What's worth watching on New Year's Eve?

There's no one way to spend New Year's Eve, with some choosing to usher in 2026 dancing under disco lights, and others getting cosy at home with the live coverage of our broadcasters.

Of course, the BBC typically leads on these kinds of live events, with this year's New Year's Eve programme to be hosted by singer-songwriter Ronan Keating.

There's more music on BBC Two with Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny, where the line-up includes Olivia Dean, Craig David, Heather Small and The Kooks, among others.

If that's not enough star power for you, there is also a New Year's Eve episode of The Graham Norton Show, where Tom Hiddleston will tease the long-awaited second season of The Night Manager (which premieres tomorrow).

Read on for more on our top picks of what's worth watching on New Year's Eve 2025.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (BBC One, 9:35am)

This endearingly quirky, part-animated “mockumentary” from 2021 proves that a big heart can come in a small package. Adapted from a series of YouTube shorts that director Dean Fleischer Camp made “cheaply, and for fun”, the film follows the eponymous sentient shell (voiced by Jenny Slate) as he sets out to find his missing family, with the help of his kindly grandmother (also a shell and brilliantly voiced by Isabella Rossellini).

The result is remarkably moving — so much so that Disney took note, hiring Camp to direct their successful live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. – Josh Winning

Kiss Me, Kate (BBC Two, 3:35pm)

Egos flare on stage and off in this corker of a Cole Porter musical about a theatrical troupe mounting The Taming of the Shrew. Filmed at London’s Barbican Centre, it features, in the role of a preening actor/director, Adrian Dunbar, a man who has held a tune in many episodes of ITV’s Ridley.

Here, he's outshone by a powerhouse of a co-star in Stephanie J Block, who blazes as his vivacious ex-wife. Still, their flirty, bickering relationship is a pleasure to watch, even if the words “Kiss me, Kate” are ones we hope to never hear Dunbar say to Vicky McClure when he returns in Line of Duty. – David Brown

Top of the Pops: Review of the Year (BBC Two, 6pm)

Badging up this compilation under the Top of the Pops banner feels a bit… hollow. Like a band that’s still limping on years after all the original members departed. Rather than a TOTP edition of yore, Clara Amfo introduces what is ostensibly a rundown of some of the greatest hits of live music to air across the BBC in 2025.

So there’s Sam Fender and Lola Young at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Lewis Capaldi at Glastonbury and Olivia Dean on Later…. Meanwhile, there’s a look back at how Britpop had a resurgence, with both Pulp and Oasis making comebacks. – Frances Taylor

• Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google

Here We Go (BBC One, 8pm)

Successful family sitcoms are a notoriously tough TV nut, but this has managed to crack it. Slowly but surely, word is spreading about this assured gem of a comedy. If you’re yet to meet the Jessops and are wondering what the fuss is about, do go back and watch the previous three series — they’re all up on iPlayer. And if you’re already a fan, you’ll have an idea of what’s in store for the family on New Year’s Eve.

Rachel (Katherine Parkinson) wants to stay home and throw a big party, but husband Paul (Jim Howick) has other ideas. He reckons they should rent a holiday cottage to celebrate the start of 2026. He promises to find somewhere spectacular… so the suburban semi he books — that looks remarkably similar to their house — isn’t quite what everyone had in mind. Car issues and the giant boil that appears on Paul’s face end up being the least of their problems. – Frances Taylor

New Year's Eve 2025 (BBC One, from 10:30pm)

Let’s ring in the year 2000! I mean… 2026! You’d be forgiven for thinking the BBC had stepped back in time tonight, with Ronan Keating at the helm on BBC One at 11:30pm (with a 15-minute midnight interval for the fireworks) to perform some of his turn-of-the-millennium hits including When You Say Nothing at All and Life Is a Rollercoaster. He’ll also be singing covers of tracks from George Michael and Van Morrison, and special guests are also billed to join him.

The setlist over at the Hootenanny on BBC Two (11:30pm) is also pleasingly retro, with Jools Holland welcoming Ronnie Wood, Lulu, Craig David, Heather Small and the Kooks to ring in the new year alongside comparatively modern artists Jessie J and Olivia Dean (although even Gen Z hit-maker Dean will be performing a cover from 1975).

In the run-up to the music will be Graham Norton (10.30pm BBC One) with a line-up as dazzling as any firework display. Tom Hiddleston will be talking about The Night Manager’s return (tomorrow on BBC One); Laura Dern and Will Arnett chat about Is This Thing On?, their new film based on the life of comedian John Bishop; while Carey Mulligan, Tim Key and Adolescence star Owen Cooper complete the sofa set. – Frances Taylor

Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Add shows to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.