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Unlike your grandiose visions for snowman and snowdog perfection, the British Christmas TV lineup for 2025 is taking shape nicely. And they're bringing in the big guns – not just David Attenborough and Joanna Lumley, but the iconic Pat Butcher, back at Albert Square and The Queen Vic for the first time in a decade (and the second time since being killed off).
Slightly more upbeat is Dear Father Christmas, which sees 16-year-old Chris (Lenny Rush) set out to prove that the big jolly guy with the red costume and flying reindeers is real. Why his father (James Buckley) waited so long to have The Talk is anybody's guess, but on his quest Chris runs into academics Stephen Fry and Hannah Fry who, we pray, don't sap all the fun out of Channel 4's flagship festive special.
Wild London is Attenborough's love letter to his hometown. Although the notion of the legendary naturalist documenting one of the world's business hubs may feel incongruous, London is one of the greenest capital cities on the planet, a place where it's possible to catch a glimpse of snakes by the canal, beavers setting up shop near retail centres, and peregrines at the Houses of Parliament, if you look hard enough.
The BBC's latest Julia Donaldson adaptation The Scarecrows’ Wedding stands to be the big animated special of the season, starring Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson as loved-up effigies Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, whose wedding plans are derailed by smooth-talking Reginald Rake (Rob Brydon). Aardman animation Robin Robin, with the voices of Gillian Anderson and Adeel Akhtar, is set to make its terrestrial debut too.
As one of British TV's most iconic characters of all time, Pat Butcher's EastEnders return, albeit brief, will take some topping, but you can count on Coronation Street to pull out the stops in its 65th year on air. Something tells us Debbie Webster's (Sue Devaney) white wedding might end in tears.
While it may not have a festive theme, it wouldn't be Christmas without a Doctor Who special. These are real troubled times for the show, which won't return until next year, but Russell T Davies' five-part spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea sounds like a real breath of fresh air, with Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the leading roles.
There's the small matter of the long-awaited second run of The Night Manager too, though that'll be closer to New Year.
Although the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 only work in the UK, a good VPN will let you stream the best of British Christmas TV from abroad. Scroll down for a list of confirmed specials, which we'll update as more are announced.
Can I stream British Christmas TV for free?
The vast majority of British Christmas TV specials are available to watch for free courtesy of BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and 5.
Traveling outside the UK for Christmas? You can use a VPN to tune in free of charge as if you were right at home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options.
Use a VPN to stream British Christmas TV from abroad
Why is a VPN a good option to stream British Christmas TV from abroad?
If you're leaving the UK for Christmas, whether for work, a holiday, or visiting family and friends, geo-restrictions will prevent you from watching British Christmas TV.
That’s where a VPN comes in handy – not only does it let you access your home streaming services from anywhere, but it also protects you from potential online threats.
What devices and platforms are supported by NordVPN?
Amazon Fire Stick
Android
Android TV/Google TV
Chromecast
iOS
iPadOS
Nvidia Shield
Raspberry Pi
Web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari)
Although you can't run NordVPN directly on other devices, such as PlayStation and Xbox consoles, TVs running Apple TV and various other smart TV systems, and VR headsets, an easy workaround is running NordVPN on your smartphone or computer and setting up a hotspot.
British Christmas TV 2025
BBC One
Amanda and Alan's Spanish Christmas
​Amandaland Christmas Special
The Archbishop of Canterbury Elect's New Year Message
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special
Biggest Night of Musicals by the National Lottery
Bump: A Christmas Film
Call the Midwife Christmas Specials (x2)
The Celebrity Apprentice Christmas Specials (x2)
Celebrity Escape to The Country
Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off
Christmas Morning Service from Bradford Cathedral
Death in Paradise Christmas Special
​DIY SOS Christmas Special
​EastEnders Christmas Special
Festive Finish Line
Gladiators - Celebrity Special
The Graham Norton New Year's Eve Show
The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas Special
Here We Go - Our New Year’s Fireworks Fantasaganza
Inside the Factory: Christmas Gingerbread Special
A Mary Berry Christmas
MasterChef Festive Extravaganza - Champion of Champions
Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel
Midnight Mass from OLEM Church, Cambridge
Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Specials (x2)
My Life at Christmas with Anita Rani (x3)
The Night Manager
The Repair Shop at Christmas
Robin Robin
Ronan Keating & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party
​The Scarecrow's Wedding
Shedites
Sir Chris Hoy: Cycle of Hope
Songs of Praise - A Christmas Celebration from Victoria Hall, Bolton
Sports Personality of The Year
St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
Strictly Come Dancing Final
​Stuffed
​Two Doors Down Christmas Special
The War Between the Land and the Sea
Weakest Link Christmas & New Year Specials
Wild London
Would I Lie to You? Christmas Special
BBC Two
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower
Carols from King's
Christmas Hits: The Videos That Sleighed
Christmas Treasures of The National Trust
Christmas University Challenge
Gone Christmas Fishing
Jools' Annual Hootenanny
Kiss Me, Kate
Live at the Apollo Christmas Special
Mammoth Christmas Special
The Mandy Who Knew Too Much
New Year's Day Concert: Live from Vienna 2026
The Nutcracker from The Royal Ballet
Only Connect Christmas Special
Richard Osman's Festive House of Games
Secrets of the Conclave
Titanic Sinks Tonight
Top of The Pops: Review of The Year 2025
Wild Horses, The Rockies and Me
BBC Four
Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution: Is There Life Beyond Earth? (x3)
Country Music Christmas
Inside Classical: A Classical Christmas
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: The Read with Steffan Rhodri
Persuasion: The Read with Monica Dolan
ITV1
The 1% Club Christmas Special
A Warwick Christmas Castle
Ainsley’s Festive Flavours
Ant & Dec's Limitless Win Christmas Special
​Bullseye Christmas Special
Capital's Jingle Bell Ball
Celebrity Catchphrase Christmas Special
The Chase Christmas Special
​Christmas Craft-Off
Coronation Street
​Emmerdale
Fletcher’s Country Workshop
Fletchers Family Farm At Christmas
James Martin’s Christmas Day
James Martin's New Year's Morning
James Martin's Saturday Morning at Christmas
Joe Wicks' New Year's Day
​John & Lisa's Christmas Kitchen
Love Your Christmas with Alan Titchmarsh
Love Your New Year's Day with Alan Titchmarsh
The Martin Lewis Money Show
The Masked Singer Christmas Special
Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening
Sara Davies’ Christmas Craft Off
Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge
Wheel of Fortune Celebrity Christmas Special
You Bet Christmas Special
Channel 4
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special
A Very Taskmaster Christmas
Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less Christmas Special
​Dear Father Christmas
Taskmaster Champion of Champions
​Taskmaster New Year Treat
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
The Last Leg Christmas and New Year Specials
5
All Creatures Great and Small: Behind the Magic
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Special
​The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special
​Sally Lindsay's Christmas Quiz
U&W
For Dog's Sake Christmas Special
CBeebies
Christmas Panto: Cinderella
Dodge’s Pup School – The Christmas Show
I Spy, You Spy Christmas Special
Spidey and His Amazing Friends - A Snow Day for Aunt May / Hanukkah Heist
The Weasy Family – Mission Christmas
CBBC
Blue Peter - Christmas Cracker with Strictly, CBeebies & Come Alive
Dexter Procter: The 10-Year Old Doctor
The Famous Five - Big Trouble on Billycock Hill
Go Get Arty
Pudsey and the Thread of Hope
Shaun the Sheep – Fleece Navidad
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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