For some of us, if the run-up to Christmas wasn’t already busy enough as it is, there’s often not a moment to breathe on the big day itself between presents being opened, travelling to see people, entertaining guests, slaving over a hot stove for hours, and eating plenty of food.
Sometimes though, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs with some time to spare, and that’s why the distraction of festive television is so brilliant.
For others, sitting around to watch the TV is an important part of Christmas itself.
No matter what your situation is, there’s some cracking things to watch on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year – with classic seasonal films, to festive specials of our favourite shows, and a few family-friendly additions all on the agenda.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2023 / Credit: BBC
We’ve all come to expect a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at this point, haven’t we?
After the iconic ballroom dance competition programme has been bringing us smaller, festive editions of the show we all know and love since 2004, it’s back once again this Christmas Day, with celebrity contestants such as actor Jamie Borthwick, Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan, newsreader Sally Nugent, and more, all taking to the floor to impress judges the judges and battle it out for the Christmas glitter ball trophy.
The contestants will also be performing a group routine alongside the professional dancers, and there’ll be some merry musical performances from special guests too.
You can catch Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One at 4:40pm on Christmas Day.
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Doctor Who Christmas Special
BBC One
Christmas Day – 5:55pm
Doctor Who Christmas Special / Credit: BBC
What would Christmas be without a Doctor Who special?
Fans absolutely devoured the three 60th anniversary specials last month, and now, the long-running sci-fi series is back where it belongs on Christmas Day with another festive episode.
Aside from new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa confirmed to be making his first appearance in the iconic role, the BBC is keeping plot points about the upcoming episode pretty vague this year, with a synopsis for it online simply reading: “Long ago, on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, goblins, stolen babies and, perhaps, the secret of her birth.”
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You can catch this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC One at 5:55pm on Christmas Day, and watch a new chapter begin.
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Not Going Out
BBC One
Christmas Eve – 10pm
Not Going Out / Credit: BBC
Not Going Out is back for yet another Christmas special this year.
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Lee Mack’s multi award-winning comedy series – which is now the longest running sitcom on air – is set to return with a new Christmas special this Christmas Eve, and not only that, but it’ll actually be the show’s 100th episode in total.
A synopsis for the festive episode on the BBC website reads: “Brace for yuletide suburban chaos, as Lee throws everything at creating the perfect family Christmas, agreeing to Lucy’s wishes to do something charitable and having “a normal Christmas where nothing goes wrong.” This moment of festive spirit sees the couple invite Wilfred, a lonely pensioner from the nearby care home, to join them for Christmas dinner. The only instruction is that Wilfred is not, under any circumstances, allowed to drink alcohol.”
You can catch the Not Going Out Christmas special on BBC One on Christmas Eve at 10pm.
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Mog’s Christmas
Channel 4
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Christmas Eve – 7:45pm
Mog’s Christmas / Credit: Channel 4
A special animated adaptation of Judith Kerr’s much-loved classic children’s book, Mog’s Christmas, is coming to Channel 4 on Christmas Eve.
Created to celebrate Kerr’s 100th birthday, a synopsis for the Christmas special on the Channel 4 website reads: “Mr and Mrs Thomas and their children Debbie and Nicky are busy making preparations for Christmas. With two Aunts and a jolly Uncle staying in the house, Mog, the beloved family cat, is feeling a bit ignored. When Mr Thomas and the two children arrive home with an enormous Christmas tree, Mog takes fright and scrambles onto the roof for safety. Regardless of the Thomas family’s attempts to rescue her, Mog refuses to come down.
“Despite everyone’s fears, Mog has a magical night in the snow with a cat themed Christmas dream, but will Mog arrive back home in time for Christmas Day?”
You can catch Mog’s Christmas on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve at 7:45pm.
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Christmas with the Royle Family
BBC Two
Christmas Day – 9:15pm
Christmas with the Royle Family / Credit: BBC
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas for many Mancs without the Royle Family… and luckily, BBC Two has decided to dedicate a big chunk of its Christmas Day programming schedule to one of the sitcom’s beloved stars – the late Caroline Aherne.
As well as celebrating Aherne’s career, a re-run of The Royle Family’s classic Christmas episode – which is titled ‘Christmas With The Royle Family’, and first hit screens back in December 1999 – will be aired.
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You can catch Christmas with the Royle Family on BBC Two on Christmas Day at 9:15pm.
Fancy something extra?
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy
‘Christmas with the Royle Family’ isn’t the only time you’ll get to see Caroline Aherne on TV this Christmas Day either, as in addition to BBC Two’s run of programming dedicated to the late Manc icon, there’s also set to be a new TV special celebrating her “unique life and talent” too.
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy will feature unseen photographs and contributions from a cast of her lifelong friends – including Steve Coogan, Jon Thompson, Craig Cash, and producer Andy Harries.
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy / Credit: BBC
You can catch Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy on BBC Two on Christmas Day at 10:25pm, and find out more about the special programme here.
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Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! lineup confirmed, with Wayne Rooney heading to the jungle
Daisy Jackson
The lineup of stars heading into the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle have been revealed – and Wayne Rooney is one of the famous faces heading into camp.
11 celebrities will spend the next weeks living in the Australian jungle, as the hit ITV reality show returns for its 26th series.
