If you want to know the Christmas TV highlights for 2024, you've come to the right place.
As we do every year, Digital Spy has dug deep into the listings – including the BBC's 2024 Christmas schedule – to cherry-pick the very best that TV has to offer this Christmas.
Bookmark this page and scroll on down to see what festive specials, returning UK dramas and brand new shows you won't want to miss from across the BBC, Netflix, ITV and Channel 4...
Black Doves
Netflix, December 5
Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire lead the all-star cast of this surprisingly festive and heartfelt spy show. Set against the backdrop of a snowy London, it also boasts a soundtrack of Christmas bangers.
Read our Black Doves review for even more of a taster.
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Squid Game season 2
Netflix, December 26 (Boxing Day)
Almost three years after the series first launched on the streaming platform, going on to become a global phenomenon, Squid Game will return for its second season on Boxing Day. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), better known as Player 456, will return to the deadly competition, and we already know, thanks to the trailer, that he's mercifully ditched his postbox-red hair.
Missing You
Netflix, January 1
Following the runaway success of Fool Me Once, and taking the very same New Year's Day slot, Harlan Coben's latest TV adaptation – which stars Ashley Walters, Rosalind Eleazar and James Nesbitt – is coming to Netflix.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
BBC One, Christmas Day, 9pm
As the name suggests, the James Corden and Ruth Jones-fronted sitcom will air its last ever episode this Christmas – sure to be a TV event not to be missed.
Doctor Who
BBC One, Christmas Day, 5.10pm
Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor will be back on our screens for a second festive season, but this time he'll be joined by "Joy" – played by Bridgerton and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special
BBC One, Christmas Day, 3.55pm
A staple of every Christmas Day schedule, Strictly's festive episode will this year welcome the likes of RuPaul's Drag Race star Tayce, Taskmaster's Josh Widdicombe and EastEnders legend Tamzin Outhwaite.
SAS Rogue Heroes season 2
BBC One and BBC iPlayer, January 1, 9pm
Steven Knight's smash-hit wartime drama will make its hotly-anticipated return on New Year's Day – starring Jack O'Connell, Connor Swindells and Dominic West.
The Split: Barcelona
BBC One and iPlayer, December 29, 9pm
Abi Morgan's legal drama will be back with a two-parter this Christmas, with the second episode airing the following day on December 30 in the same 9pm slot.
Vera
ITV, January 1, 8pm
The final episodes of the Brenda Blethyn-fronted detective show will kick off 2025 on ITV, followed by a celebratory documentary titled Vera: Farewell Pet.
The Masked Singer Christmas Special
ITV1, December 26, 7.30pm
This packed special will welcome four costumed celebrities to sing, with all of them later revealed in the same episode.
Masked Singer judges Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross will lead the guessers, joined by guests Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
The Great Christmas Bake Off
Channel 4, Christmas Eve, 8pm
This year's Christmas Bake Off will be a soap special, welcoming stars from EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale to the tent.
Taskmaster's New Year's Eve Treat
Channel 4, December 29, 9pm
Five famous faces – including Good Morning Britain's Martin Lewis and Coronation Street's Sue Johnston – will compete to impress Greg Davies, through tasks set by Little Alex Horne, to bag the all-important Golden Eyebrows Trophy.
Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2024
Channel 4, December 27, 9pm
Jimmy Carr's annual quiz show is back to see how much of 2024 you remember. Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan, Judi Love, Rob Beckett, Chris McCausland and Maisie Adam make up the teams.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
