Gef’s Guide To This Year’s Christmas Day Telly Viewing

What is the big deal about Christmas Day?

Apart from being with your friends and family, opening presents, seeing the smile on someone’s face when they open their presents, eating a bucket load of pigs in blankets and doing your absolute best not to murder your sibling when they cheat at Monopoly – there’s really not much to do.

However, one thing that is certainly steeped in tradition at this time of year is Christmas Day TV viewing. ‘What’s on the box?’ your Grandad asks you as he pours himself another Bailey’s.

Thanks to Gef’s wonderful journalism and research skills, here is your complete guide to Christmas Day telly…

The return of iconic shows!

Christmas Day tends to bring you back together with people who mean a lot to you but you may not have seen for a while.

But it’s not just friends and family that are making a re-appearance – hit TV classics such as Gavin and Stacey and Wallace and Gromit will also be accompanying you this Christmas.

‘Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul’ will premiere on BBC One at 6:10pm, while ‘Gavin and Stacey: The Finale’ is on the same channel at 9pm.

The BBC’s Christmas Day listings also include the ‘Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special’ at 3:55pm, ‘Doctor Who’ at 5:10pm, ‘Call The Midwife’ at 8pm and ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ at 11:05pm.

More soaps than there is in Boots…

Of course, for all you soap-lovers out there, Christmas Day is a real treat.

Up first is ‘Emmerdale’ on ITV One at 6:30pm, swiftly followed by an hour-long trip to the cobbles for ‘Coronation Street’ at 7pm.

The Ian Beale fans will be glued to their seats at 7:30pm for Eastenders on BBC One, while there will also be a follow up episode aired at the later time of 10:35pm.

So many movies!

In a world now dominated by streaming services, movies return to terrestrial television on Christmas Day with a stellar line-up of family favourites.

BBC One will be showing ‘Toy Story 3’ at 11:20am, swiftly followed by ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ at 12:55pm.

Kevin McCallister will be bullying grown men again in the big apple in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost In New York’ on ITV at 3:10pm, while Channel 4 will be showing ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at 5pm and ‘Notting Hill’ at 10:35pm.

Meanwhile, ‘Mark Cavendish: Never Enough’ is available to stream 24/7 on Netflix.