Hello,
Welcome to your Worth Watching. Hope you’re doing well.
Before I reveal my TV picks from flicking through the Christmas Radio Times, can we please talk about The Traitors?
The BBC One show, which is essentially an elaborate game of ‘blink murder,’ has been an absolute blinder to watch from the very start. I don’t think I have seen a reality show that has been so addictive since the early days of Big Brother, thanks to a mix of great characters and unpredictable storytelling.
If you haven’t caught up so far, expect to watch about five episodes in one sitting. The finale will be on Thursday night (22nd December.)
Anyway… here are my festive television picks.
FESTIVE SPECIALS WORTH WATCHING
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (BBC One, Christmas Eve, 4.55pm) - An adaptation of Charlie Mackesey’s beloved picture book. The plot is simple – a boy is lost and three animal friends try to help him find his home. And just like the illustrations, the animated film is accompanied by touching nuggets of wisdom about loss, grief, and hope.
For a flavour of what it will look like, literally turn on BBC One before any programme. His illustrations are the channel’s idents this year.
The Festive Pottery Throwdown (Channel 4, Christmas Day, 7.50pm) - Bake Off went belly up this year, but the pottery sister show still has the charm the baking show lacks. In this festive special (the show’s first ever), Siobhan McSweeney sets festive challenges.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing (BBC Two, Christmas Eve, 8.40pm) - This time the fishing duo are heading to Norway. As always, it is delightful.
The Snowman: The Film That Changed Christmas (Channel 4, All 4) - A lovely documentary looking into how The Snowman was made, to celebrate the film (and Channel 4’s) 40th anniversary.
There are a lot of facts here that will surprise and delight, such as that the film consists of at least 18,000 drawings. That’s 720 drawings a minute, or 12 drawings a second. The team worked all-nighters ahead of the deadline to get the film done.
Prince Andrew: The Musical (Channel 4, 29th December, 9pm) - Yep, you read that right. The Windsor’s Kieron Hodgson has created a satirical biopic on the rise and fall of Prince Andrew. Reviews are embargoed so I can’t give you one.
Mayflies (BBC One, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th, 9pm) - This is the drama that BBC One is putting on between Christmas and New Year (the traditional Agatha Christie slot.) Starring Martin Compston and Tony Curran, it is an adaptation of the famous Andrew O’Hagan novel.
When Tina Turner came to Britain (BBC Two, Christmas Day, 9.25pm) - BBC Two is doing a Tina Turner night on Christmas Day, and rightly so. This documentary looks back at her 50-year relationship with the UK, including her iconic Private Dancer tour in the 1980s.
COMEDIES WORTH WATCHING
Detectorists (BBC Two, 9pm, Boxing Day) - Five years after what we all thought was going to be the final episode, Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones have reunited for a feature-length special of the much-loved sitcom.
Ghosts (BBC One) - The much-loved Horrible Histories sitcom has not only been renewed for a fifth series (coming to BBC One in 2024) but the annual Christmas special has also been bumped up to a Christmas Day slot. In the episode, the ghosts try to put on a Christmas show.
Motherland (BBC One, Friday 23rd December, 9.30pm) - The cast of this parental school gate comedy has always been top-notch: Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan, Tanya Moodie, and Paul Ready. Yet it is the reprisal of Joanna Lumley as the mean Felicity that makes this festive episode extra special.
NONSENSE WORTH WATCHING
The Greatest Snowman (Channel 4, Boxing Day, 7.30pm) - A show where celebrities try to build the best snow and ice sculptures. Yes, it is a show that they clearly came up with the name first before the actual concept. It’s complete nonsense and not a bad watch.
Celebrity Lego Masters at Christmas (Channel 4, Christmas Eve, 7.25pm) - Sophie Ellis-Bextor (and her kids), Scarlett Moffatt, Alex Horne and Sophie Duker take part in brick-building challenges in this one-off special, hosted by Nish Kumar.
Vardy v Rooney - A Courtroom Drama (Channel 4 from 21st December at 9pm, then available on All 4) - Wagatha Christie dramatized for your televisual enjoyment. Remember, we all had to follow the key exchanges on Twitter as cameras were not allowed in the High Court. It stars Michael Sheen, Chanel Cresswell and Natalia Tena.
PLUS look out for … Only Connect: Champion of Champions (from the 28th December on BBC Two) / Travel Man: 96 Hours in Rio (Channel 4, 29th December, 9pm) / Christmas University Challenge (12 episodes throughout Christmas on BBC Two)
There hasn’t been a newsletter for the past few weeks, as I took some time off after the unexpected passing of a close friend. This edition of this newsletter is very much a tribute to her. Lesley Land was one of the great television publicists of this generation, but she was so much more than that. She was warm-hearted, generous, gossipy and an engaging person to be around.
I still can’t believe that she isn’t with me still and I miss her so very much.
I leave you with my favourite Christmas TV scene of all.
Thanks so much for reading. Have a peaceful Christmas.
Scotty / @scottygb
That is also my favourite Christmas scene. Hope you have a nice Christmas.