the times | Saturday December 18 2021 saturday review 45
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thetimes.co.uk/tvplannerThursday 23
BBC1 BBC2 ITV
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Animal Park
Christmas Special (r) 10.00 Animal
Park Christmas Special (r) 10.45 A
Countryside Christmas 11.15 Homes
Under the Hammer (r) 12.15pm
Bargain Hunt (r) 1.00 BBC News at
One; Weather 1.30 BBC Regional
News; Weather 1.45 Penguins: Meet
the Family. Documentary (r) 2.45
Revolting Rhymes. The stories of
Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk
(r) 3.15 FILM Cinderella (U, 2015)
Romantic fantasy starring Lily James
4.50 Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day
Out. The animated heroes go to the
moon (r) 5.15 Superman & Lois. Lois
and Chrissy spot Morgan Edge
scheming 6.00 BBC News at Six;
Weather 6.20 BBC Regional News;
Weather 6.30 The Weakest Link
Christmas Special. With Kym Marsh7.15 The Wall v Celebrities:
EastEnders Christmas Special
Danny Dyer hosts a special
festive edition of the game
show with EastEnders stars
Maddy Hill and James Bye
taking on The Wall8.05 EastEnders Whitney continues
in her mission to prove who
Gray is and what he has done8.30 Ghosts Kitty becomes
convinced that Santa has made
an early stop at Button House.
See Viewing Guide9.00 Celebrity MasterChef
Christmas Cook-Off John
Torode and Gregg Wallace
invite former contestants
Gemma Collins, Joe Swash,
Les Dennis, Mica Paris and
the Rev Richard Coles back
to the kitchen (2/2)10.00 Not Going Out Lee is not
happy that Lucy has booked
tickets to the pantomime.
See Viewing Guide10.40 BBC News at Ten11.20 Gavin & Stacey The Wests join
the Shipmans on Christmas Eve
for one of Mick’s famous turkey
dinners, but Gavin and Stacey’s
announcement dampens the
mood. From 2008 (r)12.20am FILM Late Night (15, 2019)
A talk show host fears that she is set
to lose her long-running series, so
takes steps to freshen up her
programme. Comedy drama with
Emma Thompson 1.55 Weather for
the Week Ahead 2.00 BBC News6.15am Sign Zone: Gardeners’ World
Winter Specials (r) (SL) 7.15 The Polar
Bear Family and Me (r) 8.15 Heaven
Made (r) 9.15 FILM A Christmas to
Savour (PG, TVM, 2021) Romantic
drama starring Britt Irvin 10.45 Snow
Wolf Family and Me (r) 11.15 Mary
Berry’s Festive Feasts (r) 12.15pm The
Hairy Bakers’ Christmas Special (r)
12.30 Inside the Christmas Factory (r)
1.30 Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys
(r) 2.00 FILM The Battle of the River
Plate (U, 1956) Second World War
adventure starring Anthony Quayle
3.55 FILM The Heroes of Telemark
(PG, 1965) Second World War thriller
starring Kirk Douglas and Richard
Harris 6.05 Upstart Crow (r) 6.45
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.
Comic version of the classic Dickens
tale starring Rowan Atkinson (r)6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine 10.00 Supermarket Sweep
(r) 11.00 In for a Penny (r) 11.30 FILM
Jack Frost (PG, 1998) Fantasy drama
starring Michael Keaton and Joseph
Cross 1.30pm ITV News; Weather
1.45 Regional News; Weather
1.50 FILM Sing (U, 2016) Animated
comedy with the voices of Matthew
McConaughey and Reese
Witherspoon 4.00 Tipping Point:
Lucky Stars Christmas Special. Ben
Shephard hosts the game show in
which Clare Balding, Joe Swash and
Sherrie Hewson take on the large
arcade-style “coin-pusher” machine
(r) 5.00 The Chase Celebrity
Christmas Special. With Colin Jackson,
Anne Diamond, Josie Long and Nicky
Campbell (r) 6.00 Regional News;
Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather7.00 Emmerdale Sam puts
his plan into action7.30 A Merrier Christmas? Tonight
Fiona Foster reports on the
people providing hope for
others this festive season8.00 Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow
Christmas Special
The comedian hosts an
updated version of classic
game show The Price Is Right,
which has been updated
with a new final round9.00 The Cube Celebrity Special
Jordan Banjo, Perri Kiely,
Lorraine Kelly and Rosie Smith
try to complete a series of
increasingly difficult tasks,
hoping to win a charity jackpot.
Hosted by Phillip Schofield10.15 ITV News; followed by
Regional News and Weather11.00 FILM The Holiday (12, 2006)
Two single women from
opposite sides of the Atlantic
find love after they swap
houses over Christmas.
Romantic comedy with
Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet,
Jack Black and Jude Law1.15am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI Extra
3.15 A Merrier Christmas? Tonight (r)
3.40 Wonders of the Coast Path. Sean
Fletcher reaches Pembrokeshire (r)
(SL) 4.05 Wonders of the Coast Path
(r) (SL) 4.30 Unwind with ITV 5.05
Tipping Point. Quiz show (r) (SL)7.30 Christmas University
Challenge LSE take on Hertford
College, Oxford (4/10)8.00 Blackburn Sings Christmas
with Gareth Malone
The choirmaster heads to
Blackburn to create a concert
that celebrates the work of NHS
staff and other keyworkers.
