Every December brings its usual traditions — mince pies, fairy lights and families fighting over the remote — but Christmas 2025 is shaping up to be something no one quite expected.
This year’s TV lineup isn’t just “festive programming”. It’s a cultural event. A ratings war. A nostalgia tsunami. And, in some cases, the return of icons fans thought they’d never see again.
From chaos-inducing babies and long-awaited sequels to thrillers set to blow up group chats across the country, the Christmas schedule is packed with surprises — and Britain is already choosing sides.
Here’s the inside story behind the programmes everyone will be talking about this holiday season.
1. the peep show christmas bake off — nostalgia, disaster, and pure chaos
Channel 4 has delivered the reunion no one dared hope for:
David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman back together for the first time since Peep Show ended in 2015… but now armed with rolling pins and zero baking ability.
The question on everyone’s lips:
Will any of them manage a cake that doesn’t collapse?
With Prue and Paul judging — and Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond causing mischief — this one is already predicted to be the most GIF-able special of the year.
2. rowan atkinson vs a baby — the netflix chaos we didn’t know we needed
If Rowan Atkinson battling a bee was comedy gold, then Rowan Atkinson being left in charge of a baby is going to be full-blown festive carnage.
Man vs Baby, dropping December 11, sees Trevor Bingley trying to return a lost child to their family — and every attempt spirals in a way only Atkinson can deliver: big physical comedy, escalating disasters, and chaotic heart.
Netflix is betting big on this one.
Fans are already calling it the new “Christmas must-watch”.
3. call the midwife’s double christmas special — new horizons, old fears
BBC One has decided that one Christmas episode simply isn’t enough.
This year, we’re getting two — and the stakes are higher than ever.
Senior staff head to Hong Kong for a mission that pushes them to their emotional limits, while the younger midwives are left to hold Poplar together alone.
The creators tease a stunning twist: Sister Julienne discovers a spark of hope about the future of the Order.
Oh, and Stephen McGann reportedly nearly melted filming in Hong Kong’s humidity while wearing a three-piece suit. There were portable fans. Many portable fans.
4. red eye returns — and the skies have never been scarier
ITV’s hit thriller is back — with eight million viewers waiting to see what happens next.
Richard Armitage may not return, but Jing Lusi is stepping into the spotlight again as DS Hana Li.
This time, a caller threatens to blow up a British plane unless no one leaves the American embassy. Hana teams up with Clay Brody (Martin Compston), but fans are already asking:
Can she trust him?
5. the night manager season 2 — the sequel the world waited nearly a decade for
It has finally happened.
Tom Hiddleston is back as Jonathan Pine. Olivia Colman returns as Angela Burr. The story expands beyond John le Carré’s novel, venturing into new territory across the UK, Spain, Colombia and France.
The BBC won’t reveal plot details yet, but the hype alone is deafening. With a New Year’s Day 2026 premiere, this is already one of the most anticipated shows of the decade.
6. all creatures great and small — wartime endings, new beginnings
Channel 5 brings audiences a warm, nostalgic Christmas in Darrowby — the first since the end of the war.
But joy is shaken when Helen falls ill, leaving James in charge of the Nativity play.
He can treat cows.
He can manage foals.
But can he direct a cast of amateur humans?
Two more series and two more Christmas specials have been confirmed — a festive miracle for fans.
7. death in paradise — a murder weapon thousands of miles away
Don Gilet returns for a Christmas special with a twist so bizarre it could only happen in Saint Marie:
A murder weapon locked in a drawer in Swindon…
but the body is in the Caribbean.
A familiar face returns to help crack the case, and Mervin anxiously awaits news from the brother he only recently discovered.
8. run away — netflix’s next obsession in the making
Harlan Coben. James Nesbitt. A missing daughter. A spiralling confrontation in a park.
Netflix knows exactly what it’s doing.
When Simon tracks down his daughter Paige, everything goes wrong — catastrophically. What follows thrusts him into a dark underworld filled with fractured loyalties and buried secrets.
With Minnie Driver and Ruth Jones joining the cast, this one is expected to dominate Christmas conversations.
9. beyond paradise — a memory-lost stranger and a man stuck in a snowman
Kris Marshall returns with a mystery as quirky as it is compelling.
A confused man turns up with no memory but holding a photo of Humphrey. Meanwhile, Kelby must rescue someone trapped inside a snowman costume.
Yes. A snowman costume.
It’s Christmas. Anything can happen.
10. taskmaster’s double festive takeover — chaos reigns
Greg Davies and Alex Horne deliver not one, but two specials:
Champion of Champions (with series winners 16–20)
and
New Year’s Treat, featuring Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Sam Ryder and Susie Dent.
Expect nonsense. Expect brilliance. Expect memes.
11. the masked singer christmas special — glitter, guesses and pure joy
Boxing Day will once again belong to Joel Dommett and his panel as they attempt to unmask festive costumes more absurd than ever.
After Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders stole the show last year, fans are hoping lightning strikes twice.
12. emily in paris… in rome — a glamorous escape from tinsel season
Emily is no longer in Paris — she’s ruling Rome as the head of Agence Grateau.
She’s thriving… until a secret threatens to destroy one of her closest relationships.
The new season drops December 18 and promises drama, romance and Italian chaos.
13. amandaland — a comedy titan reunion decades in the making
Lucy Punch leads the cast, Joanna Lumley returns as her formidable mother Felicity, and — in a Christmas miracle — Jennifer Saunders joins as Aunt Joan.
It’s the first scripted on-screen reunion between Lumley and Saunders since Absolutely Fabulous.
Comedy fans are calling it the “must-watch Christmas special of 2025”.
14. tinsel town — sky cinema’s star-studded rom-com
Kiefer Sutherland. Rebel Wilson. Danny Dyer.
And a tiny village theatre production of Cinderella.
Sky Cinema’s Tinsel Town follows a fading Hollywood star forced into the unlikeliest comeback imaginable.
Backstage feuds, eccentric locals, and one man deciding what really matters — it’s shaping up to be one of the most charming festive films of the year.
christmas 2025: a year of TV so big it may cause a national argument over the remote
From international thrillers to cosy village dramas, chaotic comedies to nostalgic reunions, Britain is facing a Christmas where TV isn’t just background noise — it’s the main event.
If there was ever a year to stock up on snacks, claim your spot on the sofa early, and guard the remote control with your life…
this is it.
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