Innholdsfortegnelse for 20-Dec-25 i TV&Satellite Week

HotList

Week 1 20-26 DECEMBER Turn the page for Week 2 HOW TO ORDER AND ACCESS BACK ISSUES: IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE SUBSCRIBER, YOU HAVE INSTANT ACCESS TO BACK ISSUES THROUGH YOUR iOS OR ANDROID DEVICE/S. YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE DIGITAL BACK ISSUES AS LONG AS YOU ARE AN ACTIVE SUBSCRIBER. TO PURCHASE SINGLE BACK ISSUES (PRINT FORMAT ONLY), VISIT: MAGAZINESDIRECT.COM (CLICK ON ‘SINGLE ISSUES’ TAB), OR EMAIL: HELP@MAGAZINESDIRECT.COM. MAGAZINESDIRECT.COM IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY FUTURE PUBLISHING LIMITED Facebook.com/TVSatelliteWeekMagazine X.com/TVSatelliteWeek Instagram.com/TVSatelliteWeek Week 2 27 DEC-2 JAN 2026 NEXT ISSUE! 3-9 JANUARY 2026 On sale Tuesday 30 December…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Stealing the show

NEW DRAMA Amadeus Sun 21 Dec-Christmas Day, 9pm, Sky Atlantic (box set, Sky Box Sets & NOW) The rivalry between two celebrated 18th-century composers is the subject of Amadeus, Sky Atlantic’s lavish reimagining of Peter Shaffer’s acclaimed 1979 play, which became a 1985 Oscar-winning movie. The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe stars as young musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who arrives in Vienna in 1781 and immediately impresses Emperor Joseph II (Toxic Town’s Rory Kinnear). But devoutly religious court composer Antonio Salieri (WandaVision’s Paul Bettany) is tormented by Mozart’s apparent divine gift, sees him as a threat to all he holds dear and is determined to bring him down. The fictionalised series, written by Black Doves’ Joe Barton, opens with Mozart’s wife Constanze (The Guest’s Gabrielle Creevy) visiting an older, suicidal…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Santa’s little helpers

NEW DRAMA Call the Midwife Christmas Day, 8.15pm, & Boxing Day, 8.30pm, BBC1 The residents of Nonnatus House experience their most exotic and challenging Yuletide ever when they head to Hong Kong on a rescue mission for this year’s Call the Midwife Christmas specials. In the BBC1 two-parter, haberdasher Violet and husband Fred fly to Asia to visit Violet’s son Derek, who is in the Hong Kong police. But when they call in at the convent’s branch house there, they are horrified to discover that a building has collapsed, leaving people in desperate need. AROUND THE WORLD Sisters Julienne, Hilda and Veronica plus Nurse Crane soon dash off to provide support, along with Dr Turner and wife Shelagh, who are also keen to track down Esther Tang – the biological…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Eye of the storm

NEW THRILLER Red Eye New Year’s Day & Fri 2 January, 9pm, ITV1 (box set, ITVX) DS Hana Li is back for another rollercoaster ride of twists, turns and high-octane action as political thriller Red Eye returns to ITV1. After the first season saw the British detective, played by Jing Lusi, trapped on a plane, this time she’s battling to uncover a sinister international conspiracy from inside a locked-down US Embassy. ‘The second season is a new story,’ says Lusi. ‘DS Li is locked in again, but in a very different way – like in a Die Hard way!’ The six-parter begins as Hana heads to a reception for the US ambassador, as she investigates the murder of a diplomatic courier at Heathrow. But when an intruder breaches security, the…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Season’s bleatings

NEW COMEDY Two Doors Down Christmas Eve, 10pm (times vary), BBC1 Fans of Two Doors Down get the perfect Christmas present this year when the hit Scottish sitcom returns to our screens for a seasonal special after a two-year absence. But as we head to Latimer Crescent once more, not all the residents are filled with Christmas cheer. While clearing out the loft, Beth and Eric Baird – played by The Fast Show’s Arabella Weir and Taggart’s Alex Norton – make the mistake of taking their artificial tree out of storage and putting it up early, causing their annoyed neighbours to come knocking. First over the threshold is hypercritical Christine (Elaine C Smith), followed by egotistical housewife Cathy (Doon Mackichan) and her henpecked husband Colin (Jonathan Watson). ‘It’s an early Christmas, but…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Festive friends

