Unsurprisingly, this year the BBC has created yet another corker of a Christmas TV line-up, which means that your holidays will never feature a dull moment – the biggest struggle will be choosing what to watch. Here is an outline of the programmes you should be prioritising.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special
This consists of two episodes which replace the Christmas masterclasses of previous years. It will involve the usual (or soon to be, not so usual) quartet of Mary, Paul the traitor, Mel and Sue. The episodes will bring back familiar faces from past series of the programme, battling it out to be crowned Star Baker for their array of festive bakes. Howard (Series Four, victim of custard-gate) makes a merry appearance.
Sherlock
The much-anticipated return of this beautifully-crafted series will occur on New Year’s Day to the ecstatic relief of fans across the nation. We do not yet know much about Series Four, in the typically enigmatic style of Sherlock himself, other than that Doctor Watson and his wife take on the trials of becoming parents. You cannot help but think that this is ‘elementary’ in contrast to some of Watson’s other challenges.
The Witness for the Prosecution
Following the success of the adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None last Christmas, the BBC have decided to do another, and it looks sure to delight and surprise in equal measure. The producers have managed to reinvent these old classics for a modern audience in a way that grips you from the opening scenes – if you are not a fan of Agatha currently, you will be after seeing this.
Ethel and Ernest
What’s Christmas without a bit of a tear-jerker? Following the disappointment that was the John Lewis advert, the BBC have decided to set matters right by adapting one of Raymond Briggs’ stories (author of The Snowman). The short film tells the story of Briggs’ parents, Ethel (voiced by Brenda Blethyn) and Ernest (Jim Broadbent) who met in 1928. The film follows their life, in beautiful animation, as the pair see the Second World War and the first man on the moon.
Outnumbered
The Brockman family return to our screens after three years and the transformation of the children is quite extraordinary – how they have grown. Sadly, this episode is just a one-off but there are promises to release more specials in the near-future. For now, just sit back and enjoy the havoc.
Whatever you choose to watch, have a very merry Christmas and see you in the new year.
Image: Dineshraj Goomany @ Flickr