Ant and Dec will be hosting an impressive cast of stars as they survive Bushtucker trials, the public vote, and the dunny.
This year’s star-studded lineup includes none other than former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, just a couple of years after his wife Coleen finished as runner-up.
Joining him around the campfire this year will be Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page, and reality star Chloe Burrows, plus Ade Adepitan, who will make history as the show’s first wheelchair user.
Here’s who will be swapping their everyday lives for jungle camp.
Wayne Rooney – Footballer
The former Manchester United and Everton star, who retired from playing in 2021, said he has finally found the time to take part in his favourite reality show. His wife Coleen appeared in the jungle in 2024 and Wayne said he’s ‘just looking forward to experiencing it in my own way’.
He also added that jumping out of a helicopter is a big fear, and he doesn’t like snakes, but he will ‘try everything’ if an eating Bushtucker trial comes up.
Ricky Wilson – Kaiser Chiefs singer
The Leeds-born frontman and former The Voice coach said friends, including former contestant Tony Blackburn, encouraged him to sign up, and added that he’s looking forward to camp life and a break from touring.
Joanna Page – Actor
Best known as Stacey Shipman in Gavin & Stacey, Joanna hopes the experience will give her three weeks away from motherhood and a chance to rediscover herself. She admits spiders are a major fear and has spent the last few weeks watching them on TV to try and ready herself.
Chloe Burrows – Reality TV star
The Love Island 2021 finalist and podcast host is a huge fan of the programme. She is looking forward to making friends, facing creepy crawlies and enjoying a digital detox, adding that she’ll enjoy ‘no dating, no bikinis – just massive rats, spiders, and snakes’.
The former wheelchair basketball Paralympian will make history as the show’s first wheelchair user (producers are adapting the camp to ensure accessibility). Ade said that going on I’m A Celebrity… is ‘the sort of thing you dream about as a kid’.
Sharky – Content creator
The Beta Squad YouTube star, whose group has 12.1 million subscribers, is excited about taking on the trials and spending time away from his phone. He should be good value when it comes to any eating challenges, saying: “Whenever I do eating challenges on YouTube, I am always throwing up or gagging. There’s a whole compilation of me throwing up on YouTube.”
AJ Odudu – TV presenter
The Big Brother presenter is swapping hosting duties for the contestant experience, describing the jungle as her scariest television challenge yet. She added: “It also feels quite weird the tables have turned on me.”
Jack Skipper – Comedian
The stand-up comedian, formerly a carpet fitter, is excited to meet his fellow campmates and tackle the eating trials. He said: “I am never going to have another opportunity to eat testicles, so let’s do it. I’ve also jumped out of a plane before and that was a great experience.”
Leomie Anderson – Model
The Victoria’s Secret model wants to challenge perceptions and show young women they can take risks and embrace new experiences. Leomie said: “I definitely want them to know they can get stuck in, they can get dirty, try new things, take risks and truly be themselves.”
Claire Sweeney – Actor
The former Coronation Street and Brookside star is a longtime fan (she’s dreamed of being a campmate ever since the show started) and is looking forward to meeting people outside her theatre world. As for the eating trials, she revealed: “My dad was a butcher and he used to bring all sorts of things home. I am used to trying things.”
Mariella Frostrup – Broadcaster
The journalist and Loose Women star hopes to prove age should never stop anyone embracing new challenges. She’s most worried about how much she’ll miss her family.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns Monday 16 November at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
‘Surreal’ moment Stevie Wonder dines at Stalybridge restaurant after enormous Manchester gig
Daisy Jackson
Stevie Wonder has stunned a local restaurant in Stalybridge after he popped in for dinner after his massive Manchester show.
The soul icon had performed a huge gig at Co-op Live on Sunday night, performing hits from his illustrious, decades-long career.
And while you might expect someone of Stevie’s fame and stature to dine at one of the city centre’s many Michelin-recommended restaurants, the star instead headed straight for the suburbs.
He was spotted dining at Cafe Continental, an independent restaurant that’s become one of the Greater Manchester’s most-hyped neighbourhood haunts since it launched two years ago.
The stylish spot is famed for its European-style restaurant and cafe culture, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of the sort of place you’d stumble upon down a back street in Rome or Paris.
On the menu they’ve got a rotation of small plates, open-fire dishes, pastas and burgers, along with their divine Parisian hot chocolate, served with a bowl of whipped cream on the side.
Cafe Continental has had a good track record for pulling in local famous faces, but arguably nothing comes close to Stevie Wonder himself.
Inside Cafe Continental in Stalybridge. Credit: The Manc GroupSoup and focaccia at Cafe Continental. Credit: The Manc Group
The night before Stevie’s visit, they’d served his band and daughter – and clearly word got back to Stevie fast, because he returned the next night to test it out for himself.
Cafe Continental posted: “Surreal things happen now and again. This is one of them! Pleasure to welcome Mr Stevie Wonder to the restaurant to close off his tour!”
And according to the MEN, Stevie left a whopping £1,000 tip for the staff.
Not only did Stevie Wonder support a local hospitality business, but he also arrived dressed in Drama Call, a Manchester-based sportswear brand.
Emily Sergeant -
19th December 2023 
