What’s on TV tonight: Barrymore: The Body in the Pool, Edgar Wright: Life Cinematic and more

Thursday 5 February

Barrymore: The Body in the Pool

Channel 4, 9.00pm

It can be hard to recall how huge a star Michael Barrymore once was. Now generally only sighted on reality television (Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice), he was a fixture of prime-time TV to rank alongside Bruce Forsyth or Bob Monkhouse. Anchoring game shows and riding out tabloid tittle-tattle around his addiction issues and sexuality, he was venturing into edgier fare through Larry Sanders-esque comedy Bob Martin (presciently, about a fading light-ent star). Then, on March 31, 2001, the police were called to his property after the body of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock was found in his swimming pool following a party.

The exact sequence of events has remained a mystery, but Tom Barrow’s documentary gathers material that has never before been made public and talks to people involved in the investigation, including detectives and witnesses, to piece together exactly what happened. Lubbock’s family also discuss Stuart’s life and the impact of media intrusion into their lives. As for Barrymore, whose story is told without him making any direct contributions, it’s another grisly chapter in an ultimately sad life and moribund career. GT

Secrets of the Museum

BBC Two, 8.00pm

A stately, fascinating new series rummaging through the treasures of the Victoria and Albert Museum begins with a handmade children’s toy, the identity of a mysterious woman on an ornate 18th-century snuffbox and the pick of the items from special exhibitions devoted to Christian Dior and Kylie Minogue. GT  

Death in Paradise

BBC One, 9.00pm

An all-star cast assembles for the arrival of Ralf Little’s DI Neville Parker on Saint Marie, as a young woman (Chanel Creswell) is found electrocuted in her bathtub. Could her own father (Steve Pemberton) or his new wife (Samantha Bond) be responsible? GT  

Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls

BBC Two, 9.00pm

The former Shadow Chancellor crunches the numbers in tonight’s conclusion to his engaging travelogue, assessing the impact of the financial crash on poor and rich Italian and French people alike. GT

Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals

ITV, 9.00pm

The rather disappointing documentary series moves on to the many trials endured by the Queen in her long reign, from national tragedies (Aberfan, Grenfell) to more personal losses (the deaths of Lord Mountbatten, the Duke of Windsor and Diana, Princess of Wales). GT

Edgar Wright: Life Cinematic

BBC Four, 9.00pm

The Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver director talks to this newspaper’s film critic Robbie Collin about his filmic influences, which include Carrie, 1930s Dick Powell musical Dames and, more recently, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. GT  

My Favourite Shapes

Sky Comedy/NOW TV, 9.00pm

This one-off special by Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres more or less defines “niche”, but it uses a show-and-tell format to make sharp observations about everything from Happy Meal toys and crystals to water filters and The Flintstones. GT  

Madam Secretary

Sky Witness/NOW TV, 10.00pm

Peter Frampton and the US women’s football team are among the guests assembling to see out Elizabeth McCord’s final term in office (and star Téa Leoni’s sixth and final season in the pedestrian political drama), as she launches one final initiative. GT

Yentl (1983) ★★★★☆

BBC Two, 3.05pm

This musical by Broadway and Hollywood star Barbra Streisand was 15 years in the making and has a self-importance to match, which it just about earns. Yentl (Streisand) is an Ashkenazi Jewish girl living in Poland in 1904. Her father helps her to secretly study the Talmud, and after his death, she decides to disguise herself as a man and strike her own path. It’s a queer mixture of comedy and feminist provocation.

Creed (2015) ★★★★★

Channel 5, 10.00pm

Think of this as Rocky Rebooted. Michael B Jordan plays the downtrodden son of Sylvester Stallone’s original challenger, Apollo Creed, in this great-looking and invigorating return to the series, which pumps new blood into the whole formula. Oscar-nominated Stallone is on touching and redoubtable form, but it’s the knockout showmanship of director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) that’ll get you whooping.

Poor Cow (1967) ★★★☆☆

Talking Pictures TV, 12.05am

Nobody goes to Ken Loach films for a pick-me-up, but Poor Cow is among the most gruelling of the lot. Carol White plays Joy, a mother in London whose aggressive husband is sent to jail; she sets up with his friend Dave (Terence Stamp), but things keep sliding. White gives the film a compassionate glow, while Loach provides non-judgmental empathy. The plot drifts a little, but never drags.

Friday 6 February

Coronation Street

ITV, 7.30pm

Blackpool has never been the happiest of places for Coronation Street stalwart Rita Fairclough (Barbara Knox), who infamously saw her relationship with the murderous Alan Bradley (Mark Eden) come to a shocking end when he was hit by a tram there in 1989. Bradley’s death marked the conclusion of one of the soap’s most celebrated plot lines, so it’s no surprise to see the current writers paying sly homage to it for this 10,000th episode. Rita learns that her most recent husband Dennis Tanner (black sheep son of Elsie) has died and asked that she scatter his ashes… in Blackpool.

Undaunted Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews), who is, lest we forget, the daughter of the long-dead evil Alan, decides that it’s a great excuse for a day trip and assembles a motley crew of Corrie favourites including Ken Barlow (William Roache), his daughter Tracy (Kate Ford) and her daughter Amy (Elle Mulvaney), Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) and Carla Connor (Alison King) to join the ride. What happens next is strictly confidential but producer Iain Macleod has promised plenty of trademark wit and wisdom in a fitting celebration of why this soap above all others continues to thrive. SH

Locke & Key

Netflix, from today

Based on the cult graphic novel by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, Netflix’s latest drama is the atmospheric tale of the Locke family who relocate from Seattle to Massachusetts following their father’s murder. But the family mansion is no ordinary home and before long the Lockes are drawn into a promising story of magical keys, well-dwelling demons, disappearance and grief. SH  

Our Coast

BBC Two, 8.30pm; not Wales

The BBC’s latest travelogue, which begins in Merseyside, packs a lot in. Among the highlights are Emma D’Abiri’s potted history and Joe Lindsay’s emotional interview with a war veteran. The biggest question, however, is whether Adrian Chiles can resist singing Ferry Cross the Mersey. SH    

Grantchester

ITV, 9.00pm

The James Norton-led heyday may be in the past, but Grantchester remains an enjoyable mix of cosy and angst-ridden vicarage drama. Tonight, a boxing match at Vic’s (Ross Boatman) gym leads to a reckoning for Will (Tom Brittney). SH

Public Enemy

Sky Atlantic/NOW TV, 9.00pm and 10.10pm

The first series of this Belgian crime drama offered an intriguing tale of sin and redemption, centred around the arrival of convicted child killer Guy Béranger (Angelo Bison) in a close-knit community in the Ardennes. This second series, which promises to be just as addictive, is set two years later and sees local investigator Chloé Muller (Stéphanie Blanchoud) turning reluctantly to Béranger after a missing person’s case unearths links to her own sister’s disappearance. SH

King Gary

BBC One, 9.30pm; Wales, 11.25pm

Despite the warmth of leading man Tom Davis, this suburban sitcom is still struggling to find the right tone. Tonight, Gary Jnr (Davis) tries to organise the perfect day out for father Big Gary (Simon Day), with predictable results. SH

Frankie Boyle’s Tour of Scotland

BBC Two, 9.30pm

Comedian Frankie Boyle offers a coastal tour of a very different kind in this acerbic new series. He kicks off in Aberdeenshire, then travels to the hippy paradise of Findhorn, takes the ferry to Mull and delivers an inspired monologue linking Jimmy Savile to the Glencoe Massacre. Not for those who prefer their comedy clean. SH

Cricket: South Africa v England

Sky Sports Main Event/Cricket, 10.30am

The one-day series moves onto Durban, for the second game in the trio. In an odd quirk, both of the most recent ODIs between the sides at this ground (2005 and 2009) were abandoned due to incessant rain.

