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For the 2025 festive season, this guide’s ten picks range from a children’s animation and returning dramas to reality competitions and comedy. They were scheduled across Christmas week and New Year on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and Channel 4 streaming. This is an editorial selection, not an objective ranking: the guide reports no comparative ratings, viewing figures or scoring method. Its dates and platform labels refer to the 2025–26 holiday schedule, not current availability.
How to read this Christmas TV list
The picks span several genres and audiences, so they are best treated as a holiday watchlist rather than a like-for-like contest. The order below follows the original guide’s selection, not a measured ranking. Times and dates are historical listings from that guide; check the broadcasters’ current listings and platforms if you are looking to watch now.
The 10 Christmas TV picks for 2025
1. Taskmaster’s Champions of Champions
Channel 4 and Channel 4 streaming. The guide listed this special for Monday, December 22, at 9 p.m., with a second listed date of Friday, January 2, 2026. Past winners Andy Zaltzman, John Robins, Maisie Adam, Mathew Baynton and Sam Campbell were named among the contestants.
2. The Scarecrow’s Wedding
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Listed for Christmas Day, December 25, at 3:10 p.m., this children’s adaptation is based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The guide names Jessie Buckley, Domhnall Gleeson and Rob Bydron as voice cast, with Sophie Okonedo as narrator. The original book is a natural companion for families who want to read the story as well as watch it.
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3. Gladiators Celebrity Special
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The Christmas Day listing was 3:35 p.m. The guide names Joe Wicks, Sam Thompson, Nicola Adams and Vogue Williams as contestants.
4. Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Scheduled in the guide for Christmas Day at 5:30 p.m., the special features six celebrity-and-professional pairings. The guide does not provide a comparative measure of how this special performed against the other picks.
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5. The Great Festive Bake Off
Channel 4 and Channel 4 streaming. The guide listed the Peep Show special for Christmas Day at 8 p.m. It also noted a returning-bakers episode on New Year’s Day at 6:40 p.m.
6. Call the Midwife
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The two-part festive special was listed for Christmas Day from 8:15 p.m. The guide describes Violet and Fred travelling to Hong Kong, alongside events affecting Cyril, Rosalind and Joyce.
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7. Amandaland Christmas Special
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Scheduled for Christmas Day at 9:15 p.m., this special is a spin-off from Motherland. The guide highlights Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
8. The Celebrity Apprentice
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The guide listed episodes for December 29 and 30 at 9 p.m. Its described celebrity challenge involves making gingerbread biscuits in Lapland.
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9. The Traitors series 4
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The first episode was listed for New Year’s Day, January 1, at 8 p.m., with the next two episodes scheduled for January 2 and 3 in the guide.
10. The Night Manager series 2
BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The guide listed the new series for New Year’s Day at 9 p.m., with Tom Hiddleston returning as Jonathan Pine.
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An additional Channel 4 festive title: Dear Father Christmas
Channel 4’s October 10, 2025 announcement also listed Dear Father Christmas, a 75-minute festive drama scheduled for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It follows 16-year-old Chris as he tries to prove his father wrong after being told Father Christmas is not real. The announced cast includes Lenny Rush, James Buckley, Greg Davies, Asim Chaudhry, Rochenda Sandall, Ele Mackenzie, Stephen Fry, Hannah Fry, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Jason Fox. It is an additional title, not one of the ten picks above. Channel 4’s announcement called it “Channel 4’s big festive treat for 2025,” in the words of Jonah Weston, Commissioning Editor for Specialist Factual.
Which shows fit different holiday viewing plans?
- For a family animation: The Scarecrow’s Wedding is the children’s adaptation in the list.
- For competition and challenge formats: the picks include Taskmaster’s Champions of Champions, Gladiators Celebrity Special, Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and The Great Festive Bake Off.
- For scripted comedy or drama: consider Amandaland, Call the Midwife, The Night Manager or the separately announced Dear Father Christmas.
- For the run-up to New Year: the guide places The Celebrity Apprentice on December 29–30, followed by The Traitors and The Night Manager on New Year’s Day.
These are genre and scheduling distinctions, not claims about quality, popularity or audience ratings. The schedules identify BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 streaming for several programmes, but do not establish whether any title remains available there now.
Quick Recap
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