve at 10:15pm.
There are also some factual titles coming to the BBC this winter, with Inside No. 9: The Party's Over coming to BBC Two and iPlayer on Sunday 22nd December at 9pm, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
From Roger Moore with Love will also air on BBC Two at 9pm on Christmas Day, which will take viewers "back to a golden age of cinema, tracing Moore’s unlikely rise from a young knitwear model to an era-defining icon".
It also aims to show how Moore "refined his persona as a debonair, seasoned man-about-town, and finally won his breakthrough role as Bond".
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