Golf: Victorian Open

Sky Sports Main Event/Golf, 4.00am

The European Open is as far from home as possible, arriving in south Australia for its latest tournament. David Law was victorious last year, with his first Tour win. Get up early to see the opening round, and stay tuned as the PGA Tour returns to California for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am (4pm). Phil Mickelson won for the fifth time last year.

Robin and Marian (1976) ★★★★★

Film4, 1.15pm

Sean Connery gives one of the best performances of his career as a middle-aged Robin Hood, who heads home to Sherwood Forest after the death of Richard I. He finds that scaling a castle wall isn’t as easy as it used to be, Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn) is still miffed at being left in the lurch, and the Sheriff (Robert Shaw) is up to his old tricks in Richard Lester’s good-natured romance. Look out for Ronnie Barker as Friar Tuck.

Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955) ★★★★☆

BBC Two, 3.35pm

American playwright John Patrick adapted Han Suyin’s autobiographical novel for this romantic drama. Set in 1949 Hong Kong, it sees an American reporter (William Holden) falling in love with widowed Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones). Suyin’s disapproving relatives and Hong Kong’s strict laws force the couple to carry on their affair in secret. It’s a tender film if a little schmaltzy.

Southside with You (2016) ★★★★☆

BBC Two, 11.45pm

This clear-eyed and rather charming romantic comedy provides a semi-fictional account of Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date in Chicago, 1989 (they went for ice cream and a movie). It begs you to unpick every line for echoes of the future, and it’s to writer-director Richard Tanne’s credit – and his leads, Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter – that the film still thrives (even if we know where it’s going).

Television previewers

Vicki Power (VP), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Gabriel Tate (GT), Sarah Hughes (SH), Toby Dantzic (TD)

ems to be everywhere right now, with Bancroft last week and the BBC thriller McMafia to come), Shamed tells the story of 27-year-old Sarah, who suddenly decides to kidnap and imprison two apparently unconnected men: the seemingly perfect just-about-to-get-married Nathan (Nick Blood) and cocky player Mani (Ryan McKen). Both claim never to have met each other or Sarah before. However there’s a method behind her madness, and one which, when revealed, opens up wider questions about how different events can resonate in different ways. Philipson’s tight script keeps you guessing about the connection until near the end before spilling out into violence and debates about the difference between guilt and shame. 

It’s not perfect – Mani is underwritten and the rushed ending is a little forced – but Shamed makes some thoughtful points about our attitudes toward sex and the way in which certain people can stride through life without acknowledging the damage they trail behind. Sarah Hughes

The Royal Variety Performance 2017

ITV, 7.30pm

Miranda Hart hosts this year’s Royal Variety Performance, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with guests ranging from the obvious (Michael Ball, Alfie Boe) to the incongruous (Kelsey Grammer, Seal).

Jamie’s Italian Christmas

Channel 4, 8.00pm

Another week, another Christmas cookery show. Our chef tonight is the ubiquitous Jamie Oliver who has holed up in a log cabin with his mentor Gennaro Contaldo and hopes to teach us to give the traditional British Christmas an Italian twist.

U2 at the BBC

BBC One, 9.00pm

The Irish band continue their quest for world domination with this film centred on new album Songs of Experience. The action takes place at Abbey Road Studios, where they perform some of their biggest hits and squeeze in a quick chat with Cat Deeley.   

Invasion! With Sam Willis

BBC Four, 9.00pm

The final part of this engaging series sees historian Sam Willis examine one of the more unusual military ideas in history: Napoleon’s plan to use a fleet of balloons as part of his invasion plans during the War of the Third Coalition. The French first crossed the English Channel by hot air balloon in 1785 and Napoleon appointed aeronaut Sophie Blanchard as air service chief to carry out the idea. The plans ultimately came to nothing, but that didn’t stop stories and caricatures of balloons carrying arms, men and even horses spreading through the media. 

The First Silent Night

Yesterday, 9.00pm

The mournful Silent Night is one of the world’s most beloved carols, and was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. This film follows actor Simon Callow as he heads to the Austrian village of Oberndorf to uncover its origins before considering why this carol above all others resonates so strongly. SH

Extraordinary Teens: Young, Gifted and Broke

Channel 4, 10.00pm

Pianist and composer Shane Thomas hit the headlines aged only 10 when his precocious talent saw him hailed as the British Mozart. Seven years later his career has stalled. What emerges is a depressing but well-told story of ambition tampered by poverty and a system in which privilege and connections count as much, if not more than raw talent. SH

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) ★★★☆☆

Film4, 5.05pm

Terence Fisher teamed up with Hammer Films for this child-friendly spin-off from The Adventures of Robin Hood TV series, with Richard Greene, who reprises his role here. Peter Cushing stars as the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham out to murder the Archbishop of Canterbury. It’s a cheap and cheerful affair that remains true to the spirit of the original.

Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) ★★☆☆☆

Sky Cinema Premiere, 6.15pm

The third of the big-screen outings for The Smurfs is a trippy treat for under-eights, for everyone else the blues. This Smurfs contains double the number of Smurfs ever previously seen, thanks to the discovery of an all-female enclave somewhere deep in the woods. Demi Lovato, Mandy Patinkin, Michelle Rodriguez and Julia Roberts are among those lending their voices.

Carol (2015) ★★★★★

Film4, 9.00pm

Todd Haynes’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel is gorgeous, gently groundbreaking, and quite possibly be the saddest thing that you’ll ever see. It tells the story of a photographer (Rooney Mara) who has a relationship with an older woman (Cate Blanchett) in New York. Haynes’ film concludes that love is the riskiest but most necessary gamble.

Wednesday 20 December

Judi Dench: My Passion for Trees

BBC One, 8.00pm

When this one-off documentary was announced, some predictably invoked Alan Partridge’s hapless pitch of Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank. Certainly, it’s hard to imagine many other celebrities managing to get this made, and even harder to imagine any who could have made it so watchable. A look of astonished delight is plastered over Dame Judi’s face throughout the hour, as she makes all manner of unexpected discoveries about the trees that she loves. There is also a rare peek into her personal life and relationship with her “chap”, David Mills.

This may lack the forensic camerawork and high-spec CGI of most BBC nature documentaries, but there are rewarding revelations amid the occasional dose of Botany 101. “I think of my trees as part of my extended family,” says Dench – not the absurd piece of sentimentality you might suspect, as she plants a tree in her back garden for each friend or relative who has died. And trees, it transpires, are also remarkably sociable in their way, an arboreal community connected by spidery threads of fungus and able to call for help if under attack by aphids. Charming and subtly educational. Gabriel Tate

What Makes You Tic?

BBC Three, from 10.00am

Vlogger Lewis “QBall” Nickell aims to conquer his Tourette’s Syndrome and launch a career as a talk-show host, meeting The Vamps and Girls Aloud alumna Nadine Coyle as part of his efforts to raise awareness.

Carabao Cup: Bristol City v Manchester United

Sky Sports Main Event, 7.30pm

We’re at Ashton Gate for this quarter-final clash, as the Robins look to produce and upset against holders Manchester United. The hosts have already claimed two Premier League scalps in Watford and Stoke City, but United are clear favourites here. 

The Real Marigold on Tour

BBC One, 9.00pm

When you see the lives the Marigold pensioners are leading who wouldn’t be envious? This week, Sheila Ferguson, Rustie Lee, Paul Nicholas and Dennis Taylor head to Iceland. There, they go whale watching in the fishing village of Hausavik, and try aqua aerobics and gymnastics in Reykjavik. Elsewhere, Sheila goes on a date with an Icelandic man.