NEW ENTERTAINMENT Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas Monday 22 December, 9pm, BBC1 After transforming a run-down townhouse into a luxurious B&B in Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job earlier this year, Amanda Holden and Alan Carr are returning to Moclín, Spain, to spread some Christmas cheer. They’ll be laying on a lavish party to thank all of the locals who supported them during the project, as well as finding out more about Spanish Christmas traditions. Here, Holden, 54, and The Celebrity Traitors winner Carr, 49, reveal what’s in store… What’s the inspiration behind this Christmas episode? Holden We always wanted to revisit a build, so we had the idea to go back and thank everybody that helped us, and see what the difference was between a British and a Spanish celebration…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Fighting fit

NEW ENTERTAINMENT Gladiators: Celebrity Special Christmas Day, 3.35pm, BBC1 As a wellness expert who found fame with his online workouts and healthy recipes, Joe Wicks is one of the fittest TV stars around, but how will he fare when he takes on the muscle-bound Gladiators in a celebrity edition of the entertainment show? In the 60-minute special, Wicks will be competing against reality star Sam Thompson, while gold-winning Olympic boxer Nicola Adams goes up against I’m a Celeb contestant Vogue Williams. Bradley and Barney Walsh once again host, as the celebrities face the Lycra-clad troupe of elite athletes in a series of gruelling physical challenges before going head-to-head in the iconic Eliminator to determine the men’s and the women’s champions. Here, Wicks, 40, reveals more… Why did you want to…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Urban jungle

NEW WILDLIFE Wild London New Year’s Day, 6.30pm, BBC1 A noisy city teeming with people and traffic might not seem a promising location for a wildlife documentary. But as one-off natural-history programme Wild London reveals, a surprising number of species are not just surviving but thriving on, around and above the streets of London. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the film features remarkable footage of wildlife living in the city, from a herd of fallow deer dodging traffic to a harvest mouse being released back into the wild. We also see Attenborough, a resident of Richmond in south-west London, getting up close and personal with a fox, a hedgehog and a peregrine-falcon chick. ‘It’s about shining a light on these animals and seeing them with different eyes,’ explains executive producer…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Rough justice

The Lowdown NEW Available: Boxing Day Genre: Comedy drama Season: 1 Episodes: 8 Currently scaring us in cinemas as a serial killer in horror-movie sequel Black Phone 2, Ethan Hawke’s latest TV series sees him switch to the right side of the law when he plays Lee Raybon, a grizzled and reckless journalist obsessed with taking down Oklahoma’s bad guys. Created by Sterlin Harjo, who brought us Reservation Dogs, eight-part noir The Lowdown follows Lee after his latest article dishes the dirt on Tulsa’s powerful Washberg clan – and leads to the suspicious suicide of businessman and family outcast Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson). Realising that he has a proper story on his hands, Lee sets out to uncover the truth, which becomes even murkier when it transpires that Dale’s aspiring-politician brother Donald (Kyle MacLachlan) has been…

3 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Crisis at Christmas

Goodbye June NEW Available: Christmas Eve Genre: Drama Two of the UK’s biggest stars – Kate Winslet and Dame Helen Mirren – join forces for a bittersweet movie about four adult siblings who must face up to the imminent death of their terminally ill mother. Winslet plays Julia, who, with her siblings Helen (Toni Collette), Molly (Andrea Riseborough) and Connor (Johnny Flynn), and their father Bernie (Timothy Spall), are thrown together when matriarch June (Mirren) becomes ill in the run-up to Christmas. As the siblings, and their young children, come together in a hospital room, past grievances and resentments rear their head. ‘Christmas is such a heightened, emotional time for anybody,’ says Winslet. ‘There is a terrible tension between Julia and Molly that has mounted up over the years. Their suppressed fury is…

3 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Premier League action

LIVE FOOTBALL From Sat 20 Dec, Sky Sports & TNT Sports There’s a host of live Premier League season reaches its crucial halfway point. Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Arsenal are chasing a first title since 2004, and the Gunners are in action twice on Sky Sports – away at Everton (Sat 20 Dec, 8pm) and at home to Aston Villa (Tue 30 Dec, 8.15pm) – while Villa visit London for another heavyweight clash against Chelsea (Sat 27 Dec, 5.30pm). We caught up with former England international Michael Dawson to get his half-time report on the season so far… BEST TEAM ‘Arsenal are the ones to catch. Manager Mikel Arteta has increased the quality and depth of his squad with Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze, who has hit the ground…

