CHRISTMAS Day is for turkey and cranberry, finishing off the selection boxes, and watching the best of the TV on offer.
Whether that’s the drama-filled soaps, fun children’s movies, tense British dramas or going up against your family watching a quiz, BBC and ITV have a host of programmes available for us. But which will you be picking?
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The channels have released their full line-ups and will be battling it out to bring in the viewers.
The BBC are focusing on their most popular family favourites such as Strictly Come Dancing, Call The Midwife, and the highly-anticipated return of Gavin And Stacey.
ITV meanwhile are going heavy on the brain teasers with Christmas specials of The Chase, Tipping Point, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Of course if neither of these tickle your fancy you could always go for an online streaming service.
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Get the family including grandma screaming “yas Queen” at the TV with RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars season four, which drops on Netflix on December 14, or check in with The Witcher season one which features Superman’s Henry Cavill in the big budget fantasy series based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s books.
Over on Amazon Prime, Jeremy Clarkson and co return with season four of The Grand Tour on December 13 or if you’re in the weepy mood, there’s the season two premiere of medical drama New Amsterdam.
BBC Christmas Day 2019 schedule
- 6am: Breakfast
- 8.55am: Stick Man
- 9.25am: Zog
- 9.50am: Piper
- 10am: Christmas Day Mass
- 11am: Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave
- 11.35am: Top of the Pops Christmas Special
- 12.40pm: BBC News
- 12.45pm: Weather
- 12.55pm: Moana
- 2.30pm: The Snail and the Whale
- 3pm: The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast
- 3.10pm: Finding Dory
- 4.40pm: Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
- 6pm: Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show
- 7pm: Call the Midwife
- 8.30pm: Gavin & Stacey
- 9.30pm: EastEnders
- 10.30pm: Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special
- 11.15pm: The Two Ronnies Christmas Sketchbook
- 11.35pm: BBC News
- 11.45pm: Weather and National Lottery Update
- 11.55pm: Not Going Out Christmas Special
ITV Christmas Day 2019 schedule
- 6:00am CITV
- 9:25am Disney’s A Christmas Carol
- 11am Countrywise: Winter Wonderland (R)
- 11:55am Midsomer Murders (R)
- 2pm Coronation Street At Christmas (R)
- 3pm Her Majesty The Queen
- 3:10pm Shrek the Halls
- 3:40pm The Chase: Bloopers 2019
- 4:40pm ITV Evening News
- F/B National Weather
- 5pm Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special
- 6pm The Chase Celebrity Christmas Day Special
- 7pm Emmerdale
- 8pm Coronation Street
- 9pm Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Special
- 10pm Gordon, Gino and Fred Christmas Road Trip: 3 Unwise Men (R)
- 11:20pm ITV News and Weather
- 11:40pm Four Christmases
- 1:10am Britain’s Top 100 Dogs: 2019 (R)
- 3:10am Who’s Doing the Dishes? (R)
- 4:00am ITV Nightscreen
- 5:05am Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen (R)
The Beeb released this year’s schedule yesterday and although the morning features the typical cheery children’s fare such as Stick Man and Wallace And Gromit, many were left very unhappy with the evening programmes available.
“BBC One used to fire on all cylinders on Christmas Day, showing off the best of their programming”, complained one fan as another added: “I really didn’t think I would ever say ‘thank God I am working Christmas day’.”
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“Looks like Netflix it is on Christmas day” and “Netflix it is then” were popular sentiments while one licence fee payer said: “That is dire even for the BBC.”
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson said: “The BBC invests more in British content at Christmas than any other broadcaster or service, and this year we will show a range of brand new shows and special editions of classic favourites that viewers look forward to.”
