Plenty of Christmas specials to indulge in!
This week's best telly includes a number of Christmas specials, including All Creatures Great and Small, Casualty, Death in Paradise and Would I Lie to You?. Plus Lee Mack and Chris McCausland for this year's festive offering from Sky, Bad Tidings.
Elsewhere, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton look back on nine series of Inside No.9 and Si King celebrates the life of his best friend and former TV partner Dave Myers, who sadly passed away in February.
Here are 7 TV shows you can't miss in the run up to Christmas...
1
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
CASUALTY
Saturday 21st December at 9.20pm on BBC One
Everything's at stake on the emergency ward this Christmas as Casualty returns with a standalone special which promises to bring home the true meaning of Christmas. Whist they fight to save patients, their personal lives brim with drama and intrigue
It's Christmas in the ED, and the team face an emergency blood shortage. Whilst Stevie fights to save a family man’s life and Iain takes a big risk to secure the hospital’s supply.
The episode will also feature real-life testimonies from contributors who’ve been directly impacted by UK blood donation, as well as interviews with key workers who form the country’s blood service.
STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER
2
BRAND NEW COMEDY
BAD TIDINGS
Sunday 22nd December at 7.30pm on Sky Max
This year's big Sky Christmas special is Bad Tidings which stars Lee Mack, Chris McCausland and Rebekah Staton.
It’s the week before Christmas and Stockport home security expert, Neil played by Lee Mack, has a problem with his neighbour. Scott played by Chris McCausland, swaps their bins, complains about Neil’s ‘project’ car on his drive and has had his Christmas lights up all year, shining into Neil’s home office. Basically, he’s a git. He’s also blind, and the rest of the street thinks he’s great.
When they try to make Scott the new head of Neighbourhood Watch, Neil can stand it no more. He questions Scott’s suitability for the role (“It’s Neighbourhood Watch! I mean, hello?”) and, in the tit for tat row which ensues, Neil ends up blowing the power. For the whole street. On Christmas Eve.
Everyone, including Neil’s wife and teenage daughter, is forced to take their Christmas plans elsewhere, leaving Neil and Scott alone and on guard. When infamous local crime family - The Brennans - decide to rob the entire street in one night (“It’s like Santa in reverse”), the odd couple must team up to stop them. They’ve got no lights, no cameras, no alarms, but one of them is blind, which might be an advantage…
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3
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
DEATH IN PARADISE
Sunday 22nd December at 8.30pm on BBC One
This week we return to the beautiful island of Saint Marie for this year's Death in Paradise Christmas special, this time with a new detective inspector in tow.
Londoner Mervin Wilson ruffles some feathers as he clashes with the island’s way of life. But he quickly sinks his teeth into one of the team's most puzzling murder cases yet: three men, all unconnected apart from the fact that they’re dressed as Santa Claus, are shot with the exact same gun at the exact same time.
As Mervin wrangles with this impossible murder, his colleagues struggle with their new boss’s unusual working methods. And Dwayne’s Christmas with his father doesn’t exactly go to plan.
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4
BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARY
INSIDE NO.9: THE PARTY'S OVER
Sunday 22nd December at 9pm on BBC Two
After saying goodbye to Inside No.9 earlier this year, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, creators of one of TV’s darkest and most celebrated comedies, go on a journey behind the scenes to show the making of the show’s final series.
Using archive material and interviews with cast and crew, the documentary charts the history of what made this macabre and hilarious show so successful while offering a perfect farewell for fans of the multi-award-winning series.
STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER
5
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
WOULD I LIE TO YOU?
AT CHRISTMAS
Monday 23rd December at 7pm on BBC One
As Would I Lie To You? returns for a new Christmas special, Rob Brydon is back as host alongside lightning-quick team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack.
On David's team this christmas are comedians Jimmy Carr and Laura Smyth, whilst Lee is joined by actor and presenter Lenny Rush and TV chef Rustie Liee. But will they be telling the truth? Or are they making it all up?
STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER
6
BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARY
THE HAIRY BIKERS:
YOU'LL NEVER RIDE ALONE
Monday 23rd December at 9pm on BBC Two
Following the sad passing of his best mate and former TV partner Dave Myers, back in February, Si King celebrates Dave's life by taking us on an emotional journey through the Hairy Bikers story.
The Hairy Bikers: You'll Never Ride Alone follows Si as he leads a motorcycle convoy to Dave’s hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, while archive material, new interviews and previously unseen footage help celebrate Dave’s life, charting a journey that took him around the world while cooking up a storm as one of television’s greatest ever double acts.
STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER
7
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
ALL CREATURES
GREAT AND SMALL
Monday 23rd December at 9pm on Channel 5
As Skeldale House prepares for Christmas, in this year's All Creatures Great And Small, it's also Jimmy’s first birthday, but without the usual festive treats available, Mrs Hall has figured out how to deliver the ideal Christmas. But when her world is rocked by a worrying news bulletin, the Skeldale family do their best to support her.
A young boy arrives at the surgery with an abandoned fox cub and Mrs Hall can’t help feeling a connection with the animal.
Meanwhile, Tristan is given an important Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) mission involving pigeons. Tristan is underwhelmed by the task and Siegfried sends him to Enoch Sykes, a cantankerous pigeon fancier. Tristan’s attempt to win over Enoch’s trust doesn’t go to plan.
Helen and James prepare for Jimmy's birthday tea at Heston Grange, but Helen has to deal with some family disagreements. When the fox needs veterinary help, Siegfried faces a difficult decision as to how best to care for the animal, whilst also looking after Mrs Hall.
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