3 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Saturday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Football LIVE! Premier League TNT Sports 1 & Sky Sports Today’s live games are Newcastle v Chelsea, Spurs v Liverpool, Everton v Arsenal and Leeds v Crystal Palace. Music NEW Westlife 25: Live at the Royal Albert Hall ITV1, 5.30pm The Irish band perform a special concert to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Entertainment LAST ONE Strictly Come Dancing: The Final BBC1, 7pm Three dances are all that stand between the couples and the glitterball trophy. Music NEW Madness: Radio 2 in Concert BBC2, 9.10pm (times vary) The One Step Beyond band perform for an audience at the BBC Radio Theatre. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Tuesday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Factual NEW Inside the Christmas Factory BBC1, 8pm Paddy McGuinness and Cherry Healey learn some Christmassy biscuit secrets. Football LIVE! EFL Cup: Quarter Final ITV1, Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football, kick-off 8pm Arsenal take on Crystal Palace in the last-eight at the Emirates Stadium. Drama NEW The Madame Blanc Mysteries 5, 8pm Jean has a Christmas puzzle to solve when a bomb is left at the museum. Comedy NEW Stuffed BBC1, 9pm Guz Khan stars as a man who takes his family to Lapland after an unexpected payout, but it’s all been a big mistake… (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Boxing Day

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Factual NEW The Repair Shop at Christmas BBC1, 7.30pm Author Julia Donaldson (above, with Rob Brydon) seeks the experts’ help. Entertainment NEW Big Fat Quiz of the Year C4, 9pm Jimmy Carr poses questions about 2025 to guests including Jonathan Ross, Nick Mohammed and Lou Sanders. OnDemand NEW Stranger Things Available today Volume two (episodes 5-7) of the fifth and final season of the sci-fi drama is available to stream today. OnDemand NEW The Lowdown Available today Ethan Hawke stars in this crime comedy series about a journalist investigating a suspicious death. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Instagram.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Monday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Cookery NEW MasterChef Festive Extravaganza BBC1, 8pm Four previous winners compete to be crowned Champion of Champions. Crime Drama NEW Midsomer Murders ITV1, 8.30pm In the first of two Christmas episodes, Barnaby and Winter investigate a spate of deaths. Continues tomorrow. Entertainment NEW The Celebrity Apprentice BBC1, 9pm Twelve familiar faces, including Tom Skinner (above) and I’m a Celebrity…! campmate Eddie Kadi, are set to work. Documentary NEW Murder at the Post Office Sky Docs & Sky Showcase, 9pm (box set, Sky Box Sets) Examining the murder of Diana Garbutt, who ran a post office with her husband. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description X.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Desperately seeking Santa

NEW COMEDY DRAMA Finding Father Christmas Christmas Eve, 7.30pm, C4 BAFTA-winning actor Lenny Rush stars as a teenager on a mission to prove that Santa Claus is real in C4’s festive family treat Finding Father Christmas. The heart-warming feature-length comedy drama follows Chris Massey, a 16-year-old kid grieving the loss of his mum, who still steadfastly believes in Santa. But that’s until his worried dad Nick (James Buckley) decides it’s high time Chris knew that the jolly, red-suited gift-giver is a fictitious figure. Refusing to take his dad’s word for it, Chris decides to set out on a madcap adventure with his bonkers older cousin Holly (Ele McKenzie) to track down people who can prove his case. Along the way, he meets Sir Stephen Fry, Professor Hannah Fry and space…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Nightlife

NEW THRILLER The Night Manager New Year’s Day, 9.05pm, BBC1 Tom Hiddleston returns to his most famous TV role when he plays undercover MI6 operative Jonathan Pine in the second season of stylish spy drama The Night Manager. After bringing down arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) in 2016’s first outing, this six-part sequel – inspired by the late John le Carré’s 1993 novel – sees the former soldier infiltrating the sinister world of Colombian arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). With the help of mysterious businesswoman Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone) and his retired former boss Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), Jonathan travels to South America on a mission. Here, Hiddleston, 44, tells us more… How did you feel about returning to play Jonathan again? I felt I had unfinished business with…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Slay ride