Peaky Blinders

BBC Two, 9.00pm

Perhaps the best series yet comes to a punishing climax with the night of the big fight and yet another reckoning for the Shelbys, this time courtesy of Changretta (Adrien Brody) and once-trusted allies.

A Night for the Emergency Services

ITV, 9.00pm

Presenting a sort of 999’s Got Talent, Ashley Banjo and Diversity introduce a showcase for the firefighters, police and hospital workers who demonstrate skills far beyond their professional capabilities. These include magicians, dancers and a Michael Bublé impersonator, along with appearances from a few special guests.

Taskmaster Champion of Champions 

Dave, 9.00pm

One of the funniest series on TV comes to a spectacular climax as the ultimate Taskmaster champion is crowned, with previous winners Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Noel Fielding, Rob Beckett and Bob Mortimer all in the running.

Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist 

National Geographic, 9.00pm

After a lifetime of conservation work and, campaigning against poaching, primatologist Dian Fossey was killed in her Rwandan cabin in 1985 – a crime that remains unsolved. The final part of this gripping series examines possible motives. GT

Male Rape: Breaking the Silence

BBC One, 10.45pm; Scot & Wales, 11.10pm; NI, 11.40pm

First shown on BBC Three, this grim but necessary film hears from three men who are among the estimated one-in-six to have been victims of rape. GT

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) ★★★★★

BBC One, 1.45pm

Steven Spielberg’s rollicking adventure film, with a very scary end, won four Oscars and created a new action hero in Dr Henry “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford). Jones is an archaeologist hired by the US government in 1936 to seek out the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis find it. The ensuing events provide a rollercoaster of thrills. The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade follow over the next two night.

Chicken Run (2000) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 3.35pm

Aardman Animations, the studio behind many of Nick Park’s triumphs, conjures up another stop-motion corker that fairly swarms with clever little jokes and details. Our heroes here are a group of jauntily anthropomorphic chickens; they’re plotting their escape to freedom from the tyrannical Mr and Mrs Tweedy, who run the farm on which they live. The voice cast boasts Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks and Mel Gibson.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004) ★★★☆☆

Sky Arts, 9.00pm

Impressed by his use of music in The Lost Boys, Andrew Lloyd Webber hired director Joel Schumacher to bring his hit musical, the longest-running Broadway show in history, about a disfigured genius who lives hidden in the Paris Opera House and who develops a crush on a chorus girl, to the big screen. The score has all the faux-gothic pomp required, but Gerard Butler’s Phantom fails to spook.

Thursday 21 December

Darcey Bussell: Looking for Fred Astaire

BBC One, 10.45pm

One dance star explores another in this unpretentious profile of Fred Astaire. Darcey Bussell traces Astaire’s journey from his hometown in Nebraska to New York, London and Los Angeles to examine his ascent to film stardom, achieved after nearly three decades as a professional dancer. She puts forward that he owed much of his success to three women – his mother, his sister and dancing partner Adele, and his first wife Phyllis – but wisely doesn’t labour the point. 

Bussell peruses memorabilia and film footage – there’s a delightful clip of Astaire dancing with his long-time collaborator, Hermes Pan – and discusses with historians Astaire’s early life, work ethic and personality clash with Ginger Rogers. The commentary doesn’t uncover much that an Astaire fan wouldn’t already know, but Bussell is an enthusiastic guide and the clips are terrific. Strictly professionals Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara are touring a successful stage show called Remembering Fred – this film also reminds us of Astaire’s immeasurable contribution to dance, though it wouldn’t harm for it to air at an hour more suited to the ballroom dance-loving demographic. Vicki Power

MasterChef: The Professionals: The Finals

BBC Two, 8.00pm

It’s ladles at dawn for the three finalists as they tackle their last challenge. They’ll cook a three-course meal in three hours for the formidable judging trio of Wareing, Galetti and Wallace, who’ll then choose their champ.

Joanna & Jennifer: Absolutely Champers

BBC Two, 9.00pm

On the flimsy premise of celebrating 25 years since the birth of Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley take a fizz-fuelled jolly to France to tour vineyards. They neck vats of bubbly in a travelogue as meandering as Patsy’s gait after an evening spent swigging Bolly.

Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Great Christmas Roast

ITV, 9.00pm

It’s Celtic vigour versus Italian passion in this feelgood cookery special. TV chefs Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo compete, with a team of celebrity helpers, to create the best Christmas banquet for 100 emergency services workers. First Dates’ maître d’ Fred Sirieux presents.

Donny Osmond’s Easy Listening Christmas

Channel 5, 9.00pm

This Val Doonican-style one-off sees Donny Osmond counting down his 25 favourite festive songs, exploring their geneses and comparing classic renditions to cover versions. VP

The Tunnel: Vengeance

Sky Atlantic, 9.00pm

The symbiosis between Anglo-French cop partners Karl and Elise (Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy) in this murder mystery shows us a cheering flipside to Brexit. Their touching, humorous relationship is affecting, even if the series overall lacks the Scandinavian-style eeriness of The Bridge, on which it’s based. Here, the cross-channel cops make a breakthrough in the search for the missing children.

The Galaxy Britain Built: Droids, Darth Vader and Lightsaber/Hollywood’s Master of Myth

BBC Four, 10.00pm and 11.00pm

In celebration of the release of The Last Jedi, these documentaries look at the ingredients that helped shape the Star Wars phenomenon. The first focuses on the film crew who created George Lucas’s fictional galaxy. The second, from 1999, explores the work of US academic Joseph Campbell, whom Lucas has credited with inspiring his plot. VP

The Dark Crystal (1982) ★★★☆☆

Film4, 1.05pm

Muppets creator Jim Henson stepped out from the comfort of children’s TV to make this dark fantasy tale about a pair of creatures who must find a missing shard of crystal in order to defeat the evil Skeksis. The superbly designed puppets and sets add a surreal quality but it lacks the sense of humour which made Labyrinth, Henson’s next cinema release, so popular. Frank Oz, fellow puppeteer and the voice of Yoda, co-directs.

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 3.35pm

Nick Park’s plucky Plasticine pair set about rescuing a village whose annual vegetable competition is in jeopardy because of rabbits eating up the contents of everyone’s gardens. But their bunny brainwashing goes wrong and they accidentally create a mutant rabbit. Beautifully shot, charming, and very silly, it deservedly won the Oscar for Best Animation.

Candyman (1992) ★★★★☆

Film4, 11.15pm

Virginia Madsen does powerhouse work as a student of folklore lured into fascination with a hook-handed killer who appears when you say his name five times in front of a mirror. She ignores all warnings but is soon blamed for his crimes when a series of horrible murders begin. Majestic direction from Bernard Rose transforms this into a resoundingly epic and gory fable.

Friday 22 December

Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie

BBC Two, 9.00pm

Long before he became a household name as a Strictly Come Dancing judge, Bruno Tonioli had a successful career as a choreographer to the stars, arranging dance for music videos, stage shows and tours for Tina Turner, Sting, Elton John and many others. Here he looks back 40 years to when he was a young dancer in New York and got caught up in the global phenomenon that was Saturday Night Fever. 

It’s a great story, told with typical Tonioli verve, of how a low-budget film starring the then unknown John Travolta and using the music of a failing band of high-pitched popsters, the Bee Gees, became one of the biggest box office draws of all time and gave half the world “disco fever”. It also shows how – to give credit where it is due – much of its success was down to the visionary genius and unstoppable determination of the Bee Gees’ manager, the late Robert Stigwood, impresario behind some of the most popular stars, and hit stage and film musicals (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Grease, Bugsy Malone) of the Seventies. Contributors include Travolta. Gerard O’Donovan

The Toys That Made Us

Netflix, from today

Toys of the Eighties are the focus of this series taking an in-depth look at the nostalgia and collecting fervour that surrounds eight of the biggest selling toy brands of that decade: Transformers, Stars Wars, He-Man, GI Joe, Barbie, Star Trek, Hello Kitty and Lego.

