Friday

Favorite: Young Offenders

9:30 p.m., BBC One

A Christmas Nativity story with a twist as the petty criminals of Cork City return in a seasonal special of the Irish sitcom. Chris Walley’s Jock O’Keeffe no longer appears to be part of the cast, his place as sidekick to the hapless Conor MacSweeney now taken by Shane Casey’s Billy Murphy. Anyway, Conor’s mother, Mairéad (Hilary Sweeney), is heavily pregnant with her and Sergeant Troy’s baby. Conor does his best to help his mother but is still new to household chores, including laundry, so Mairéad decides to tutor him, carefully emptying his laundry basket – only to discover a handgun in the basket . Chef Rachel Allen is guest star.

Return to paradise

8 p.m., BBC One

There are special Christmas episodes of both Death in paradise And Beyond paradise in the next fifteen days. In the meantime, here is the penultimate visit to Dolphin Cove and the Australian spin-off, where a quiet afternoon of bowls turns into chaos when accusations of cheating are made and shots ring out from an ornamental bushranger’s pistol. Anna Samson, reacting to everything with that overly theatrical look, plays DI Mackenzie Clarke.

Vera

8:30 p.m., ITV1

ITV is adopting its Christmas schedule by default – meaning it more or less cedes ground to Channel 4, Sky and the BBC with reruns. This is a replay of last year’s Christmas special in which DCI boss Stanhope insists she look into an apparent suicide – a high-profile case on his stomping grounds of Holy Island. Brenda Blethyn dons the familiar hat and raincoat.

Celebrity Glasses Box

9 p.m., Channel 4

A compilation of notable moments from the most recent series shows the famous faces as they take their turn watching The Bridgerton Chronicles, MILF mansion, With a cry, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, The UnXplained: the mysteries of the universeand the cover of that of Donald Trump victory in the 2024 US elections.

White lies

9 p.m., Plus4

The chasm between the haves and have-nots fuels this ongoing South African crime drama starring Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) as a journalist, Edie, investigating the murder of her brother in an upscale Cape Town neighborhood. She’s still trying to clear the names of her late brother’s teenage children, but Edie’s shy closeness with her nephew is now shattered when she makes a shocking discovery at a party.

only child

9 p.m., BBC One

Richard (Greg McHugh) embarks on a journey to gather some of Ken’s (Gregor Fisher) loved ones for his surprise 75th birthday party. However, finding the elusive Brian – Ken’s oldest friend with whom he has lost contact – proves quite a challenge. Elsewhere, Richard’s self-recorded audition for a major role is awkward.

The Graham Norton Show

10:40 p.m., BBC One

James Corden and Ruth Jones share couch space, ahead of the highly anticipated Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special; the actor Timothée Chalamet who plays Bob Dylan in A complete stranger; and Colman Domingo, who performs with real-life ex-convicts in Sing Sing. More Andrew Garfield plugs her new film and Icelandic singer Laufey performs her new single.

SATURDAY

Pick of the day: Strictly Come Dancing: 20 fabulous years

7 p.m., BBC One

Of course, not everyone has been fabulous, and 2024 has been the year where the Strictly The brand has been marred by controversy. But forget that for the next 85 minutes, because this exceptional 20th anniversary retrospective is for fans only. It features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with dancers, judges and presenters. Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly and some of the 309 celebrities who braved the dance floor, all while immersing themselves in the evolution of the show.

The Weakest Link: Strictly Special

6:15 p.m., BBC One

Romesh Ranganathan scores Strictly Come Danceby interviewing eight dancers past and present for charity. Celebrities James Bye, Zara McDermott and 2019 winner Kelvin Fletcher play alongside professionals Carlos Gu, Michelle Tsiakkas, Lauren Oakley, Kai Widdrington and Joanne Clifton. Ranganathan asks general knowledge questions against the clock while celebrities and professional dancers try to avoid getting their answers wrong, knowing that at the end of each round the team must eliminate the player they consider to be the worst. This could all become very personal very quickly. Who will have the intelligence and quick reflexes to go all the way and be crowned the winner?