See Viewing Guide9.00 FILM Last Christmas (12, 2019)
After being evicted, a young
singer is forced to live with her
parents, and falls for a dashing
stranger. Director Paul Feig’s
romantic comedy starring
Emilia Clarke and Emma
Thompson, who also co-wrote
the script. See Film Choice10.35 Top of the Pops 1984: Big Hits
A compilation of the year’s
performances, featuring the
Smiths, Duran Duran, Sade,
the Weather Girls, Wham!
and Bronski Beat (r)11.35 Elton John’s Christmas
Concert: Old Grey Whistle Test
Bob Harris introduces a concert
by superstar Elton John (r)12.40am Elton John Live at Hyde
Park. The singer performs for Radio
2’s Festival in a Day event (r) 1.40 The
Kinks’ Christmas Concert 2.40 Sign
Zone: Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond
the Lobby (r) (SL) 3.40-5.40 Strictly
Come Dancing: The Final (r) (SL)7.00 Channel 4 News Including
sport and weather8.00 Christmas at Holkham Hall
A festive visit to the East
Anglian Palladian pile as Lady
Polly Leicester and her team
transform the state dining
rooms and galleries into a
candlelight experience9.00 One Night in the Natural
History Museum Comedian
Aisling Bea joins Alex Brooker
and Josh Widdicombe inside
one of London’s most epic and
iconic buildings — the Natural
History Museum (2/4)10.00 I Literally Just Told You
Jimmy Carr hosts this game
show in which contestants are
given every answer with the
questions written, literally, as
the show is happening (2/6)11.00 FILM Office Christmas Party
(15, 2016) When a CEO
threatens drastic action to
improve a branch of her
company, the affected manager
throws a party to impress a
client. Comedy starring Jason
Bateman and Jennifer Aniston1.00am Kitchen Nightmares USA (r)
1.50 Couples Come Dine with Me (r)
2.45 Deck the Halls (r) 3.40 Child
Genius vs Celebrities Christmas
Special (r) 4.35 Food Unwrapped (r)
5.05 Countdown (r) 5.40 Handmade
Christmas (r) 5.55 The Simpsons (r)Channel 4 Channel 5
6.15am The King of Queens (r) 7.05
The Big Bang Theory (r) 7.50 The
Simpsons (r) 9.20 Frasier (r) 10.20
FILM Christmas in Love (PG, TVM,
2018) Romantic drama starring
Brooke D’Orsay 12.05pm Channel 4
News Summary 12.10 Couples Come
Dine with Me (r) 1.10 Jamie: Together
at Christmas (r) 2.10 Countdown 3.00
A Place in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château
DIY at Christmas. Sarah creates large
decorations to make a festive
statement. Last in the series 5.00
Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas. Four
super-talented paper crafters
compete against the clock. Last in
the series 6.00 The Simpsons. Bart
destroys the Christmas presents (r)
6.30 Hollyoaks. It’s Christmas day
but a big decision casts a dark cloud
over the celebrations at Nancy’s (r)6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Friends (r) 11.40 FILM Rocky
Mountain Christmas (PG, TVM, 2017)
Romantic drama starring Kristoffer
Polaha 1.35pm FILM Finding Santa
(PG, TVM, 2017) An event planner
must persuade a real-life Scrooge to
find his festive spirit. Festive romance
starring Jodie Sweetin 3.15 FILM 12
Pups of Christmas (12, TVM, 2019)
A canine therapist is surprised when
her new boss expects her to find
homes for 12 puppies — all before
Christmas Day. Festive romance with
Charlotte Sullivan 5.10 FILM Matilda
(PG, 1996) A youngster uses her
special powers to turn the tables on
the nasty headmistress at her
prison-like school. Children’s fantasy
comedy starring Mara Wilson and
Danny DeVito 6.55 5 News Update7.00 World’s Strongest Man 2021:
The World Tour Finals
James Richardson presents
highlights from this year’s
event in Glasgow (4/11);
followed by 5 News Update8.00 Police Interceptors Charlie and
Wayne are in hot pursuit of a
van, but the driver crashes and
runs away, while officers track
down a 17-year-old suspected
of a serious robbery (10/10);
followed by 5 News Update9.00 Christmas on the Farm Helen
Skelton and Jules Hudson
present this festive special,
with guests including JB Gill,
Dr Amir Khan, stars from The
Yorkshire Vet, and Reuben
Owen from Our Yorkshire Farm10.30 Flash Families at Christmas
Four families reveal how
they spend their way to an
extravagant Christmas as
they take the festive fun to
a whole other level11.25 22 Kids & Counting at
Christmas A festive special
following Noel and Sue
Radford and their children
on the ultimate Yuletide
getaway to Lapland (r)12.30am Criminals: Caught on
Camera (r) 12.55 Entertainment News
1.00 Live Casino 3.00 Entertainment
News 3.10 Me and My Mental Health
(r) 4.00 Secret Life of Puppies (r)
4.45 Great Model Railway Challenge
(r) 5.35 House Doctor (r) (SL)Sitcom Not Going Out (10pm) Choirmaster Gareth Malone (8pm) The Cube Celebrity Special (9pm) One Night in the Museum (9pm) Roald Dahl’s Matilda (5.10pm)