Unlike your grand visions for snowman and snowdog perfection, the British Christmas TV lineup for 2025 is beginning to take shape. And they’re bringing in the big guns – not just Joanna Lumley, Russell T Davies and Mark Gatiss, but the iconic Pat Butcher, back at Albert Square and The Queen Vic for the first time in a decade (and the second time since being killed off).
Slightly more upbeat is Dear Father Christmas, which sees 16-year-old Chris (Lenny Rush) set out to prove that the big jolly guy with the red costume and flying reindeers is real. Why his father (James Buckley) waited so long to have The Talk is anybody’s guess, but on his quest Chris runs into academics including Stephen Fry and Hannah Fry who, we pray, don’t sap all the fun out of Channel 4’s flagship festive special.
The BBC’s latest Julia Donaldson adaptation The Scarecrows’ Wedding stands to be the big animated special of the season, starring Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson as loved-up effigies Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, whose wedding plans are derailed by smooth-talking Reginald Rake (Rob Brydon).
As one of British TV’s most iconic characters of all time, Pat Butcher’s EastEnders return, albeit brief, will take some topping, but you can count on Coronation Street to pull out the stops in its 65th year. Something tells us Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) white wedding might end in tears.
While it might not strictly have a festive theme, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Doctor Who special. These are real troubled times for the show, which won’t return until next year, but five-part spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea sounds like a real breath of fresh air, with Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the leading roles.
There’s the small matter of the long-awaited second run of The Night Manager too, though that’ll be closer to New Year.
Although the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 only work in the UK, a good VPN will let you stream the best of British Christmas TV from abroad. Scroll down for a list of confirmed specials, which we’ll update as more are announced.
The vast majority of British Christmas TV specials are available to watch for free courtesy of BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and 5.
Traveling outside the UK for Christmas? You can use a VPN to tune in free of charge as if you were right at home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options.
If you’re leaving the UK for Christmas, whether for work, a holiday, or visiting family and friends, geo-restrictions will prevent you from watching British Christmas TV.
That’s where a VPN comes in handy – not only does it let you access your home streaming services from anywhere, but it also protects you from potential online threats.
Amazon Fire Stick
Android
Android TV/Google TV
Chromecast
iOS
iPadOS
Nvidia Shield
Raspberry Pi
Web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari)
Although you can’t run NordVPN directly on other devices, such as PlayStation and Xbox consoles, TVs running Apple TV and various other smart TV systems, and VR headsets, an easy workaround is running NordVPN on your smartphone or computer and setting up a hotspot.
BBC One
Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job
Amandaland Christmas Special
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special
Call the Midwife Christmas Special
Celebrity Apprentice
Death in Paradise Christmas Special
DIY SOS Christmas Special
EastEnders
Here We Go Christmas Special
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel Christmas SPecial
Mrs Brown’s Boys
Pudsey and the Thread of Hope
Songs of Praise
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
Strictly Come Dancing Final
Stuffed
The Finish Line Celebrity Christmas Specials
The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Special
The Night Manager
The Scarecrow’s Wedding
The War Between the Land and the Sea
Two Doors Down Christmas Special
Weakest Link Christmas & New Year Specials
Would I Lie to You? at Christmas
BBC Two
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower
Live at the Apollo Christmas Special
Mammoth Christmas Special
Richard Osman’s Festive House of Games
BBC Four
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
ITV1
Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win Christmas Special
Bullseye Christmas Special
Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball
Celebrity Catchphrase Christmas Special
Christmas Craft-Off
Coronation Street
Emmerdale
John & Lisa’s Christmas Kitchen
Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening
Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge
The 1% Club Christmas Special
The Chase Christmas Special
The Martin Lewis Money Show
The Masked Singer Christmas Special
Wheel of Fortune Celebrity Christmas Special
You Bet Christmas Special
Channel 4
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special
A Very Taskmaster Christmas
Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less Christmas Special
Dear Father Christmas
Taskmaster Champion of Champions
Taskmaster New Year Treat
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
The Last Leg Christmas and New Year Specials
5
All Creatures Great and Small: Behind the Magic
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Special
The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special
Sally Lindsay’s Christmas Quiz
U&W
For Dog’s Sake Christmas Special
CBeebies
Christmas Panto: Cinderella
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Unlike your grand visions for snowman and snowdog perfection, the British Christmas TV lineup for 2025 is beginning to take shape. And they’re bringing in the big guns – not just Joanna Lumley, Russell T Davies and Mark Gatiss, but the iconic Pat Butcher, back at Albert Square and The…