Fanny Cradock cooks for Christmas

7:10 p.m., BBC Four

Pioneering TV chef Fanny Cradock and her sidekick husband Johnnie are little more than a retro joke these days, but in her pomp Cradock was the Delia
Smith/Mary Berry/Nigella Lawson of her era. Anyway, here’s a taste of her
imperious style, with five consecutive episodes of his 1975 series cooking up a very traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings.

Eurythmy at the BBC

8:25 p.m., BBC Two

BBC Two is devoting its evening to Annie Lennox, who will celebrate her 70th birthday on Christmas Day. It begins with this exploration of the archives of Lennox and Dave Stewart’s ’80s synth-pop group, Eurythmics. Then, at 9:55 p.m., there’s Annie Lennox on the BBC, featuring more archival performances from the singer-songwriter, and Annie Lennox: BBC One Showsat 10:55 p.m., which features a performance by the singer at LSO St Luke’s in London. Sweet dreams were made of it.

Victim: All I want for Christmas

9:20 p.m. BBC One

It’s Christmas Day in the emergency room and the team is facing a blood shortage. While Stevie (Elinor Lawless) fights to save lives, Iain risks his own to make sure the hospital doesn’t fail. This groundbreaking episode features
real-life stories from contributors who have been directly impacted by blood donation in the UK, as well as interviews with key workers who form the country’s blood service.

Sunday

Pick of the Day: It Feels Like Christmas with Ken Bruce

8 p.m., Channel 4

THE Scottish PopMaster prepare your perfect Christmas playlist and talk
to some of the stars behind the hit festive songs, who then choose their own favourites. Contributors include English singer-songwriter Jona Lewie, Liz Mitchell of 70s disco/reggae band Boney M, Roy Wood of Wizzard fame and Electric Light Orchestra, Is 17Tony Mortimer, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, singer, actress and author Pauline Black, record producer and songwriter Pete Waterman, presenter Lauren Layfield and ‘Walking in the Air’ singer Aled Jones. Plus, singer-songwriter Paul Young discusses one of the most iconic moments in pop history.

Death in paradise

8:30 p.m., BBC One

Don Gilet debuts as lead detective The departure of Ralf Little. His first case concerns a holidaymaker (played – inevitably briefly – by Marcus Brigstocke) who was killed while dressed as Santa Claus. Commissioner Patterson is concerned about the team’s ability to tackle such a case without the help of a chief investigator, but is relieved to learn that a British detective inspector, Mervin Wilson ( Gilet), is currently on vacation on the island and is making arrangements for himself. to extend his stay.

Bad news

7:30 p.m., Sky Max

There is no Don’t go out special this Christmas, but this entertaining
The feature-length comedy starring Lee Mack has the same vibe. This also happens
to be a co-star StrictlyHe’s the man of the moment, Chris McCauslandas Scott, a Stockport neighbor of Mack’s home security expert Neil. Neil goes crazy because Scott turns on his Christmas lights all year round and constantly changes trash cans, but everyone else on the street thinks Scott, who is blind, is awesome. It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back,
however, when the Street attempts to make Scott the new leader of Neighborhood Watch. “It’s neighborhood watch!” » objects Neil. “I mean, hello?”

Inside No 9: The party is over

9 p.m., BBC Two

A real treat for fans of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton anthology of black comedy, which finished in June after nine series (and 55 very different episodes). The screenwriters-actors take us behind the scenes of the final series,
from the writer’s room and prop store to makeup and set design. We too
discover various job titles.

Hallelujah: the Messiah of the Gospel

9 p.m., BBC Four

Gareth Malone welcomes Marin Alsop to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra in a reinterpretation of Handel’s 1741 oratorio Messiahsteeped in gospel, jazz and R&B, at the Royal Albert Hall. Regularly played as Too hot for Handel In the United States, this is the European first of the rearrangement.