Premier League Football: Arsenal v Liverpool

Sky Sports Main Event, 7.00pm

Action from the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal  look to avenge a 4-0 defeat in August, when Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Daniel Sturridge all found the net for Liverpool.

TOTP4 Christmas 2017

BBC Four, 7.30pm

Get into the Christmas party spirit with Mark Radcliffe’s countdown of classic festive hits from Top of the Pops’s glitter-spattered archive, with The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Wizzard, Slade, The Darkness and Ed Sheeran among the acts featured.

Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast Christmas Special

Channel 4, 8.00pm

Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty welcome actress Liv Tyler to the pier café to make her favourite takeaway, pork dim sum. Oliver also whips up a cracking kedgeree, and Doherty builds a home-made wood-fired oven.

Al Murray’s Make Christmas Great Again

ITV, 9.00pm

Al Murray’s gloriously unreconstructed pub landlord invites an audience to a lock-in at the Reindeer’s Head where he bends ears on such matters as how Christmas is losing its Britishness while whipping up anti-PC seasonal singalongs and remonstrating with celebrity guests.

George Michael to Tom Petty: a Tribute

Sky Arts, 9.00pm

Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and David Cassidy are just some of the musicians and performers who, along with George Michael and Tom Petty, we lost in the past 12 months – as affectionately remembered in this 90-minute tribute. GO

Les Dawson: In His Own Words

Channel 5, 10.00pm

Comedians didn’t come more old school than Les Dawson, with his bluff Northern style, rubber face and mother-in-law jokes. But he was one of the most original comedians of his generation, as proved by this terrific documentary that raids the archives for his funniest work.

The Graham Norton Show

BBC One, 10.40pm

Grahm Norton’s line-up offers a good mix of interest: Hollywood star Will Smith, Victoria’s Jenna Coleman, chef Jamie Oliver and former Keane frontman Tom Chaplin. GO

Bright (2017)

Netflix, from today

This Netflix Original – a $100 million special-effects blockbuster from David Ayer, director of Suicide Squad – sounds like a mash-up of Lethal Weapon and Lord of the Rings. In an alternate Los Angeles where elves and witches walk the streets, Will Smith’s tough NYPD officer finds himself partnered with an orc (Joel Edgerton). Considering its hefty price tag and star-studded soundtrack (Migos, Rag’n’Bone Man, Camila Cabello), this could be Netflix’s biggest mistake yet

Puss in Boots (2011) ★★☆☆☆

BBC One, 3.40pm

DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek spin-off follows Puss in Boots’s life before he became the green ogre’s sidekick. With the help of Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), the swashbuckling feline (Antonio Banderas) becomes a hero after saving his town. Like the CGI ogre’s last two films, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After, the animation is more impressive than the jokes.

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) ★★★★☆

ITV, 10.40pm

American actress Renée Zellweger perfects her English accent to play the Chardonnay-swigging, chain-smoking, lovelorn Bridget in this adaptation of Helen Fielding’s novel, which remains a solid favourite. Love interests Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are excellent as her roguish boss Daniel Cleaver and the stuffy-but-handsome (even in a Christmas jumper) lawyer Mark Darcy.

Saturday 23 December

The World’s Best Christmas Lights: From Liverpool to Bethlehem

Channel 4, 8.00pm

It is amazing what you can build a successful, multi-million-pound, internationally renowned business from. Liverpool-based company The Christmas Decorators specialise in the commercial design and installation of large-scale Christmas lights and decorations – the kind you see in every shop, street and town square. This entertaining film, one of the more offbeat of the season, follows a rather surprising commission: to install the lights and decorations at what many might consider the birthplace of Christmas – Manger Square in Bethlehem. In fact, they’ve been doing it every year since 2012, bringing every single bulb and bauble with them from their warehouse in the UK. 

It’s a huge logistical effort, which is also a possibly tricky one, if customs or security in, say, Istanbul take exception to the Bethlehem-bound consignment as it passes through. Director of operations GED Comerford leads the four-person installation team on the trek from Liverpool. It’s fraught with hitches and glitches – even a home-baked Christmas cake is regarded with suspicion by local security – but all the more entertaining for that. Gerard O’Donovan

Smashie’s Xmastastic Playlist

Christmas Gold, 4.00pm

Getting the Christmas party off to an early start from his fab-tastic hideaway at Radio Hush, The Fast Show’s Mike Smash (Paul Whitehouse) brings his off-kilter pop-DJ insights to an hour of festive hits from Wizzard to Johnny Mathis via McCartney, Dylan and Springsteen. 

Elf: The Musical

Channel 5, 5.00pm

There’s seasonal song, dance and fun in the stage musical version of Will Ferrell’s much-loved comedy from the Lowry Theatre in Salford. Ben Forster, who won ITV’s Superstar talent search in 2012, leads the cast as Buddy, a human orphan who was raised by Santa’s elves in the North Pole and returns to New York in search of his family.

Michael Buble’s Christmas in New York

Sky Arts, 5.00pm

At the Radio City Music Hall the crooner sings a selection of seasonal classics, along with a sparkling line-up of special guests including Barbra Streisand, Ariana Grande and The Muppets’ Miss Piggy. It is repeated on Sky One at 12.15am.

Pointless Celebrities Christmas Special

BBC One, 6.15pm

Some of the contestants in this festive edition of the quiz could themselves be pointless answers in a round on Christmas hits. Jona Lewie, Jimmy Osmond and Ben Haenow are among those answering Alexander Armstrong questions.

Blind Date Christmas Special

Channel 5, 8.00pm

There’s a fairy-tale spin to this edition of Paul O’Grady’s matchmaking show, as a Prince Charming has to choose between fellow panto actors Cinderella, Snow White and Tinkerbell.

It’s Christmas Live from the Royal Albert Hall

Sky One, 8.00pm

The Royal Albert Hall is transformed to a rock ’n’ roll winter wonderland as Jason Manford introduces performances by Holly Johnson, Marc Almond, Chrissie Hynde and Shakin’ Stevens, among many others. GO

Feud: Bette and Joan

BBC Two, from 9.00pm; NI, from 9.30pm

Ryan Murphy’s stylish and scathingly catty dramatisation of the Hollywood feud between Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) reaches the moment that the actresses’ mutual loathing went off the scale – while working on the 1962 classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (which follows). GO

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) ★★★☆☆

ITV, 1.35pm 

From today to New Year’s Day, ITV are screening all of the Harry Potter films – one film a day, except on Boxing Day. This first adaptation of J K Rowling’s novel was, for a while, the second highest-grossing film ever. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are endearing (and very young) in the lead roles but the film lacks the original book’s compulsiveness.

Frozen (2013) ★★★★★

BBC One, 2.50pm

Disney’s 53rd feature is an enchanting combination of fairy-tale derring-do and heart-popping musical numbers that has left children and adults powerless to its charms. Elsa (Idina Menzel) is a shy princess driven into exile when her magical powers are discovered. Her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) gallops off to fetch her from her beautiful ice palace. Spin-off Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is on Christmas Day.

