The Muppets (BBC 1/HD | 1:55pm to 3:30pm | Saturday 19th December 2015)
When an oil magnate discovers that there is a reservoir of oil just below the Muppet theatre, the puppets must combine forces with two of their biggest fans and put on an unforgettable display to raise the ten million dollars they need to keep the building in one piece. In the last few years, the gang has gone in separate directions and tracking all of them down proves quite a challenge.
Sports Personality of the Year 2015 (BBC 1/HD | 6:50pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 20th December 2015)
Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan host BBC Sports Personality of the Year, live from the SSE Arena, Belfast. It’s been another incredible 12 months of sporting excellence and this world famous show – now in its 62nd year – again recognises some of the standout achievers. Stars from the sporting world are among the 7,500 crowd in Northern Ireland’s capital city and, as ever, there is a full review of the sporting year.
Reggie Yates’ Extreme UK (BBC 3/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 21st December 2015)
Being a British guy in 2015 is not easy, and in this series Reggie Yates travels to the extreme edge of modern British masculinity, to discover that 21st-century pressures are changing the way we live, the way we love, and even the way we look. Reggie investigates the extreme ways in which male body culture is impacting on young British guys – from extreme exercise to invasive plastic surgery and even steroid abuse. As Reggie embarks on his own challenge to get into shape he asks what it’s all for and follows the story from a private hospital in Istanbul to a lock-up in the Midlands and beyond.
Christmas Shopping Fever: John Lewis and the Retail Race (BBC 2/HD | 9:30pm to 10:30pm | Wednesday 23rd December 2015)
Cherry Healey goes behind the scenes of one of the nation’s biggest stores to find out how it survives the pressure cooker of Christmas. Since more than 50 per cent of many retailers’ annual profits are made in the last quarter of the year, for John Lewis and its competitors, Christmas has become a year-long, full-scale military campaign. Charting the relentless countdown to Christmas 2015 – from the midsummer Christmas press launch, to the honing of the ad, to the discounting frenzy of Black Friday – Cherry sees the John Lewis team tackling the multitude of challenges presented by our changing shopping habits. In the run-in to this Christmas, they have to contend with customer complaints, website woes and unpredictable buying behaviour. Cherry discovers how John Lewis is now catering for a new breed of savvy online shoppers. The competition used to be rivals on the high street, like Debenhams and M&S, but now the retailer has to contend with a host of online rivals too.
The Snowman and the Snowdog (Channel 4/HD | 5:25pm 6:00pm | Thursday 24th December 2015)
A charming animated sequel to Raymond Briggs’s classic The Snowman. When a young boy, Billy, and his mother move house, he discovers a box hidden under the floorboards of his bedroom. In the box, he finds a hat, scarf, some lumps of coal and a shrivelled tangerine – it’s a snowman-making kit! When it begins to snow the child builds a Snowman and, with some spare snow, a Snowdog. That night, at the stroke of midnight, the Snowman and the Snowdog magically come to life! Billy awakes and joins them on an amazing adventure, flying over London and onwards to the North Pole, where they join Snowmen and Snowwomen from around the world.
Brave (BBC 1/HD | 3:10pm to 4:35pm | Friday 25th December 2015)
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Doctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 5:15pm to 6:15pm | Friday 25th December 2015)
It is Christmas Day on a remote human colony, and the Doctor is hiding from Christmas carols and comedy antlers. But when a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor for help, he finds himself recruited into River Song’s squad and hurled into a fast and frantic chase across the galaxy. King Hydroflax is furious, and his giant robot bodyguard is out of control and coming for them all. Will Nardole survive? And when will River Song work out who the Doctor is? All will be revealed on a starliner full of galactic supervillains and a destination the Doctor has been avoiding for a very long time.
Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:45pm | Friday 25th December 2015)
Festive cheer is in plentiful supply as Poplar readies itself for Christmas. An unexpected surprise for a grieving mother helps bring the Christmas magic home, while Nonnatus is rocked to the core when one of its own goes missing.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.
