The listings
The Christmas TV library
British Christmas specials worth a night on the sofa, with when they first went out and where to watch them now. Search by show, or filter by decade, genre and who is watching.
All 48 specials
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
A wicked patriarch, a murdered Christmas and Poirot ruining everyone's reunion.
Blackadder
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Be nice or be nasty? The Spirit of Christmas has a lesson.
Brassic
A Very Brassic Christmas
A nativity, a heist and Greg Davies in a Winter Wonderland: very rude, oddly sweet.
Call the Midwife
Christmas Special 2012
Babies, nuns and bicycles: Christmas in 1950s East London, with tissues.
Dad's Army
Battle of the Giants!
Mainwaring takes on the Eastgate platoon in an hour-long Home Guard showdown.
Detectorists
Christmas Special
Two mates, one field and a very good cup of tea.
Doctor Who
The Christmas Invasion
A new Doctor, killer Christmas trees and a big red button.
Doctor Who
The Runaway Bride
A bride in the TARDIS, robot Santas at the reception: classic Christmas chaos.
Doctor Who
Voyage of the Damned
A space-going Titanic at Christmas, with killer angels and a brave waitress.
Doctor Who
A Christmas Carol
Dickens meets a flying shark, with a bittersweet love story at its heart.
Downton Abbey
Christmas at Downton Abbey
Dowager zingers, a ouija board and plenty of love tangles.
Father Ted
A Christmassy Ted
Father Ted at Christmas: tinsel, trouble and a lot of tea.
Gavin & Stacey
Christmas Special
Two families, one Christmas, and not nearly enough chairs.
Gavin & Stacey
Christmas Special
The gang's all back, and nobody has changed a bit.
Gavin & Stacey
The Finale
One last Christmas with everyone you love, whether they like it or not.
Ghosts
The Ghost of Christmas
A haunted house, a very mixed ghostly crowd, and Christmas.
Inside No. 9
The Devil of Christmas
Seventies folk horror in a chalet: Krampus is not coming to dinner.
Keeping Up Appearances
The Father Christmas Suit
Hyacinth at Christmas: the candlesticks are out and the guests are doomed.
Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge
Knowing Me, Knowing Yule
Alan Partridge's Christmas chat show goes spectacularly, wonderfully wrong.
Morecambe & Wise
The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show
Eric and Ernie's farewell to the BBC, with Elton John along for the ride.
Motherland
Christmas Special
Tinsel, tiaras and a thirty-foot tree: the school-gate Christmas party from hell.
Motherland
Last Christmas
Blended families, VR headsets and a Persian feast: Christmas is fine. Really fine.
Only Fools and Horses
Dates
Del Boy goes dating, in a feature-length Christmas full of Peckham mishaps.
Only Fools and Horses
The Jolly Boys' Outing
A coach, a pub crawl and Margate: the perfect Peckham day out.
Only Fools and Horses
Time on Our Hands
Del and Rodney's big payoff: the one that gets dusty eyes every year.
Only Fools and Horses
Heroes and Villains
Del and Rodney in capes: the Trotters' most ridiculous Christmas outfit yet.
Outnumbered
Christmas Special 2009
Burglars, a missing hamster and a mechanical hand: Boxing Day at the Brockmans.
Outnumbered
Christmas Special 2016
A Boxing Day mission for Grandad, with car trouble and a dash of history.
Porridge
No Way Out
Slade prison at Christmas: Fletch, Godber and one very big plan.
Robin Robin
Robin Robin
Felted, funny and sweet: a mouse heist with a robin who doesn't quite fit.
Shaun the Sheep
The Flight Before Christmas
Dialogue-free slapstick, a flock on a mission, and one hapless sheepdog.
Stick Man
Stick Man
A very small stick, a very long journey home, one big red helper.
The Gruffalo
The Gruffalo
A Christmas Day tradition: one clever mouse and one very real monster.
The League of Gentlemen
Christmas Special
Local shop, local people, and the darkest Christmas special on this list.
The Morecambe and Wise Show
Christmas Show 1971
Eric, Ernie and a very patient pianist: the Christmas show everyone quotes.
The Mrs Merton Show
Christmas Special with Noddy Holder, Clive James and Daniel O'Donnell
Granny-style interrogation of Noddy Holder, served with a very sharp tongue.
The Office
Christmas Specials
The cringiest office party ever, and quietly the most romantic.
The Royle Family
Christmas with the Royle Family
The most honest Christmas on telly, mostly spent on the sofa.
The Royle Family
The New Sofa
Denise plays Nigella; Jim plays reluctant host with strangers at the table.
The Royle Family
The Golden Egg Cup
Barbara wants Bermuda; Jim wants a satellite box. Guess who's winning.
The Royle Family
Joe's Crackers
Cracker jokes, a family under one roof and not a lot of moving.
The Royle Family
Barbara's Old Ring
Scratch cards, pound-shop presents and a lonely hearts ad. It must be Christmas.
The Snowman
The Snowman
Wordless, wistful, and guaranteed to make the whole sofa sniffle.
The Two Ronnies
An Old-Fashioned Christmas Mystery
Two Ronnies, one Victorian Christmas Eve and a mystery to untangle.
The Vicar of Dibley
The Christmas Lunch Incident
One vicar, too many Christmas dinners, and far too polite to say no.
The Vicar of Dibley
Merry Christmas
Ten years in Dibley, with a carol contest and the Archbishop for dinner.
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
A sketch special that sends up the BBC and the Christmas schedule.
Wallace & Gromit
A Matter of Loaf and Death
Cracking cheese-free comedy, crime and crumpets from Aardman's finest duo.