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
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
Review | Some of the most fun you can have at a theatre – Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Danny Jones
On Wednesday night, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time: we went to a concert almost completely blind and walked in without having heard a single second – because how many times in life are you going to get the chance to say you’ve seen Jeff Goldblum music live in Manchester?
We can comfortably say it wasn’t just one of our favourite shows of the year so far, but it might be one of the best decisions we’ve made, maybe ever…
Honestly, there’s not even a whiff of exaggeration in that statement; within minutes of the headline date starting, a long, hard day suddenly melted away in the smooth, sultry, stylish and unapologetically silly atmosphere created by Jeff Goldblum and the truly wonderful Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
For starters, we were pleasantly surprised to see ‘Bonnie Scotland’s very own Liverpool-based singer-songwriter, Brooke Combe, opening up for the man himself, whose soulful, 1960s, 70s and Motown influences made for a perfect fit to warm up the crowd.
With the North West favourite – who we recently caught once again at NBHD Weekender late last month – even getting a perhaps initially hesitant and very possibly more Theatre-leaning audience inside the Palace to relax with some fun vocal exercises and Scottish banter, we were off to the races.
But in truth, this show turned out to be so much more than we were expecting – and by that we don’t mean when Brooke joined him on stage for a spell and had him try his first Irn-Bru…
In our heads, we were kind of expecting to see Goldblum, 73, playing his beloved piano as other members of the jazz band got to enjoy a few moments centre-stage as those who sat watching admired their sheer technical ability.
Where we actually landed was somewhere between a live and just the right amount of chaotic stream-of-consciousness stand-up show, interlaced with a series of effortlessly charming and loose bits of crowdwork as if he were compèring, and, of course, the incredibly cool musical arrangements.
It may not have been entirely free-form (it’s clear that a lot of time, effort and tireless rehearsal go into this shindig), but it did have the feeling that things were unfolding organically as the night went on, the perfect example being specifically for Manchester, with each local reference getting a rousing reception.
His latest LP is going down a treat with the critics in the early reviews, too, and having now heard a few samples, we’re not surprised.
As Jeff said at the top of the show, the best bit about this music is watching these marvellous musicians effectively jamming and playing call and response, not only with each other but you down below – not to mention with the man himself vamping over the top and enjoying plenty of solos on the keys.
Aside from crowd-pleasing arrangements of contemporary and well-known tracks like ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift and even his own bittersweet and oh-so-gentle take on ‘Over The Rainbow’, it felt not just like an intro to some cult favourites from within the genre, but a serviceable broad-strokes education at times.
Personally, we’ve always liked to think of ourselves as open to anything, sonically, albeit fairly limited when it comes to jazz, but we left feeling like we knew more about the mechanics and flow of a jazz gig than ever; we’re now eager to learn more and dive deeper into the syllabus curated by this superfan.
One very special mention also has to go to session singer Khailah Johnson, who recently shone in the & Juliet production on Broadway and is now currently on tour with Jeff on his Night Blooms run.
Believe us, she’s not merely performing ‘beside’ anyone; when you have a voice and presence that’s so big and has such range that you generate enough star-power for people to genuinely forget that a Hollywood actor is there right next to you, you KNOW you’re beyond talented. Simply spellbinding.
The whole crew had a lovely, laid-back quality that was just infectious. (Credit: Lucy Elson-Whittaker)
And then we have the A-lister himself, who clearly doesn’t only have the gift of the jab and a natural penchant for pageantry, but looks so at home up there that we would happily trade ever seeing him in a film again if it meant we could have the next few decades watching him be the live showman that he is.
For anyone who feared Jeff Goldblum’s music career might just be a famous bloke indulging himself in a side project and cashing in on fandom simply because he can, fret not: this man has as much passion, love and aptitude for jazz and this particular side of showbiz as any role we’ve seen him play, if not more.
Whether it be playing movie trivia games with those in the stalls, thanking fans he bumped into at his hotel, or inviting people there for a special occasion backstage, he ticked almost every box you could have asked for, from the cabaret vibes and Jurassic Park puns to simply playing his socks off.
The new album that gives its name to this current slate of live shows is much more than a play on words. Be it the soft and warm hues of the coloured spotlights, the off-the-cuff comedy interludes, or even the pure giggle-fits in the audience, the Palace Theatre was bursting with joy, life and vibrancy.
We sincerely hope Jeff Goldblum has grown as fond of the city as he claims, and that we get to watch him play a Manchester venue every year.
Emily Sergeant -
19th December 2023 
