Channel 4 confirms Christmas TV schedule including Alternative Christmas Message
There is plenty to look forward to.
The countdown to the big day is officially on, and in true festive spirit, Channel 4 has announced its slate for this year's Christmas viewing, including its annual Alternative Christmas Message and a Bake Off soap special.
Prepare yourself for an explosion from soapland in the run-up to Christmas Day, as The Great British Bake Off is back for a festive special starring Dean Gaffney, Natalie Cassidy, Shobna Gulati, Sheree Murphy and Chris Bisson in the famous tent!
Viewers can tune in to find out who will be named the festive Star Baker on Christmas Day at 1:30pm.
Elsewhere in the schedule, Channel 4 will air festive specials for shows including Gogglebox (9:15pm on Christmas Eve), The Festive Pottery Throw Down (9pm on Boxing Day) and another Bake Off special, just in time for New Year celebrations (1:30pm on Monday 30th December).
Meanwhile, The Alternative Christmas Message, which last year was delivered by Stephen Fry, will air this year at 4:50pm on Christmas Day.
Claudia Winkleman, Mika and Lang Lang are back for a festive edition of The Piano at Christmas, which will feature some of the stand-out players from season 2, who will be performing seasonal favourites. That will air on Christmas Day at 7:10pm.
Viewers can also test how well they've been paying attention to 2024 with The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, which will air at 9pm on Friday 27th December.
For those after some extra festive travel specials, Channel 4 is taking a festive journey on An Alpine Train at Christmas, at 4:30pm on Sunday 29th December.
The new single documentary will give viewers behind-the-scenes access to one of Europe's most scenic journeys, with Hugh Bonneville at the helm narrating the special.
Other shows set to air over the festive fortnight include The Last Leg of the Year, Big Fat Quiz of Everything and Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide with Josie Gibson.
There will also be plenty of laughs shared, with Taskmaster's New Year Treat airing on Sunday 29th December at 9pm, with Martin Lewis, Sue Johnston, David James, Professor Hannah Fry and Melanie Blatt all taking part.
Read more:
- Best Christmas TV for 2024 – Your guide to what to watch
- Watch adorable Tiddler trailer starring Hannah Waddingham and Lolly Adefope
Rest assured there will also be plenty of movie madness over on Channel 4, with the channel set to air a host of films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Christmas Eve at 11:25am and Miracle on 34th Street on Christmas Day at 5pm.
Channel 4 isn't the only one with a stacked festive line-up, either. Over on BBC One, there will be a festive Call the Midwife double bill, as well as the final Gavin & Stacey Christmas special and Julia Donaldson animation Tiddler!
Meanwhile, ITV's Christmas slate includes festive editions of The 1% Club and The Masked Singer, including one last outing with Vera.
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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.