Bill (2015) ★★★★☆

BBC Two, 6.00pm

Intelligent children and immature adults will love this mock-biopic from the Horrible Histories troupe that follows the young William Shakespeare (Mathew Baynton) as he ascends from quill-scraping zero to literary hero. Some of the best moments (a running joke about false moustaches is one) are full-bloodedly Pythonesque, although occasionally a kind of student-revue smarminess creeps in.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962, b/w) ★★★★★

BBC Two, 10.35pm; not N Ireland

Robert Aldrich’s classic slice of American Grotesque, starring two of cinema’s greatest screen divas, started a trend for casting ageing actresses in campy Gothic horror movies. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis play reclusive sisters locked in an abusive relationship in their crumbling Hollywood mansion. 

Christmas Eve

Mary, Mel and Sue’s Big Christmas Thank You

BBC One, 7.00pm

Anyone looking for some extra festive cheer should look no further than this exuberant Christmas special which sees former Great British Bake-Off stars Mary Berry, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc join forces to help out at a community centre in the Rhondda Valley in Wales. 

Initially, it seems as though this is one of those rather forced shows in which celebrities dispense good cheer and bad jokes, but an emotional story of community spirit in the face of despair swiftly emerges. “We’ve lost our library, our butchers, both banks have closed and there’s no school,” states Elizabeth “Buffy” Williams. Working with her friend Lynne, Buffy has attempted to combat that by opening a community centre offering meals, bingo and after-school classes. Now they want to throw a special Christmas meal for the whole community but it’s tough: the kitchen is small, money is tight and Lynne freely admits that she hates cooking. Enter the indomitable Mrs Berry, who rolls up her sleeves, corrals Daffyd, a 16-year-old with a GCSE in catering, into becoming her sous chef and helps Lynne tackle her phobia. The final celebration should bring a tear to even the most cynical of eyes. Sarah Hughes

Premiership Rugby Union: Leicester Tigers v Saracens

BT Sport 1, 2.30pm

Below-par this season, Leicester will be hoping a win here at Welford Park against third-placed Saracens will give them fresh momentum going into the new year. 

Countryfile

BBC One, 6.00pm

The team head to the Peak District for this special which sees John Craven exploring Longshaw Estate, Anita Rani experiencing a Nativity play with a difference and Matt Baker venturing into Peak Cavern for a carol concert. 

Christmas University Challenge 2017

BBC Two, 8.00pm; Scotland, 5.45pm

There’s something addictive about the University Challenge’s specials, possibly because they allow us to see celebrities in a new light. The opener sees a team from Durham University, including actor Nick Mohammed, take on a Keble College side featuring Katy Brand.

Child Genius vs Celebrities Christmas Special

Channel 4, 8.00pm

Richard Osman is our host for this Christmas special, which sees past child geniuses take on, among others, Catastrophe star Rob Delaney and broadcaster Janet Street Porter. Will youth or experience win out? 

Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show

BBC One, 8.30pm

The comedian returns for a festive edition in which Alesha Dixon risks social disaster by handing over her phone in Celebrity Send-to-All, plus there’s stand-up from Bill Bailey and music from Seal. 

Maigret in Montmartre

ITV, 8.30pm

Critics haven’t always been kind to ITV’s reboot of Georges Simenon’s Maigret featuring Rowan Atkinson. Yet there’s actually a lot to like here. Atkinson underplays the role nicely, the plots are serviceable and the whole thing is entertaining if undemanding fare. This episode sees Maigret drawn in to the murder of a showgirl. SH

M R James evening

BBC Four, from 9.00pm

Shut the doors, draw the curtains and prepare to be thoroughly spooked as BBC Four dedicates an evening to ghost writer supreme M R James. First up, long-time James fan Mark Gatiss looks at how this diffident Anglican bachelor created stories that still send a tingle down the spine a century after they were written. It’s followed at 10pm by two adaptations of James’s work: The Tractate Middoth, a chilling story about vengeance from beyond the grave, starring Sacha Dhawan and John Castle, and No 13, featuring Greg Wise as an academic who uncovers more than he bargains for in a small medieval town.

Billy Elliot: the Musical

Sky Arts, 9.00pm

Anyone who hasn’t managed to catch Stephen Daldry’s big-hearted musical take on his film about a miner’s son who just wants to dance can find out what all the fuss is about with this performance from 2014 starring Ruthie Henshall and Elliott Hanna. SH

Gone with the Wind (1939) ★★★★★

Channel 5, 9.20am

Hollywood’s highest-grossing movie until The Sound of Music in 1966, this was the film for which the word “epic” was invented. Vivien Leigh became a star as Scarlett O’Hara, the spoilt Southern belle whose life is turned upside down by the US Civil War. Clark Gable and Leslie Howard are her lovers. It’s brash and self-indulgent, but frankly we don’t give a damn.

The Lego Batman Movie (2017) ★★★★☆

Sky Cinema Premiere, 1.25pm and 7.00pm

Don’t tell Ben Affleck – who plays Actual Batman – but the actor has been made surplus to requirements by one and a half inches of moulded plastic. Lego Batman’s debut solo feature, spun off from a cameo in The Lego Movie, is frantically and relentlessly funny as a new police commissioner (Rosario Dawson) threatens to make the Caped Crusader redundant.

Guys and Dolls (1955) ★★★★☆

BBC Two, 3.20pm

The 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway classic holds up rather well. The stellar casting certainly helps: Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra in one film – as the rival New York gamblers (and gangsters) Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit, who place a bet on compromising the virtue of a pious Salvation Army woman, Sarah Brown (played by Jean Simmons). The musical numbers are still a delight.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) ★★★★★

Channel 4, 6.30pm

Tiny Tim is a small green frog, Mrs Cratchit is a bad-tempered pig and Charles Dickens himself is portrayed by Gonzo, enormous blue nose and all. And yet, there are few better, or more affecting versions of A Christmas Carol than this musical adaptation. Michael Caine is ideal as the miserly Scrooge, the laughs are aplenty and the finale is as rousing as they come.

Christmas Day

Doctor Who

BBC One, 5.30pm

While it’s not unusual for Doctor Who to begin with a “Previously…”, this one takes things all the way back to William Hartnell’s First Doctor, having faced the Cybermen at the South Pole and refused to regenerate. After necessarily metamorphosing into David Bradley (who played Hartnell in Mark Gatiss’s docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time), he duly encounters Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, in a similar fix. Throw in Mark Gatiss’s doomed British army captain, transported from the Western Front at the moment of death with stiff upper lip wobbling, a mysterious glass woman (Nikki Amuka-Bird) with the power to freeze time, the return of Bill (Pearl Mackie) and a few other surprises, and you have another of Steven Moffat’s self-imposed riddles to unravel.

Given that this is Moffat’s own last stand, and with Jodie Whitaker due to make her bow at the end of the episode, you might anticipate a tsunami of self-indulgence and sentimentality, but no. Capaldi and Mackie’s snappy, affectionate chemistry precludes such easy options, Gatiss is restrained and funny and Moffat’s musing on war and peace is enough to bear the wit and self-referentiality. A dignified farewell. Gabriel Tate

The Highway Rat

BBC One, 4.45pm

Rob Brydon narrates and David Tennant voices the eponymous anti-hero in another enchanting adaptation of a Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler picture book, this time depicting the comeuppance for a selfish, swashbuckling rat and his long-suffering steed..

The Royal Opera: Puccini’s La Boheme

BBC Four, 7.00pm

Clemency Burton-Hill introduces Richard Jones’s production of Puccini’s tale of love and loss among bohemians in 19th-century Paris, conducted by Antonio Pappano and starring tenor Michael Fabiano and soprano Nicole Car as star-crossed lovers Rodolfo and Mimi. Jones’s production has a wintry charm that should see it sit very comfortably in today’s schedules. 

