Forget the tree, forget the parties, forget the dinner – Christmas is all about the TV. The BBC have announced all their upcoming titles for the Holidays (we're still waiting to hear from ITV and Channel 4), but it's looking to be an absorbing schedule.
From Luther series 5 to a non-musical Les Miserables, here's everything great that's coming to your screen this Christmas
Yes, that’s right. Those ambiguous trailers indicating that the new series of Luther is definitely ‘Coming Soon’ are finally being wiped away for an actual release date. OK, not an exact release date, but it’s been definitely confirmed for some time this Christmas.
Details are vague, but DCI Luther (Idris Elba) and new recruit DS Halliday (Wunmi Musaku) are on a new case, and Luther has to confront his ‘recent past’. Does this mean the rumours about Alice’s (Ruth Wilson) return are true?
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The new no singing, no dancing adaptation of Les Miserables will be coming to the BBC this Christmas.
Starring Olivia Coleman and Dominic West, this six-part adaptation by Andrew Davies sticks closer to the original, classic, tome of a novel by Victor Hugo – following a group of vivid, philosophically constructed characters amid a time of social unrest in 19th century France
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What does slavery have to do with Christmas? Well, in Jamaica it was hugely significant. The Christmas riots, also known as the Baptist War, was a time when Jamaican slaves were breaking free from their oppressors.
The Long Song, based on the novel by Andrea Levy, follows the maid July (Tamara Lawrance) on a sugar plantation during the cusp of that rebellion.
It’s now a tradition in most people’s households to watch the Call the Midwife Christmas Special (even if you’re not a fan of the series).
We return to Poplar, where Sister Mildred (Miriam Margoyles) unexpectedly barges in with four Chinese orphan refugees. Added to the pressures of Christmas preparations, the midwives are both delighted and overwhelmed by the new little ones.
The latest Agatha Christie adaptation and Hercule Poirot reimagining is expected to come to the BBC this Christmas.
After the successes of Suchet and Branagh, American actor John Malkovich is the newest to portray the well-groomed detective in The ABC Murders. Based on 1936 Christie book, Poirot investigates a murderer who always leaves an ABC Railway Guide at the scene of the crime.
It’s been a long time waiting for the newest take on Richard Adams’ famous bunny novel: adapted by Tom Bidwell (My Mad Fat Diary) and directed by Noam Murro (300: Rise of an Empire). The four-part miniseries of Watership Down was first announced in 2016, and was expected in 2017.
They’ve wetted our appetites for the last two years, and it's now been announced it will broadcast on the BBC and drop on Netflix on 23rd December. Winter isn’t coming – the bunnies are.
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Despite being made only 15 years ago, Elf quickly cemented into a quintessential Christmas movie enjoyed by literally everyone.
Directed by Jon Favreau (The Jungle Book), Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human adopted as an Elf in Santa’s factory. He’s finally given the news that he’s not an Elf after all, and that his father lives in New York. He goes on a fantastic odyssey to find out who he really is.
Moving from its regular Christmas slot, the Doctor Who holiday special is moving in time to New Year’s Day after 13 years – providing an epic start to 2019.
Everything’s been kept schtum so far, but what we know is that Earth is in danger and an unknown evil spreads across centuries of history.
Catch up on iPlayer. Read our review of episode 8
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A Ghost Story for Christmas was a scary tradition on the BBC in the ’70s, broadcasting adaptations of dark and creepy tales by Charles Dickens and M. R. James.
Now, Mark Gatiss (A League of Gentleman, Sherlock) draws on his influences from the annual show. Writing and directing his own Christmas ghost story, The Dead Room follows a radio presenter (Simon Callow) who’s freaked out by a presence in his studio.
Do you think you’ve seen every episode of Morecambe and Wise? Truth is, you (probably) haven’t.
When archiver Philip Morris went over to Sierra Leone to look at one of their abandoned cinemas, there were piles of old films – including two lost episodes of Morecambe and Wise, thought to be completely destroyed by the BBC. This Christmas, these episodes will be broadcast on BBC Two for the first time in 50 years.
A new comedy film from Back and Inbetweeners director Ben Palmer, Click & Collect stars Stephen Merchant as a dad on Christmas Eve desperate for a specific toy to give to his six year-old daughter. But it’s the most popular toy of the season. With his neighbour, played by Amir Chaudry, they manage to find that toy… but have to collect it 300 miles away. This is certain to be an hilariously tense Christmas road trip.
2018’s best movie you’ve never heard of, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead is a grippingly funny and emotional ensemble comedy-drama.
The story follows a dysfunctional family gathering on New Year’s at a country estate, but when estranged son and brother David (Sam Riley) returns after five years, the ideal evening for peace and order comes crashing down. Read our five-star review
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