Christmas 2025 is fast approaching, which means it’s time to line up all the festive telly worth settling in for – and this year’s schedule is looking seriously tempting.
We’ve already rounded up the must-see Christmas picks on the BBC, along with ITV’s biggest seasonal specials. But there’s plenty more cheer to be found across Channel 4, Channel 5, Netflix and Sky.
From a brand-new Great British Bake Off Christmas special to Rowan Atkinson causing baby-related chaos on Netflix, plus an ITV drama that’s already being tipped as the year’s biggest, there’s a lot to get excited about.
Here are our top picks of the Christmas TV treats heading your way…
The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off (Channel 4)
Yep, the clue’s in the title. This year’s Christmas Bake Off special sees the cast of comedy classic Peep Show reunite for the first time since it ended in 2015.
Stars David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman will also be donning their festive jumpers as they tackle seasonal baking challenges. But can any of them actually bake?
They will have to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood. Meanwhile, hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond will be providing plenty of mischief.
Best Christmas TV 2025: Man vs Baby (Netflix)
If you combine Rowan Atkinson and a baby you’re bound to have plenty of laughs. This is the follow-up to Man vs Bee, which saw Atkinson’s hapless character Trevor Bingley terrorised by a bee. Now, Trevor is a school caretaker, but his life is turned upside down when a baby is left at the school.
Trevor tries to reunite the baby with its family, but it doesn’t quite go to plan! The four-part special drops on Netflix on December 11.
Best of Christmas TV 2025: Call the Midwife Christmas specials (BBC One)
Call the Midwife fans are in for a treat because there’s two festive specials on the way. The senior members of the team head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission, leaving the younger midwives to cope alone in Poplar. The makers have teased that Sister Julienne “suddenly finds herself excited about the Order’s future”.
Creator Heidi Thomas has revealed the cast struggled with the humidity during filming in Hong Kong. Stephen McGann (Dr Turner) especially had a tricky time because he was wearing a three-piece suit! “People would run up and help with little battery-operated fans, maybe half a dozen at a time,” said Heidi.
Red Eye series 2 (ITV1)
ITV has excitingly revealed the huge thriller will return this Christmas. Over eight million viewers watched the first season which starred Richard Armitage as a doctor fighting to prove his innocence. While Richard isn’t back, Jing Lusi is reprising her role as DS Hana Li for Red Eye series 2. Co-starring is Martin Compston, who is also making Line of Duty series 7.
Hana is thrown into another huge diplomatic incident when a caller threatens to blow up a British plane if anyone leaves the American embassy. So, Hana must join forces with Head of Embassy Security, Clay Brody (Compston), to solve the crisis. But can she trust Clay?
The Night Manager season 2 (BBC One)
Ever since The Night Manager, starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, aired in 2016 there have been rumours of a sequel. Finally, after almost a decade it’s here! The original was based on the novel of the same name by the late John le Carré. Series 2 will expand beyond the book, but it is based on the characters created by the acclaimed writer.
Loki star Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as former British intelligence operative, Jonathan Pine. Also back is Olivia Colman as Angela Burr. Meanwhile, new cast members include Coldwater’s Indira Varma as Mayra.
The BBC has revealed no plot details yet but we do know it was filmed in the UK, Spain, Colombia and France. The six-part series will begin on BBC One and iPlayer on New Year’s Day 2026. It will also premiere on Sunday, January 11, 2026 on Prime Video. The Night Manager season 2 is already one of the most eagerly anticipated new dramas of 2026.
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special (Channel 5)
James (Nicholas Ralph), Helen (Rachel Shenton), Siegfried (Samuel West), Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) are all back. It’s a joyous time as it’s the first Christmas for them all since the end of the war. But poor Helen is ill which means James must take charge of the Darrowby Nativity play. While James is an excellent vet, how will he cope with the stage?
Plus, in an early Christmas present for fans it’s been announced there will be at least two more series. Furthermore, there will also be two more Christmas specials.
Best of Christmas TV 2025: Death in Paradise Christmas special (BBC One)
Don Gilet returns as DI Mervin Wilson for a festive special which sees four co-workers enjoying the office party of a lifetime in Saint Marie. But it takes a dark turn when they wake up to find a dead stranger in their pool.
Mervin is baffled as the murder weapon was in a locked draw in Swindon thousands of miles away from the crime scene. The makers tease that a “familiar face” returns to help them crack the case. Meanwhile, Mervin is also waiting anxiously to hear back from his newly discovered brother.
The guest cast includes Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who), Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge), James Baxter (Waterloo Road) and Billy Harris (Ted Lasso). It’s notable though there’s sadly no mention of Don Warrington, so it looks like the former Commissioner isn’t in the festive episode.
