Your comprehensive guide to the best of Christmas telly this year.
TV & Movies When & where to watch the best shows this festive season. While Christmas might be looking a whole lot different this year, one thing we can depend on is an enchanting line-up of must-watch festive television. In 2020, our yuletide TV schedule is full to bursting with one-off specials, brand new dramas, animated spectaculars, and much, much more. To nudge you in the right direction of some of this year’s seasonal highlights, here’s your comprehensive guide to the best Christmas TV of 2020, because you won’t want to miss a second of what promises to be a great year for festive telly. Despite the coronavirus pandemic putting a halt on TV filming this year, the good news is that the regular Christmas specials from Eastenders, Doctor Who, Call the Midwife, and more are on track for 2020. On top of that, we’ll have a selection of brand new seasonal treats, including the BBC’s highly-anticipated adaptation of Black Narcissus starring Gemma Arterton. Elsewhere, viewers can also look ahead to a festive-themed look back at Strictly Come Dancing’s 16-year history; a one-off Britain’s Got Talent spectacular; and not one but two visits to the iconic Great British Bake Off gazebo. So, as many of us prepare for some socially-distanced Christmas celebrations, we can find solace in the fact that staying at home will be made a whole lot easier with a truly magical Christmas TV schedule at our fingertips. David Mitchell and Gemma Whelan star in this special edition of the hit satirical sitcom, during which Shakespeare struggles for inspiration in quarantine during an outbreak of the plague. The Upstart Crow Christmas Special airs on Dec.21 at 9 p.m. on BBC Two. Unbelievably it’s been 25 years since Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary first hit bookshelves, and the BBC are celebrating with an hour-long special featuring those who inspired the characters as well as the stars from the film adaptations. Yes, that includes the big three — Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth. Being Bridget Jones airs on Dec.22 at 9 p.m. on BBC Two. This spookily funny sitcom from the makers of Horrible Histories is back with its first-ever Christmas special, during which viewers are treated to a fresh twist on a classic Charles Dickens tale. The Ghosts Christmas Special airs on Dec.23 at 8.30 p.m. on BBC One. The First Dates team swap the bright lights of London for the idyllic British countryside, where singletons from across the UK meet in the hopes of securing some yuletide romance. First Dates at Christmas airs on Dec.23 at 9 p.m. on Channel 4. Following on from last year’s Christmas special, this chapter in the Worzel Gummidge story sees the return of Saucy Nancy, a carved ship’s figurehead played by Shirley Henderson. In the original series, the character was portrayed by the late Barbara Windsor. Worzel Gummidge: Saucy Nancy airs on Christmas Eve at 5.55 p.m. on BBC One. Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Matt Lucas and Bake Off: The Professionals host Tom Allen kick off yuletide celebrations in the iconic tent along with some of the greatest ever Bake Off contestants and the very special music guest, Alexandra Burke. The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special airs on Christmas Eve at 7.