NEW CRIME DRAMA Death in Paradise Sun 28 December, 8.30pm, BBC1 It’s not unusual for the office Christmas party to be followed by the hangover from hell, but it’s a lot worse than that for four British co-workers who wake up in the middle of a crime scene in this year’s seasonal edition of Death in Paradise. The celebrations are cut short for entrepreneur Helen Dugdale (Lazarus’ Kate Ashfield) and three of her senior staff after the body of a stranger is found floating in the pool of their rented villa during their trip to the Caribbean island of Saint Marie. DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) and his team open an investigation but are left baffled when the murder weapon is found thousands of miles away – locked in a drawer…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Drama round-up

NEW All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Eve, 9pm, 5 There’s plenty of festive cheer as Skeldale House celebrates its first post-war Christmas. Chaos ensues when James (Nicholas Ralph, inset) tries to organise a nativity. Meanwhile, with turkeys scarce, Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) must put a team together to try to win a prize bird in a darts contest at The Drovers Arms, and Siegfried (Samuel West) is stunned by the return of old flame Dorothy (Maimie McCoy). NEW Midsomer Murders Mon 29 Dec & Tue 30 Dec, 8.30pm, ITV1 DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and DS Winter (Nick Hendrix) have their work cut out with two cases to solve. The first story focuses on a spate of murders after a wealthy family learns that, following patriarch Henry’s death, eldest son…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Comedy round-up

NEW Mammoth Christmas Special Monday 22 December, 10pm, BBC2 Resurrected 1970s PE teacher Tony Mammoth (Mike Bubbins, pictured above with co-stars Joel James Davison and Joseph Marcell) places his first Yuletide with his family under threat when his careless actions result in presents being stolen and all the Yuletide food going off. Meanwhile, his stint as a shopping-centre Santa goes badly awry. Can he save the day? NEW Shedites New Year’s Day, 10.35pm, BBC1 Brendan O’Carroll (pictured with co-star Phil Davis) plays Jimmy, a member of a men’s ‘shed community’, in this one-off comedy created by his Mrs Brown’s Boys colleague Paddy Houlihan. Jimmy and his pals decide to build a new bike from recycled parts to try to win the local ‘Santa Spin’ race. Will it be a triumph?…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Entertainment round-up

NEW The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Special Monday 29 December & Tuesday 30 December, 9pm, BBC1 Twelve celebrities step into Lord Alan Sugar’s boardroom for a two-part special to raise money for Children in Need. TV presenter Rob Rinder and Miranda actor Sarah Hadland are among those sent off to Lapland to create gingerbread biscuits, which they then pitch to retailers. NEW The Great Christmas Bake Off Christmas Day, 8pm, C4 The Great New Year Bake Off New Year’s Day, 6.40pm, C4 Peep Show stars Olivia Colman (right), David Mitchell, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman compete in the Christmas edition, while in the New Year special past Bake Off contestants pair up for the first team contest. LAST ONE Strictly Come Dancing: The Final Saturday 20 December, 7pm, BBC1…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Family round-up

NEW Nollaí Sunday 21 December, 4.15pm, BBC1 (N Ireland only) & BBC iPlayer This magical and heart-warming fantasy adventure tells the story of Nollaí, a deer with an extraordinary secret – he’s actually the last living giant deer in existence. The discovery leads the courageous creature to team up with human friend Sadhbh, and a chaotic Christmas-loving bat called Stoca, to discover his roots. When the trio stumble upon a portal leading to another world, the realm of the giant deer, Nollaí has some life-changing decisions to make. Will he join his ancestors or stay with his human family? NEW Royal Carols: Together at Christmas Christmas Eve, 7.25pm, ITV1 The Princess of Wales (right) hosts her annual carol service at Westminster Abbey. It includes readings and performances from Hannah Waddingham,…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Factual round-up

NEW The Repair Shop at Christmas Boxing Day, 7.30pm, BBC1 Dame Helen Mirren (above) asks the team for help restoring a cello that’s over 80 years old and has been gifted to Denville Hall, a care home for people who worked in the entertainment industry. While kids’ author Julia Donaldson and comedian Rob Brydon hope Donaldson’s old toy farmhouse can be restored and donated to a children’s hospice. NEW Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing Christmas Eve, 9pm, BBC2 The comedy pals (both right) head to Devon and Cornwall for a festive fishing trip. They’ll be angling in the Rivers Lyd and Camel in Devon before taking a Cornish boat trip, meeting up with local resident Dawn French and Dr Anand Patel, and visiting chef Paul Ainsworth. NEW Torvill &…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

