What to watch at Christmas 2017

Another festive season rolls in, and the Christmas schedule is filled with many treats. To help you out, Boar TV has compiled a list of some of the best TV treats this holiday season.

The League of Gentlemen Anniversary Specials (starting 18 December, BBC2, 22:00)

Time to return to Royston Vasey… The show is back for three new specials to celebrate 20 years since it first appeared on radio, and it promises to be as dark and as hilarious as ever. Returning characters include shopkeepers Tubbs and Edward (‘this is a local shop for local people’) and cross-dressing taxi driver Babbs (who is now up on the latest PC language). But will we see the return of demonic ringmaster Papa Lazarou?

Ratburger (24 December, Sky1, 18:00)

Something of a markedly different taste – in this family comedy, a young girl befriends a dancing rat called Armitage and decides to enter him in the school talent show. But when her stepmother (Sheridan Smith) and shifty burger man Burt (David Walliams) find out, they decide they’d rather have ratburgers on the menu instead.

Maigret in Montmartre (24 December, ITV, 20:30)

Rowan Atkinson returns to flex his acting muscles for a fourth case as Inspector Jules Maigret. In Maigret in Montmatre, the inspector investigates the murders of two seemingly unconnected women. A beguiling showgirl comes to the police station to report two men she heard discussing the murder of a countess – when both the showgirl and a countess wind up strangled, Maigret takes on the case.

Doctor Who (25 December, BBC1, 17:30)

Peter Capaldi’s tenure in the TARDIS comes to a close this Christmas. In ‘Twice Upon A Time,’ we have Doctors aplenty as the Twelfth Doctor, still refusing to regenerate, teams up with the First Doctor (David Bradley) for one final adventure. At the end, we’ll see the arrival of Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whitaker.

Upstart Crow (25 December, BBC2, 20:25)

David Mitchell returns as ‘greatest writer in the world’ Will Shakespeare for a festive special. Will prepares to present his new play, Eighth Night, to the sternest judge in the land – Queen Elizabeth I (Emma Thompson, in an inspired bit of casting) – while contending with Robert Greene (Mark Heap) and his unquenchable thirst to get one over on the ‘upstart crow’. The comedy is maybe a bit softer than usual, but the episode is incredibly heart-warming.

Travel Man: 48 Hours in Hong Kong (26 December, Channel 4, 20:00)

The ever-brilliant Richard Ayoade is joined by Mad Men heartthrob Jon Hamm for a trip to Hong Kong. The duo will enjoy a ‘faux festive’ mini-break in Hong Kong, where they sample ‘unrecognisable dishes,’ have bespoke suits made and get involved with Tai Chi.

A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (30 December, BBC1, 19:10)

Sir Derek Jacobi and Dame Diana Rigg lead a shambolic rendition of A Christmas Carol – but that’s the entire point. As things start to go wrong in this live production, the well-meaning thespians try to get everything back on track – expect flubbed lines, destroyed sets, and lots of hilarity.

Death in Paradise (starting 4 January, BBC1, 21:00)

Not strictly Christmassy, but I love the show. Ardal O’Hanlon leads the team, solving impossible crimes on a sunny Caribbean island. It’ll be fun, and the perfect antidote to those winter blues.