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

Sky Cinema Premiere/On Demand, 7.30pm

Perhaps better suited to television after a brief run in cinemas that saw parents complaining about it delaying screenings of Coco, this Frozen spin-off finds the cheerful snowman Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) joining his reindeer, Sven, on a mission for their royal highnesses Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) who are desperate to create their own Christmas tradition. Expect four catchy new songs to be ringing around your head. GT

 Call the Midwife

BBC One, 7.40pm

Call the Midwife pulls out all the stops for this astoundingly gloomy affair as a Boxing Day freeze descends, stranding Valerie (Jennifer Kirby) in a caravan for an ad hoc delivery and accounting for a popular old timer with a very dark secret.

The Great Christmas bake off

Channel 4, 7.40pm

Val and Selasi from last year, Paul Jagger (he of 2015’s bread lion) and Welsh Beca, a 2013 semi-finalist, return to compete for Star Baker, introduced and judged by the new Fab Four. There’s more of the same on New Year’s Day.

Victoria

ITV, 9.00pm

The Queen (Jenna Coleman) is pregnant again and missing her governess, leaving Albert (Tom Hughes) in the unlikely role of Christmas merrymaker-in-chief. It’s a festive special by numbers, but affecting and easy on the eye.

Ashes Cricket: Australia v England

BT Sport 1, 10.30pm

It’s been a fraught series, on and off the field, for England, with their players’ professionalism frequently called into question. This signals the start of the fourth Test, played at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Can Joe Root’s beleaguered side salvage some dignity? Or will the Aussies continue to have a field day?

300 Years of French & Saunders

BBC One, 10.35pm

Unseen footage, much-loved sketches and of course Lulu feature in this one-off, which sees the duo back together on TV for the first time in a decade. The new material is intermittently inspired and vigorously performed, with The Handmaid’s Tale, the Kardashians and Poldark all subjected to their attentions. GT

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) ★★★★★

Channel 5, 1.05pm

There are few movie scenes more memorable than Gene Kelly’s rain-soaked Singin’ in the Rain sequence, or many more jaw-dropping than Donald O’Connor’s walk up the wall. But more than song and dance, this film contains real satire as it recounts the introduction of the “talkie” and the superficial nature of the US film industry. Debbie Reynolds (who died a year ago, one day after daughter Carrie Fisher) co-stars as the Hollywood ingénue.

Cinderella (2015) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 3.10pm

Kenneth Branagh’s twinkling, live-action Cinderella sticks doggedly to Disney’s 1950 animated version (Cinders’s rodent companions are present) and favours sparkle over wit. However, Cate Blanchett is marvellous as the Wicked Stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter makes a jolly good Fairy Godmother. Princess-obsessed little girls will find it irresistible and the costumes are stunning.

Oliver! (1968) ★★★★☆

Channel 5, 3.10pm

Carol Reed, who had previously directed The Third Man, won an Oscar for his superior version of Lionel Bart’s musical of the classic Charles Dickens tale (Reed’s only ever attempt at the musical genre). Eight-year-old Mark Lester is sweet as Oliver Twist but it was Ron Moody as Fagin who received the Oscar nod. Reed’s nephew, another Oliver, is a brooding and brutal Bill Sikes and still has the potential to shock.

Dumbo (1941) ★★★★★

Channel 4. 4.30pm

It may be one of Disney’s shortest animated films, but it is also one of its most loved. Baby elephant Dumbo is born with unfeasibly large ears, is separated from his mother and becomes ostracised by his fellow circus animals. It is only when Timothy Mouse encourages Dumbo to make the most of his ears that he discovers he can fly. This remains an undisputed masterpiece from Disney’s golden age of animation.

Boxing Day

Little Women

BBC One, 8.00pm

One suspects that this beautiful adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved coming-of-age novel (published in 1868) was due a less prominent airing until the BBC had to shelve its flagship festive Agatha Christie adaptation Ordeal by Innocence due to sexual assault allegations against one of the stars. That seems no great loss now, as this sparkling gem of a drama – scripted by Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas – more than deserves a Boxing Day prime-time slot. 

Told in three parts, it follows the lives of the March sisters – Jo (Maya Hawke), Meg (Willa Fitzgerald), Beth (Annes Elwy), and Amy (Kathryn Newton) – as they progress from adolescence to adulthood under the protective eye of their mother, Marmee (Emily Watson), while their father is away in the American Civil War. 

As life-affirming a tale as you could want this time of year, it’s full of high spirits and loving kindness. There are nice cameo performances by Michael Gambon and Angela Lansbury, but in the opening part, the acting laurels go to Hawke for her spot-on portrayal of tomboyish proto-feminist Jo, and Jonah Hauer-King, as boy next door Laurie Laurence. Gerard O’Donovan

Todd Barry: Spicy Honey

Netflix, from today

Stand-up Todd Barry is best known in the US for his bone-dry wit. Anyone seeking relief from the festive season’s more saccharine shows will be sure to find it in this one-off recording from his latest tour.

Premier League Football: Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

Sky Sports Main Event, 12.00noon

Spurs won both of their matches against the Saints last season, including a 2-1 victory in one of their final home matches at White Hart Lane. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli both scored in the first half, with James Ward-Prowse pulling one back for Southampton in the second.

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

BBC Two, 5.35pm

From Sadler’s Wells, a treat for dance fans in this dazzling Blitz-era reworking of Prokofiev’s classic ballet, performed by Bourne’s New Adventures company. 

Snow Bears

BBC One, 6.30pm

Kate Winslet narrates this documentary following a pack of polar bears as they embark on an eventful 400-mile journey to reach the pack ice where they hunt. Surprisingly charming.

Discovering: Julie Andrews

Sky Arts, 7.00pm

A look at the life and career of an actress and singer more associated with Christmas than most, thanks to endless festive repeats of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. But there’s much more to Julie Andrews than that, as shown in this beautifully put-together profile. 

Reindeer Family and Me

BBC Two, 8.00pm

Wildlife film-maker Gordon Buchanan’s festive offering focuses on Santa’s favourite quadruped. In Lapland, Buchanan settles in with the nomadic Sami people to learn the ways of the herder, before setting out with a single reindeer to capture the Northern Lights as they’ve never been filmed before.

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2017: The Language OF life

BBC Four, 8.00pm

This year’s theme, The Language of Life, sees cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott of UCL embark on an exploration of the urge to communicate. In the opener, she unpicks the evolution of the human voice. GO

The Miniaturist

BBC One, 9.00pm

An absorbing adaptation of Jessie Burton’s bestseller about a young woman thrust into an arranged marriage with a perplexing merchant in 17th-century Amsterdam. It looks exquisite, although the constant quest to shoot each frame as if it were a Vermeer painting doesn’t help the pace. Anna Taylor-Joy plays 18-year-old Nella with suitable bafflement, Alex Hassell intrigues as Johannes, while Romola Garai steals the show as his sister, Marin. Concludes tomorrow.

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2017

Channel 4, 9.00pm

Jimmy Carr hosts C4’s alternative comedy quiz looking back at the year in the news, with guests including Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding, David Mitchell and Katherine Ryan. GO

Mary Poppins (1964) ★★★★★

BBC One, 3.45pm

This is the popular story of a magical nanny (Julie Andrews) who takes over a London home, transforming the lives of its inhabitants. Dick Van Dyke may affect the worst cockney accent ever heard on film, but the combination of the catchy songs, sumptuous live action and colourful animation makes this one of the most enduring children’s films, and a staple of the festive schedules. The film was nominated for 13 Oscars.

Beauty and the Beast (2017) ★★★★☆

Sky Cinema Premiere, 10.55am and 5.50pm

Emma Watson dazzles in Disney’s show-stopping, live-action, chocolate box remake. The film’s songs – which include three new ones – by Alan Menken are the pulse, the purpose and the headline draw, while Ewan McGregor is delightful as Lumière, Luke Evans perfect as Gaston, and Dan Stevens, in digital fur, is the Prince.