DEADLY desires

The Hunting Wives NEW Available: Saturday 27 December Genre: Drama Season: 1 Episodes: Bed-hopping, back-stabbing and murder are all in the heady mix of ITVX’s glossy new US drama The Hunting Wives, set in the privileged world of the filthy rich. Adapted from May Cobb’s 2021 bestselling novel of the same name, the story follows corporate wife Sophie O’Neil (The Beast in Me’s Brittany Snow), who hopes a move from Massachusetts to Texas with her husband Graham (Evan Jonigkeit) will give the couple a much-needed new start following a traumatic incident back home. But Sophie isn’t prepared for life in Maple Brook – an affluent Texas community where wealth, decadence and power rule. Battling rising anxiety, Sophie encounters charismatic socialite Margo Banks (Billions’ Malin Akerman), who’s married to Graham’s boss Jed Banks (Chicago Fire’s Dermot Mulroney).…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

The 30 top shows of 2025

Prime Target Genre: Thriller Season: 1 Episodes: 8 Brilliant mathematician Edward Brooks (One Day’s Leo Woodall) is on the verge of discovering a pattern in prime numbers that would give him access to every computer security system in the world when he finds himself in deadly danger in this conspiracy thriller. High Potential Genre: Crime drama Seasons: 1 & 2 (Vol 1) Episodes: 20 Quirky single mother of three Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) is a cleaner for the LAPD until her exceptionally high IQ and forensic eye for detail lead to her being hired as a consultant for the Major Crimes Division. Paradise Genre: Thriller Season: 1 Episodes: 8 Suspicion falls on Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K Brown) when US President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) is found murdered in his home in the apparently idyllic community of Paradise, inhabited by some of the…

7 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Battle of the Sexes

LIVE TENNIS Sunday 28 Dec, from 3.45pm, BBC1 Two of the biggest names in tennis – one male, one female – go head-to-head in Dubai when women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Australia’s former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios face off in the Battle of the Sexes. The exhibition match comes 52 years after the most famous Battle of the Sexes when Billie Jean King defeated fellow American Bobby Riggs, then aged 55, in straight sets in Houston, while a later version saw Jimmy Connors beat Martina Navratilova in 1992. SHOWPIECE EVENT This new match-up looks like another intriguing contest. Australian Kyrgios, 30, has dropped down the rankings after missing most of the season with a career-threatening wrist injury. Meanwhile, his Belarusian opponent, 27, won the fourth Grand Slam of her career…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Sunday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Wildlife NEW Wild Horses, the Rockies and Me BBC2, 7pm (times vary) Gordon Buchanan travels to Canada’s Rocky Mountains in search of wild horses. Entertainment NEW The Royal Variety Performance ITV1, 7.05pm Jason Manford hosts the annual show from London’s Royal Albert Hall. Crime Drama NEW Beyond Paradise BBC1, 9pm A man with no memory, clutching a photo of Humphrey, turns up at the police station. Guest stars Adrian Edmondson. Drama NEW Amadeus Sky Atlantic, 9pm (box set, Sky Box Sets) Historical drama detailing the rivalry between Mozart and court composer Antonio Salieri (Paul Bettany, above). (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Facebook.com/TVSatelliteWeekMagazine…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Christmas Eve

