Monday 22

Merry Christmas (BBC 2, 1.40 pm) certificate 12
Moving story of the ceasfire on Christmas Day in 1914, when British and German troops met and played football in no-man’s land.

Finding Neverland (BBC 2, 5.55 pm) cert. PG
Story of J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, and his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family. Very moving, though a little over-sentimental, in the latter stages.

Christmas Eve

Miracle on 34th Street (More4, 1.50 pm) U
The original 1947 version starring Edmund Gwenn. The real Santa Claus is sent to a mental hospital because he’s considered insane. Great court case in which his genuineness is on trial. Lots in here about goodness, kindness and faith.

Scrooge (Five, 4.50 pm) U
Alistair Sim plays the finest Scrooge ever in the wonderful 1951 screen version of A Christmas Carol. A later version of the story with Patrick Stewart is on C4 at 6.45pm

Calendar Girls (BBC 2, 8.30 pm) 12
Funny, moving and uplifting true story about a Women’s Institute group which produces a nude calendar to raise funds for a cancer unit.

Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special (BBC 1, 10.00 pm)
Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa have a Christmas to remember – and not necessarily in a good way – in a special festive edition of the award-winning comedy. Having only seen little bits of the programme so far, I’m beginning to think it might raise some interesting issues.

The Big Heat (BBC 2, 2.50 am – i.e. early Christmas Day morning) 15
Part of a season of Films Noir on BBC2. Glenn Ford versus the Mob. One of the great films noir.

Christmas Day

Doctor Who – The Next Doctor (BBC 1, 6.40 pm)
David Tennant, David Morrissey and Dervla Kirwan star in Russell T Davies’s Christmas episode of Doctor Who, as two doctors combine forces in a bid to defeat Miss Hartigan and the Cybermen (Doctor Who At The Proms, a musical odyssey through time and space, hosted by Freema Agyeman, can also be seen over the festive period)

Wallace And Gromit – A Matter Of Loaf And Death (BBC 1, 8.30 pm)
Wallace And Gromit get a slice of the action in their latest adventure which sees their bakery, Top Bun, doing a roaring trade – not least because a deadly killer is on the loose.

Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-rabbit (BBC 1, 4.30 pm) U
Great fun feature length outing for the plasticine pair

The Secret Millionaire Changed My life (C4, 9.30 pm)
Follow-up to the Secret Millionaire series in which millionaires work incognito with charities and needy causes. This programme looks at the effects on those on the receiving end.

African Queen (Film4, 6.45 pm) U
Classic 1951 film, an adventure story set in WWI. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn are brilliant.

Cool Runnings (BBC 3, 8.30 pm) PG
An unlikely but true inspiring film about a Jamaican bob-sled team entering the Olympics. An ideal film to feed the British fondness for underdogs.

The Seventh Seal (Film4, 12.50 am) PG
Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 masterpiece in which a knight returning from crusades plays chess with Death in an attempt to be given more time.

Gilda (BBC 2, 1.40 am) PG
Another great film noir, this one from 1946 and directed by Charles Vidor. Starring Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford and George Macready

Blackadder Rides Again (BBC 1, 10.30 pm)
25 years on, Rowan Atkinson and other cast members recall the cult TV series, Blackadder.

Boxing Day

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (BBC 1, 5.50 pm) PG
Very good, but not brilliant adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s classic story. Georgie Henley is delightful as Lucy. The main problem is the downplaying of some important themes.

Brief Encounter (Film4, 2.55 pm) PG
One of the greatest British films ever made. David Lean directed this powerfully emotional, and restrained 1945 film starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard).

Saturday 27

Finding Nemo (BBC 3, 7.55 pm)

Starter for 10 (BBC 2, 9.30 pm)

Jurassic Park (ITV 2, 9.40 pm)

Casualty (BBC 1, 8.40 pm)

Outnumbered (BBC 1, 9.30 pm)
Acutely observed and very funny, sometimes poignant series about a couple struggling with their three children. In this episode, the youngest, Karen, decides to become a Satanist as she doesn’t believe in God any more, thanks to the religious dogmatism of her teacher.

The RKO Story (BBC 4, 10.30 pm Saturday–Thursday)
Rerun of brilliant six-part series from late 80s about RKO Radio Pictures, followed by King Kong

Sunday 28 December

The 39 Steps (BBC 1, 8.00 pm)
Rupert Penry-Jones stars as Richard Hannay in Lizzie Mickery’s adaptation of John Buchan’s classic novel, set in the run-up to the outbreak of the First World War

Monday 29

Royal Institution Christmas lectures (Five, 7.15 pm) – Mon–Fri

Ballet Shoes (BBC 1, 3.00 pm)
Dramatisation of Noel Streatfield’s classic story about three unrelated orphans. Big success for BBC last Christmas

Superman Returns (BBC 1, 8.30 pm) 12

Notorious (BBC 2, 11.40 am) U

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Five, 9.00 pm) 15

Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern lights (BBC 1, 6.15)
Repeated documentary about the aurora borealis

Tuesday 30

Around The World In 20 Years (BBC 1)
Michael Palin returns to Dubai and Bombay, two of the most memorable destinations from his Around The World In 80 Days trip of 20 years ago, in search of the dhow, captain and crew who helped him on his way

The Magdalene Sisters (C4, 10.05 pm) 15
1960s Dublin. Three wayward girls forced to work in convent laundry. Starring Geraldine McEwan

Deep Impact (BBC 1, 11.00 pm) 12

New Year’s Eve

How to Marry a Millionaire (More 4, 12 noon) U
Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall on the prowl for rich husbands. Wonderful fun.

Babe (ITV2, 1.45) U

Chocolat (BBC 2, 9.00pm) 12

New Year’s Day

The Spy Who Loved Me (4.25, ITV1) PG
One of the better one of the Roger Moore Bond films, from 1977.

Shrek 2 (BBC 1, 5.15) U

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (BBC 3, 8.00pm) 12

The Terminal (BBC 1, 11.15pm) 12

Friday 2

Hello Dolly! (C
4, 11.50am)
If you watched Wall-E this year, you should really watch the classic film that the lovable robot watches

Build my Gallows High (BBC 4, 12.10) PG
Film Noir starring Robert Mitchum, 1947 – part of the RKO Story season