The Little Mermaid (1989) ★★★★☆

Channel 4, 4.20pm

This vivacious retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale began a rich vein of form for Disney animations (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King followed). A combination of unforgettable characters, including Sebastian the singing Jamaican crab and the delightfully evil baddie Ursula (based on drag queen Divine), and catchy songs makes Ariel’s journey to dry land a magical thing.

Jurassic World (2015) ★★★★☆

ITV, 6.40pm

Can modern audiences still be wowed by computer-generated dinosaurs? This long-awaited Jurassic Park sequel (the original movie was released in 1993) proves that they can. A new attraction at the dinosaur theme park, created to re-spark visitor interest, gravely backfires and it’s left to Chris Pratt’s raptor trainer and Bryce Dallas Howard’s scientist to save the day. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is out next year.

Wednesday 27 December

Alan Partridge: Why, When, Where, How and Whom?

BBC Two, 9.00pm

Unfortunately, there were no previews available for this palate-cleansing documentary ahead of Alan Partridge’s return to the BBC for a new series next year, which co-creator Steve Coogan promises will include the sometime Radio Norwich presenter’s take on that most contentious of topics, Brexit. It’s been 25 years since he and Armando Iannucci created the hapless Partridge, described by Iannucci as “a kind of social X-ray of male middle-aged Middle England”, a bombastic, self-important local presenter with an unwavering belief in the importance of the highway code and “imperial leisurewear”. 

Now this documentary attempts to explain why this character, above all others, has touched such a nerve. Among those contributing are Coogan and Iannucci, Patrick Marber, Peter Baynham, Rebecca Front, David Schneider and Doon Mackichan, and we’re also promised unseen archive footage. The real secret to Alan’s lasting appeal is a simple one, however: he’s a fully realised character and a very English monster in the same vein as Basil Fawlty. Even as we laugh at him, we’re moved by his increasing self-awareness. Sarah Hughes

Celebrity Mastermind

BBC One, 7.00pm

Actor Jack Ashton, comedian Rich Hall, Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray and poet Pam Ayres join John Humphrys for a new run of the celebrity edition. Among the specialist subjects tonight are Tennessee Williams, Iron Maiden and Ashes Cricket. 

Agatha Christie vs Hercule Poirot

Sky Arts, 7.30pm

Pierre Bayar presents this interesting deconstruction of one of Agatha Christie’s most celebrated novels, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in which he alleges a miscarriage of justice by Poirot. 

Six Robots & Us

BBC Two, 8.00pm

Psychologist Dr Caroline Jay and robotics specialist Prof Jonathan Rossiter join forces in this fascinating experiment which aims to uncover how helpful the latest innovations in robotics truly are. To find out the team deliver four very different robots to families around the UK. 

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2017: the language of life

BBC Four, 8.00pm

Professor Sophie Scott, UCL’s Head of the Speech Communications Group, gives this year’s lecture, looking at silent communication and why our body language and smells can say as much if not more than our words and sounds.  

World’s Strongest Man 2017

Channel 5, 8.00pm

Channel 5 brings us all the action from the World’s Strongest Man competition in Botswana. All eyes are on the USA’s Brian Shaw, the defending champion, who is hoping to win for a record firth time. 

Turtle, Eagle, Cheetah: A Slow Odyssey

BBC Four, 9.00pm

BBC Four’s latest foray into the enticing world of slow TV is this nature documentary which focuses on the different views of a cheetah on the African savannah, a green turtle in the Indonesia reefs and a white-tailed eagle in Scotland. SH

Miranda Does Christmas

Channel 4, 9.00pm

Like many an institution before her, Miranda Hart has swapped the BBC for Channel 4 on her return to the small screen. Here, Hart hosts a “raucous Christmas party” with guests including David Tennant, Sam Smith and Prue Leith. SH

The Red Shoes (1948) ★★★★★

BBC Two, 12.10pm

Powell and Pressburger’s seminal musical tragedy is one of cinema’s great wonders. It’s about a talented ballet dancer (Moira Shearer), her romance with a struggling composer (Marius Goring) and her loyalty to the ballet that he wrote and in which she is meant to star. The film’s theme of the pre-eminent call of creative passion is thought to be an allegory for P & P’s devotion to their craft.

Big Hero 6 (2014) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 4.10pm

This Disney animation is an East-meets-West adventure with buckets of heart and soul – and quite possibly Disney at its adorable, huggable, and most visually extravagant best. Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old orphan living in the city of San Fransokyo, befriends Baymax, a 10-foot-tall, bright, white inflatable robot invented by his elder brother, who’s killed in a mysterious fire at his laboratory.

Scrooged (1988) ★★★★☆

Film4, 4.35pm

9+Bill Murray plays a mean-spirited network TV president who sees the light after he experiences ghostly visitations – including Carol Kane as a happy-slapping fairy in a tutu – in this droll comic update of Dickens’s tale. Murray is on deadpan, cynical form (“Have you tried staples?”) and Robert Mitchum contributes a priceless cameo as a fellow executive with plans to produce TV shows for cats and dogs.

Oasis: Supersonic (2016) ★★★☆☆

BBC Two, 10.00pm

Oasis’s glory-days documentary indulges Noel and Liam Gallagher’s bad behaviour. Mat Whitecross’s film starts and ends with the pair of dates when Oasis debatably peaked, at Knebworth in 1996, and goes to excessive length to detail stories of their excess. Few rock stars, in fairness, have a habit of being so amusingly and brutally honest about their failings, and Whitecross is content to let them have the last word.

Thursday 28 December

Attenborough and the Empire of the Ants

BBC Two, 9.30pm

Back on dry land after Blue Planet II, David Attenborough travels to the Jura Mountains on the Swiss-French border to investigate the methods used by two different communities of wood ants to survive and thrive. One adopts a familiar strategy of territorial aggression, with a family dominated by a single queen and chemical warfare on rival communities conducted with liberal distribution of formic acid. The other appears to defy the rules of evolution as they are currently understood, forming a supercolony consisting of several communities cooperating for the greater good in a manner reminiscent of early man’s first steps to eventual supremacy. Queens, sentries and workers labour alongside each other in a manner which sounds far-fetched, but the cameras capture this extraordinary behaviour in mesmerising detail, from hunting to breeding to self-preservation. 

The now-customary behind-the-scenes postscript sees Attenborough almost as amazed by the new technology that allows such access to nature (in this case, the “FrankenCam”) as by nature itself. It’s not Blue Planet II, but it’s the sort of fascinating deeper dive that Natural World does so well. Gabriel Tate

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2017: The Language OF life

BBC Four, 8.00pm

Sophie Scott brings her series of lectures to an close with an examination of language and comprehension in the animal kingdom. Are we humans really as far advanced as we believe, or might primates and even birds be able to communicate with comparable sophistication?

The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds On Holiday

Channel 4, 8.30pm

Familiar faces from the most recent series head to Cyprus to enjoy flying, swimming and local delicacies, while the professionals watch on and deliver their analyses of childhood behaviour.

What Britain Bought in 2017

Channel 4, 9.00pm

Mary Portas assesses whether this year has been as dismal as expected for high-street retailers, and examines a few unlikely trends: unicorns, gin and, she suggests, big knickers.