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Comedy Drama NEW Finding Father Christmas C4, 7.30pm Festive drama for all the family starring Lenny Rush as a teenager determined to find proof of Santa Claus’s existence. Drama NEW All Creatures Great and Small 5, 9pm Darrowby comes together to celebrate the first Christmas since the end of WWII. Horror NEW The Room in the Tower: A Ghost Story for Christmas BBC2, 10pm Mark Gatiss’s adaptation, starring Dame Joanna Lumley and Tobias Menzies. OnDemand NEW Goodbye June Available today Kate Winslet directs and stars in this drama about a group of siblings whose mother’s health is declining. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Facebook.com/TVSatelliteWeekMagazine…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Saturday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Football LIVE! Premier League TNT Sports 1 & Sky Sports Today’s top-flight games are Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (12.30pm) and Chelsea v Aston Villa (5.30pm). Entertainment NEW Biggest Night of Musicals BBC1, 6.45pm Jason Manford hosts a show-stopping celebration of the West End, including Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera. Documentary NEW Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family and Me C4, 9pm Dame Judi Dench delves into her family history to uncover a link to the Bard. Drama NEW The Hunting Wives ITV1, 9.30pm & 10.35pm (box set, ITVX) Malin Akerman (left) and Brittany Snow (centre) star in this Texas-set thriller steeped in sex, murder and scandal. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Tuesday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Documentary NEW Hercules the Bear: A Love Story BBC2, 6pm (not Wales) How a Scottish couple adopted a bear cub and raised it as part of the family. Football LIVE! Premier League Sky Sports It’s a busy night in the top flight, with six games on Sky Sports - including West Ham v Brighton & Hove Albion (7.30pm). Factual NEW DIY SOS: Gladiators Special BBC1, 8pm The Gladiators provide some muscle for Nick Knowles and the team, as they build a youth centre in Beverley, East Yorkshire. Entertainment Rob & Romesh vs… Sky Max & Sky Showcase, 9pm Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan tread the boards for a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD)…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

New Year’s Day

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Entertainment NEW The Traitors BBC1, 8pm Claudia Winkleman welcomes a new group of contestants to the Scottish castle for the game of lies and deception. Thriller NEW Red Eye ITV1, 9pm (box set, ITVX) DS Hana Li (Jing Lusi) has to put past differences with a former adversary aside during a diplomatic emergency. Thriller NEW The Night Manager BBC1, 9.05pm Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Jonathan Pine in this long-awaited follow-up to the 2016 thriller series. OnDemand NEW Run Away Available today The latest Harlan Coben thriller adaptation stars James Nesbitt as a father searching for his daughter, who has run away. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description X.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

BOLLY & the Ivy

NEW COMEDY Amandaland Christmas Day, 9.15pm, BBC1 Crack open the champers… Almost a decade after they last played outrageous fashionistas Edina and Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders and Dame Joanna Lumley are teaming up for a Christmas special of Amandaland. In the festive instalment of BBC1’s Motherland spin-off, Lumley reprises her role as Felicity, the snobbish mum of high-maintenance Amanda (Lucy Punch), while Saunders joins the cast as Felicity’s overly jolly sister Joan, who is laying on a lavish Christmas for the family at her country pile in Gloucestershire. While Amanda pressurises her put-upon neighbour Mal (Samuel Anderson) into driving everyone there, her adoring pal Anne (Philippa Dunne) is also in tow, after her holiday plans fall apart. But although excited Amanda wants her kids Georgie and Manus to…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Tower of TERROR

NEW HORROR The Room in the Tower Christmas Eve, 10pm, BBC2 Master of the macabre Mark Gatiss writes and directs another spine-chilling tale for this year’s instalment of A Ghost Story for Christmas. The Bookish star’s eighth festive frightener for BBC2 is an adaptation of The Room in the Tower by EF Benson and centres on a man who’s haunted by an unsettling, recurring dream. ‘I’ve always wanted to adapt this story,’ says Gatiss, 59. ‘A recurring dream is such a creepy idea – it’s always made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.’ The Crown’s Tobias Menzies stars as Roger Winstanley, who in World War Two confides in a stranger about what’s haunting him at night. EERIE VISIONS ‘Roger’s hiding out in a bomb shelter when…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

SOAP DIARY

EASTENDERS What shock secret does Max find out at Christmas? Max Branning is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode this Christmas after he discovers a secret that sends him on the warpath! He soon makes a decision he may later regret… ‘Linda still hasn’t told Max that Annie is his daughter, and neither have his family,’ says Jake Wood, who recently returned to the soap as Max. ‘I’m sure he would be heartbroken to discover that he’s been kept in the dark for the past four years. ‘Then there’s Cindy, who blames Max for her son Steven’s death and his involvement with her daughter Lucy. They’ve never come face to face before, so there could be a showdown…’ After a catastrophic Christmas, Max also takes centre stage in a…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Holiday on ice

