From comedy to carols, Christmas Eve TV

Telly Today Highlights from ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5…

The Best from ITV

Bradley and Barney Walsh will be up to snow good as they take their famous RV across the sea to the magical island of Iceland, for a special bumper Christmas episode of the beloved father and son travel show. The Walsh boys will test themselves to frosty new limits in the country of volcanoes, glaciers and breath-taking landscapes, finding Christmas joy and terrifying challenges in equal measure. That’s why Dads go to Iceland!

By the end of all their festive frolics, will they discover the most valuable Christmas experience is spending time with the people we love, or will they be left bickering about their frostbite?

Bradley and Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas, 9 pm

Christmas is the perfect time to come together to celebrate loved ones and focus on family and community. This special and unique Christmas broadcast will be a chance for the nation to come together to reflect upon the last eighteen months, to think not only of the unprecedented challenges that we have all faced as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to remember the positives: people and organisations pulling together in their communities, the small acts of kindness across different demographics and generations, and the unsung heroes who stepped up to help others.

This unique event will blend Christian, secular and multi-faith moments, blending traditional elements with a modern and inclusive feel to encompass people of all faiths and none. It will also incorporate poignant personal reflections, exploring how lockdown reminded us about the importance of human connection and what it means, as families, communities and as a nation, to be together and to feel united to help one another through times of hardship or uncertainty.

Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, 7.30 pm

Soul singer and eighties icon Tony Hadley is joined by West End star Brenda Edwards to host a traditional Christmas Eve celebration from St Elizabeth’s Church in Greater Manchester.

There are festive performances from Hadley and Edwards, classical Brit nominee Carly Paoli, singer/songwriter Megan McKenna, and the show-stopping Kingdom Choir. Plus, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor and singer Darren Criss performs a song from his Christmas album.

Christmas Carols on ITV, 11.45 pm

Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy is the show that gathers together the very best of British comedy for a special night of stand-up, chat and sacks of cheer. The unique and hilarious host Lost Voice Guy will be joined by the Father Christmas of comedy Bill Bailey, cheeky elf Rosie Jones, the cracking Omid Djalili and festive treat Joel Dommett.

Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy, 10.30 pm

The Best from Channel 4

Jimmy Carr hosts a special Christmas edition of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, packed with festive surprises. Jon Richardson and Sarah Millican take on Lee Mack and Jason Manford in the classic words and numbers quiz. They’re joined by guests Nick Mohammed and Joe Wilkinson, and Countdown regulars Susie Dent and Rachel Riley.

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown: Christmas 2021, Channel 4, 9.30 pm

Another chance to see this documentary celebrating Friday Night Dinner. At 10 pm on a Friday back in 2011, the great British nation were introduced to a hairy topless man who liked to chomp his way through a ‘lovely bit of squirrel’.

This retrospective celebrates Robert Popper’s iconic comedy, Friday Night Dinner, which gave us that infamous catchphrase, as well as the wonderfully eccentric Goodman family and their even more surreal neighbour Jim, who together have become the heart of one of Channel 4’s most popular sitcoms of all time. With exclusive behind-the-scenes material and outtakes, the documentary features some of the funniest Friday Night Dinner moments of the past decade, as well as exclusive interviews with the cast, crew and guest stars.

Friday Night Dinner: Ten Years, 11.30 pm

In this very special festive edition of the quadruple-BAFTA-nominated The Last Leg, Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe present their honest, upbeat and award-winning brand of comedy packed with Christmas cheer. In a show filled with festive treats, the boys get into the Christmas spirit in a way only they could, and are joined in the studio by the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley and brilliant chef and grime artist Big Zuu for some very merry leglessness! As well as enlightening discussions on all things Christmas, a host of famous faces audition to play an important festive role, a very special guest leads a Christmas choir, and Big Zuu cooks up a feast to get everyone into the festive spirit, before The Darkness send us off into Christmas with a performance of their iconic song, Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End).

The Last Leg: Christmas Special, 10.30 pm

The Best from Sky

The wait is over as Conrad and Nic welcome the arrival of their baby girl. Meanwhile, Raptor’s life begins to fall apart and he is forced to turn to Cain for help. Also, Devon and Bell work together on a complicated surgery that may allow them to save multiple lives.

Then, Kittries to deal with the moral repercussions of financially saving Chastain.

The Resident: Past, Present, Future, Sky Witness 9 pm

Christmas adventure arrives for London teenagers Jamie and Lucy Allen in the form of a mysterious old man, Mr Blunden (played by Simon Callow), who offers their mum the opportunity to become the caretaker of a ruined country house – one that’s said to be haunted.

Within its neglected, overgrown grounds, Jamie and Lucy have an encounter with what appears to be a pair of ghost children. But these spooky kids, Sara and Georgie, aren’t actually ghosts. They’ve travelled forwards in time to seek help, believing they’re going to be murdered by the wicked Mr and Mrs Wickens (Mark Gatiss and Tamsin Grieg) and Lucy and Jamie’s strange visitor seems to be the key to it all.

With his help, they must travel back to 1821 to save Sara and Georgie and redeem their remorseful new friend – the Amazing Mr Blunden.

The Amazing Mr Blunden, Sky Max, 7 pm

To save his declining business, Chris Cringle, also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the U.S. military.

Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin, hired by a precocious 12-year-old, after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. T’is the season for Fatman to get even in the action-comedy that keeps on giving.

Fatman from today on Sky Cinema

The Best from Channel 5

The ultimate musical duo, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, are back together in this recording of the final show of a UK tour at the O2 Arena.

Hot on the heels of star turns in the West End’s phenomenally successfully staged concert of Les Misérables, the pair take on their favourite musical theatre, pop and rock tracks, including songs from The Lion King, The Greatest Showman and The Phantom of the Opera as well as a brilliantly arranged Queen medley.

Ball & Boe: Back Together, 6 pm

World’s Most Luxurious Cruise Ship has added another sumptuous vessel to its fleet: the Seven Seas Splendor. Come aboard this opulent six-star floating hotel as it sets sail on its maiden Yuletide
voyage this Christmas. Channel 5 go behind the scenes on this brand new £400 million ship to discover what it takes to satisfy guests paying tens of thousands for their festive holiday.

Temperatures are soaring as the Splendor sets sail around the Caribbean, and the pressure is higher than ever on board. Will staff be able to maintain impeccably high standards? What does it take to host spectacular festivities at sea, when no expense has been spared? Will the Christmas decorations costing hundreds of thousands of pounds be a hit?

With exclusive access to all areas on the ship, cameras see events through the eyes of high-paying customers as they bask in the delights of the Regent Suite, adorned with fine art and a bed with a price tag fit for a king and queen.

World’s Most Luxurious Cruise Ship at Christmas, 8 pm