Clint Eastwood: a Life in Film

Sky Arts, 9.00pm

Whether you love or loathe his hardline politics, few would dispute the astonishing consistency of Clint Eastwood’s work. For such a prolific actor and director, there are few duds on his CV and plenty of masterpieces, from Unforgiven to Once Upon a Time in the West. Made in 2007, the year of his ambitious wartime diptych Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, this excellent programme finds Eastwood in good-humoured form as he talks Michael Henry Wilson through his 50-year career. GT

Bruno Mars: Live in Harlem

BBC One, 10.25pm; NI, 11.25pm

Harlem’s Apollo Theatre launched the careers of James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald and Lauryn Hill, among many others. Bruno Mars pays tribute to the building’s history and rolls out the hits – Uptown Funk, Just the Way You Are et al – along with some dazzling choreography for a hard partying crowd.

Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live

BBC Two, 10.30pm

Perhaps rivalled only by Katherine Ryan for small-screen ubiquity this year, Romesh Ranganathan has proved himself an accomplished stand-up comedian. This special, recorded at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in 2016, captures the comedian’s jaundiced but very funny musings on family life. GT

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 9.00am

This claymation Aardman romp is a delight. The impasto of non-stop gags, comic detail and slapstick action should appeal to all the family. Hugh Grant plays the Pirate Captain, who needs more booty if he is to stand a chance of winning the title of Pirate of the Year. The plot takes in Darwin, the last dodo and Queen Victoria (voiced by Imelda Staunton).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017) ★★★★☆

Sky Cinema Premiere, 11.00am and 8.00pm

Marvel’s playful space sequel looks like an explosion in a nursery school craft cupboard – every scene comes caked in rainbows, glitter and gunge. The core crew returns, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), but the story only really begins with the arrival of a benign and bearded mystic called Ego (Kurt Russell), who has big news for Peter about his earthly origins.

Flight (2012) ★★★☆☆

Channel 5, 9.00pm

Robert Zemeckis’s film, starring Denzel Washington as alcoholic commercial pilot Whip Whitaker, is a long, earnest, sporadically brilliant drama. On a routine hop from Florida to Atlanta, Whip’s plane starts to tumble out of the sky – a dramatic sequence that will turn nervous fliers’ stomachs – and the pilot must fight to save the lives of those on board. Dull in parts, this is nevertheless morally provocative.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) ★★★☆☆

BBC Two, 11.30pm

Films based on sitcoms tend to play broader than the real series, and this cinema outing for Steve Coogan’s fading media gasbag is no exception. The plot has Alan held hostage at a radio station in Norfolk. Old friends, such as his assistant Lynn (Felicity Montagu), join in and viewers hoping for new catchphrases will be happy, but Partridge loses his Pooterish potency when moving from talk to action.

Friday 29 December

Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out

BBC Two, 9.00pm

Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer return for this one-off Christmas edition of their sketch show, 27 years after it first aired as Vic Reeves Big Night Out. Fans will be pleased to hear that age has not dimmed the comedians’ energy – in this half-hour they bounce around the studio in the same vein as their younger selves, which gives the show a rapid-fire pace. 

The pair’s chemistry is undeniable and they frequently make each other laugh, as well as a raucous studio audience. There is a sense that Reeves and Mortimer are now improvising much of their material, which may explain why some of the jokes here are a touch below par. But many of the sketches are excellent, such as their parody of Channel 4 dating show First Dates, in which they play jokey gay Yorkshiremen. In another, Vic sells wigs made of body parts. 

Nostalgia comes in the form of a cameo from Matt Lucas, forever associated with his George Dawes character in Shooting Stars, and the revival of character Graham Lister (played by Bob) in the talent show parody sketch Novelty Island. This brief return reminds us that, with their corny jokes and surreal sense of humour, there’s nobody quite like Vic and Bob. Vicki Power

Tim Vine Travels Through Time Christmas Special

BBC One, 7.30pm

Prepare for a barrage of seasonal puns as Tim Vine’s comedy show returns. Emma Bunton and Reverend Richard Coles join Vine on a jaunt to Tudor times.

Eric & Ernie’s Home Movies

BBC Two, 8.00pm

Those ghosts of Christmas past, Morecambe and Wise, are revisited in this charming documentary showcasing the double act via some newly discovered home movies. Look out also for a repeat of Morecambe & Wise: Leading Ladies (BBC Two, 7.00pm) and Eric, Ernie & Me (BBC Four, 9.00pm), a drama exploring their relationship with writer Eddie Braben.

Victoria Wood by her friends

Channel 5, 9.00pm

This tribute to the late comedian covers much the same ground, and includes some identical contributors, as BBC One’s Our Friend Victoria, but it’s still a treat to be reminded of Wood’s talents. Her 1997 stand-up show, Victoria Wood: Live 1997, follows.  

Delicious

Sky One, 9.00pm

Sky dishes up a second series of this frothy Cornwall-set drama. Chef Gina (Dawn French) has now joined forces with Sam (Emilia Fox) to run the Penrose Hotel, as the man that they were both once married to, Leo (Iain Glen), narrates from beyond the grave. But it turns out tensions haven’t died with him, and their spats bring a pinch of spice to the drama. Tonight, Franco Nero arrives as Gina’s ne’er-do-well father to stir up trouble.

Frankie Boyle’s 2017 New Year World Order

BBC Two, 10.00pm; not NI

This year’s absence of Charlie Brooker’s Wipe is mitigated somewhat by Frankie Boyle’s return for this end-of-year round-up. And certainly somebody needs to help make sense of this crazy year. VP

Elvis: The Rebirth of the King

BBC Four, 10.00pm

This compelling film seeks to overturn the enduring image of Elvis Presley’s Vegas years as a tragic nadir of his career. It argues that Presley’s musical renaissance in a 1968 Christmas TV special saw the King reach new creative heights that he carried into his Vegas shows, before disillusionment and drugs took over. Fantastic archive footage and commentary from his former collaborators, including Elvis’s backing singers, make a convincing case. VP

Up (2009) ★★★★★

BBC One, 2.25pm

Possibly Pixar’s finest film, Up has a captivating story that realises the vividness of a childlike imagination. Only those with a heart of stone wouldn’t be moved by the story of Ed Asner (voiced by Carl Fredricksen), who tries to fulfil his dream of building a house next to Paradise Falls in South America. His odyssey brings him more than he bargained for, including a young, hyperactive Wilderness Explorer called Russell.

Brave (2012) ★★★★☆

BBC One, 4.20pm

The first of Pixar’s films to have a female protagonist won an Oscar and there’s a bewitching craftsmanship to its storytelling. It’s set in the Highlands during the feudal period. Kelly MacDonald plays the flame-haired Merida, who would rather ride her horse than play the role of simpering princess; unable to sway her mother (Emma Thompson), she seeks the help of a witch (Julie Walters).

Gone Girl (2014) ★★★☆☆

BBC One, 9.15pm; N Ireland, 9.45pm

Cold and controlled, yet fun, this drama, directed by David Fincher, is based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name. Rosamund Pike is Amy Elliott-Dunne, who disappears one morning, much to the apparent surprise of her husband (Ben Affleck). The media sniff around and soon the couple’s secrets come to the surface. Darkly suspenseful at first, the story soon turns into blood-drenched self-parody.

The Great Gatsby (2013) ★★★☆☆

BBC Two, 11.15pm

Baz Luhrmann lays on a cinematic buffet of such sense-addling brazenness that it takes a while before you notice the film is finger-food and nothing more. Leonardo DiCaprio is Jay Gatsby, a newly minted millionaire, and Carey Mulligan is Daisy Buchanan, the lost love he longs to win back. On the rare occasions Luhrmann gives them space to act in the pulsating frenzy of his Jazz Age world, both do a wonderful job.

Television previewers

Toby Dantzic, Catherine Gee, Simon Horsford, Sarah Hughes, Clive Morgan, Gerard O'Donovan, Vicki Power, Patrick Smith, Gabriel Tate and Rachel Ward