NEW COMEDY Stuffed Tuesday 23 December, 9pm, BBC1 Comedian Guz Khan finds himself in a stressful financial pickle in family comedy Stuffed. The hilarious one-off sees the Man like Mobeen actor play Arslan, who’s surprised to get a huge Christmas bonus at work. Instead of paying off debts and saving some of the cash, his wife Hannah (Morgana Robinson) decides they’re heading to Lapland with their kids and her brother Jamie (Theo Barklem-Biggs). But their joy is short-lived when Arslan discovers he’s been accidentally overpaid – instead of the £8,000 he received, he should only have had £800. With the help of new friend Lily (Sue Johnston), the race is on to find a way to repay the cash he’s spent… Here, Khan, 39, reveals more… How was it filming in…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Claudia uncloaked

NEW ENTERTAINMENT The Traitors New Year’s Day & Fri 2 January, 8pm, BBC1 Get set for more back-stabbing and psychological gameplay, as Claudia Winkleman dons her tweeds to welcome 22 new contestants to the iconic Scottish castle for a fourth outing of The Traitors. Following on from Alan Carr’s stunning win on The Celebrity Traitors, strategy will be key to survival once again, as Traitors are tasked with ‘murdering’ Faithfuls without being caught in a quest to win up to £120,000. This time, Winkleman promises twisty changes to the format and more treachery at the Round Table. ‘The castle has many secrets still to reveal,’ smiles Winkleman, 53. ‘The producers have the greatest minds on Earth and they always have excellent ways of changing the game. The brilliance of the game…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Jingle bales

NEW ANIMATION The Scarecrows’ Wedding Christmas Day, 3.10pm, BBC1 You’re cordially invited to a sweet farmyard ceremony stuffed with field-good fun as the Yuletide tradition of adapting a book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler continues this Christmas with The Scarecrows’ Wedding. Narrated by Sophie Okonedo, the heart-warming animation is the 13th adaptation from Magic Light Pictures, and follows bride-to-be scarecrow Betty O’Barley (voiced by Jessie Buckley) and her betrothed, Harry O’Hay (Domhnall Gleeson) as they plan their upcoming nuptials. But as Harry searches the farm for flowers for the big day, scheming scarecrow Reginald Rake (Rob Brydon) swoops in and tries to woo Betty. Will the wedding go horribly hay-wire? Here, Gavin & Stacey star Brydon, 60, tells us more… How does Reginald Rake compare to your previous characters? He’s…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Wild at heart

NEW WILDLIFE Wild Horses, the Rockies and Me Sun 21 Dec, 7pm (times vary), BBC2 Wildlife film-maker Gordon Buchanan sets out to fulfil his lifelong dream of being accepted by a herd of wild horses for his latest BBC2 documentary, Wild Horses, the Rockies and Me. Buchanan, 53, has felt an affinity with the animals ever since he learnt to ride as a child in Scotland. ‘Before horses came into my life, I was unhappy at school and had a difficult home life,’ he says. ‘But then I got a job in a stables and being around horses gave me a real sense of trust and empowerment. Since then, I’ve always wanted to see horses in the wild.’ To achieve his goal, Buchanan goes to Canada’s Rocky Mountains and immerses himself…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Dad in despair

Run Away NEW Available: New Year’s Day Genre: Thriller Season: 1 Episodes: 8 After starring in previous thrillers Stay Close and Missing You, James Nesbitt teams up with mystery writer Harlan Coben for a third time on New Year’s Day in eight-part drama Run Away. He stars as Simon Greene, a financier who tries to reconnect with his vulnerable drug-addict daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) without telling his paediatrician wife Ingrid (Minnie Driver). But although Simon tracks down Paige in a park, she vanishes again after he has an altercation, which is filmed by a bystander and goes viral, with her boyfriend Aaron (Thomas Flynn). ‘Simon has achieved a lot, but he has a daughter who has disappeared, and he can’t do anything about it,’ says Nesbitt. Increasingly frantic, Simon’s search takes him to dark and dangerous…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Running SCARED

Trust NEW Available: Boxing Day Genre: Thriller As Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, Sophie Turner endured almost unbearable suffering. Now, in her new suspense movie Trust, she’s facing misfortune again. Turner plays actor Lauren Lane, the star of a popular sitcom, who’s caught up in a scandal when intimate images of her are leaked online. Desperate to get away from the negative publicity, Lauren escapes to a remote cabin. However, at the seemingly peaceful retreat, she becomes the target of a brutal home invasion and must fight for her life as she is betrayed by someone she trusts. Turner knows what it’s like to become tabloid fodder herself – during her divorce from US singer Joe Jonas – and she could identify with her character’s need to get out of the public…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Films

