What's worth watching on Christmas Day?

A very merry Christmas to you and yours from Radio Times – we hope you have a wonderful day, whatever it is that you're up to.

Of course, for many of us, festive television is always a major highlight, and there's plenty to look forward to (albeit nothing quite as earth-shattering as last year's Gavin & Stacey finale).

The BBC still plans to deliver plenty of laughs, however, with Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special sure to have some giggles, while a recent hit sitcom is returning later in the evening (and reuniting two comedy legends in the process).

There will be decidedly fewer laughs in Albert Square, where Christmas is typically a more bleak affair, but what the soaps lack in cheer they make up for in high-stakes, unpredictable drama!

Here's our recommendations for what's worth watching on Christmas Day 2025.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special – BBC One, 5:30pm

It’s usually all smiles and sparkle for Strictly’s festive special, but this year it will be tinged with tears and yuletide melancholy. Fans were left in shock back in October when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced this series would be their last — and today’s Christmas episode will be the much-loved presenting pair’s swansong.

Let’s hope they go out on a high as six celebrities gamely take to the dancefloor. TV personality Scarlett Moffatt, Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley (aka Fury), EastEnders actor Nicholas Bailey, comedian Babatunde Aléshé and 90s pop stars Melanie Blatt and Brian McFadden are all in contention to lift that star-shaped trophy. – Frances Taylor

The Soaps

Emmerdale (ITV1, 6:15pm), Coronation Street (ITV1, 7:15pm) & EastEnders (BBC One, 7:45pm/9:45pm)

The soaps serve up their annual festive feast of drama and misery. The big mystery to be solved is Zoe’s stalker in EastEnders. Could it be yet another returnee, after a raft of big comebacks? Charity is stressed in Emmerdale, and not because she forgot to defrost the turkey — will her fling with Ross be revealed?

Corrie features a cameo video call from Gail a year after her exit, but for some proper soap nostalgia check out Talking Pictures TV’s screening of Christmas in the Street (10am), a rarely shown festive trip to the cobbles from 1968, where Jack and Annie Walker stroll down memory lane. – Johnathon Hughes

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The Great Christmas Bake Off – Channel 4, 8pm

Peep Show’s festive episode saw Jez (Robert Webb) serve up raw turkey and Mark (David Mitchell) put ham into a paper shredder. By those standards, today’s bakes are a roaring success — in a special that fans of the cult comedy will find really moreish.

Webb is sadly conspicuous by his absence, but joining Mitchell are Olivia Colman (Sophie), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Sophie Winkleman (Big Suze) and Matt King (Super Hans). Despite underbaked biscuits and dodgy sauce, there’s still a Jolly Holly(wood) handshake or two. Well, it is Christmas. – Frances Taylor

Call the Midwife – BBC One, 8:15pm

The Nonnatus House regulars are trading in their bicycles for rickshaws this Christmas, with the likes of Sisters Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Veronica (Rebecca Gethings) seen making a mercy dash to Hong Kong following a disaster at the Branch House in Kowloon.

But, as it turns out, the aftermath of this horrendous building collapse brings with it some unforeseen dangers, most notably the threat posed by organised crime in the neighbourhood. Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) may have stitched wounds inflicted by the Kray twins back home, but how will he fare with the Triad?

Credit ought to go to writer Heidi Thomas for finding fresh ways of taking her characters way out of their comfort zone, though any viewer seeking the reassuring sights of Poplar with a dusting of snow are also well served, thanks to a London-based subplot involving a request made of Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) by nattily dressed newcomer Mr Fischer (guest star Henry Goodman).

There’s more Midwife drama tomorrow at 8:30pm. – David Brown

Amandaland – BBC One, 9:15pm

Well, isn’t this Absolutely Fabulous? Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders back on TV together for Christmas Day. In an inspired piece of casting, Saunders is guest-starring in Amandaland’s first festive foray as Aunt Joan — the rambunctious sister of Felicity (Lumley) who thinks nothing of saying “drinky-poos” and “luncheon” unironically. Suffice to say, the siblings don’t entirely get on.

Amanda (Lucy Punch) is undeterred (isn’t she always?) by her mum’s reticence about spending the big day with her sibling. Instead, she ploughs on with her plan for the perfect family Christmas, including recreating a childhood memory and protecting her pavlova at all costs.

But when she sees some old photos from the 1970s that Felicity has been desperate to hide, Amanda might be about to discover you can’t always get what you want. – Frances Taylor

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