Run Away (Netflix)
Netflix is lining up another glossy Harlan Coben thriller, and if the success of Fool Me Once and Missing You is anything to go by, Run Away is about to be the streamer’s next big hit.
This time, James Nesbitt leads the cast as Simon, a dad whose world comes crashing down when his eldest daughter Paige disappears. When he finally tracks her down in a city park – frightened, vulnerable and caught up in drugs – things go from bad to catastrophic.
Netflix hints that Paige isn’t alone, and a heated confrontation spirals into shocking violence. In the chaos that follows, Simon loses her all over again, propelling him into a dangerous underworld where long-buried family secrets threaten to blow everything apart.
Joining Nesbitt are Ruth Jones as no-nonsense private investigator Elena Ravenscroft and Minnie Driver as Simon’s wife Ingrid, rounding off a seriously impressive cast.
Beyond Paradise Christmas special (BBC One)
Kris Marshall returns as DI Humphrey Goodman for a fresh Christmas mystery. When Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) finds a man with no memory on the steps of Shipton Abbott police station holding a photo of Humphrey she’s baffled. Meanwhile, Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) has to help a man stuck inside a snowman costume!
Plus, Martha’s mum Anne (Barbara Flynn ), Zoe (Melina Sinadinou) and Martha (Sally Bretton) work on a secret plan together.
The guest cast includes Blackadder and Bottom star Adrian Edmondson.
Best of Christmas TV 2025: Taskmaster (Channel 4)
The hugely popular series hosted by Greg Davies along with little Alex Horne has a big Christmas ahead. First there’s Taskmaster: Champion of Champions 2025 where the winners of series 16 to 20 return to square off. Returning for the special are Maisie Adam, Andy Zaltzman, John Robins, Mathew Baynton, and Sam Campbell.
Then Taskmaster: New Year’s Treat 2026 will see five stars battle it out in two festive episodes. TV chef Big Zuu, ex-footballer Jill Scott, former Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, musician Sam Ryder and Countdown’s Susie Dent are taking part.
The Masked Singer Christmas special (ITV1)
ITV has plenty of festive entertainment in store this year, with specials lined up for The 1% Club and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? But the one most viewers will be circling in their schedules is The Masked Singer Christmas special.
Expected to air on Boxing Day again, Joel Dommett will be back at the helm while Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall and Maya Jama attempt to work out which famous faces are hiding beneath the fabulously festive costumes.
And after Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders stole the show as guest guessers last year, fans are hoping for another round of standout cameos. The special will also serve as the perfect warm-up for the brand-new series arriving shortly after.
Best Christmas TV 2025: Emily in Paris series 5 (Netflix)
OK, so this might be a pick for when you just want to escape Christmas for a bit! Emily in Paris has been one of Netflix’s biggest hits and millions have fallen in love with Emily’s adventures.
Rather than Paris, Emily (Lily Collins) is now in Rome as head of Agence Grateau. She embraces the Italian capital and is enjoying herself with Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini). But the makers tease that “a big secret threatens one of her closest relationships”. The 10-part series lands on Netflix on December 18.
Best of Christmas TV 2025: Amandaland Christmas special (BBC One)
We all enjoy a laugh at Christmas and the Amandaland festive episode promises to be a hoot. Lucy Punch stars as Amanda, who’s downsized to South Harlesden following her divorce. Joanna Lumley plays Amanda’s mum Felicity.
And it’s been revealed that Jennifer Saunders is joining the cast for the Christmas special as Aunt Joan, Felicity’s sister.
The BBC said: “Aunt Joan is a ball of country-living, enthusiastic upper-class bluster – very, very different from Felicity. This very special episode will be the first scripted on-screen reunion for Jennifer and Joanna since Absolutely Fabulous.”
Comedy fans can also look forward to Mrs Brown’s Boys and Here We Go specials. But Amandaland is arguably the pick of the bunch.
Tinsel Town (Sky Cinema)
Sky Cinema is getting into the festive spirit with Tinsel Town, a Christmas rom-com boasting an eye-catching cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Rebel Wilson and Danny Dyer.
Sutherland plays fading Hollywood star Bradley Mack, who jets off to England hoping for a grand West End comeback. Instead, his agent lands him the role of Buttons in a tiny village production of Cinderella. Surrounded by a cast of eccentric locals and more backstage chaos than he bargained for, Bradley has to decide whether he’s really up for the challenge – and whether he can unite the quirky community of Stoneford in the process.
Tinsel Town arrives on Sky Cinema on December 5, and it’s shaping up to be one of the season’s most charming watches.
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The best Christmas TV shows are lined up for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and Netflix over the festive period.
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