14-DAY GUIDE The first showings and the best of the rest Roofman From Tuesday 16 December, buy or rent from digital stores including Prime Video and Sky Store PREMIERE Channing Tatum is an absolute hoot in this entertaining stranger-than-fiction true-crime comedy drama about a desperate divorced dad-turned-criminal whose bizarre modus operandi – cutting a hole in the roofs of McDonald’s restaurants to rob them – earned him the nickname of the title. Even more outlandish, however, was what happened after he broke out of prison and hid out undetected in a Toys ‘R’ Us store in North Carolina for six months. Co-writer and director Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines) deftly balances the story’s comic elements with surprisingly heartfelt dramatic ones, while Tatum juggles his character’s mix of smartness…

5 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Africa Cup of Nations

LIVE FOOTBALL From Sunday 21 December, C4, E4 & 4Seven Africa’s footballing giants battle it out over the next month as the finest teams from the continent arrive in Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations. Featuring a host of Premier League players, the action begins on Sunday 21 December when the hosts take on Comoros in Rabat, which will also stage the final on Sunday 18 January. Here’s our guide to the 24-team tournament… GROUP A Comoros, Mali, Morocco, Zambia With stars such as PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi, Real Madrid forward Brahim Díaz, Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui and Bournemouth winger Amine Adli, hosts Morocco are favourites to win a second title. GROUP B Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe Record seven-time winners Egypt should be there or thereabouts once…

3 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Monday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Entertainment NEW Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas BBC1, 9pm The friends return to Spain to celebrate Christmas, and thank the community. Documentary NEW Secrets of the Conclave BBC2, 9pm Cameras are granted exclusive access to the Vatican during the papal conclave to elect a new head of the Catholic Church. Entertainment NEW Taskmaster: Champion of Champions C4, 9pm Past winners, including Mathew Baynton (right), return for more weird challenges. Factual NEW Christmas on the Farm 5, 9pm It’s the holiday season at Cannon Hall Farm, and Rob and Dave Nicholson have a winter wonderland to unveil. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description X.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Christmas Day

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Animation NEW The Scarecrows’ Wedding BBC1, 3.10pm Domhnall Gleeson and Jessie Buckley are two scarecrows planning to marry, in Julia Donaldson’s charming tale. Entertainment NEW Gladiators: Celebrity Special BBC1, 3.35pm Joe Wicks (pictured), Nicola Adams, Sam Thompson and Vogue Williams take part. Drama NEW Call the Midwife BBC1, 8.15pm The nurses raise funds after a building collapses in Hong Kong, where Violet and Fred are visiting Violet’s son, Derek. Comedy NEW Amandaland BBC1, 9.15pm It’s an Ab Fab reunion when the family spend Christmas with Aunt Joan (Jennifer Saunders, left, with Joanna Lumley). (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description X.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Sunday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Tennis LIVE! Battle of the Sexes BBC1, from 3.45pm Australia’s Nick Kyrgios faces women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a best-of-three-sets exhibition match. Crime Drama NEW Death in Paradise Christmas Special BBC1, 8.30pm Mervin investigates when a body is found in a pool after a Christmas party. Documentary NEW Torvill & Dean: The Last Dance ITV1, 8.30pm Cameras follow the ice-skating legends on their final tour before their retirement. Docudrama NEW Titanic Sinks Tonight BBC2, 9pm (box set, BBC iPlayer) Dramatised documentary detailing the 1912 disaster, based on the experiences of survivors, both passengers and crew. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Facebook.com/TVSatelliteWeekMagazine…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

New Year’s Eve

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Comedy NEW Here We Go BBC1, 8pm (times vary) The Jessops face a chaotic New Year, with Rachel set on a big party, while all Paul wants is to escape to the country. Entertainment The Graham Norton New Year’s Eve Show BBC1, 10.30pm (times vary) Graham’s last guests of the year include The Night Manager’s Tom Hiddleston. Entertainment NEW Ronan Keating and Friends: New Year’s Eve Party The former Boyzone frontman leads the celebrations, with some special guests. Music NEW Jools’ Annual Hootenanny BBC2, 11.30pm A stellar line-up of musical guests, including Jessie J (above), Ronnie Wood, Lulu and the Kooks, usher in the new year. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Facebook.com/TVSatelliteWeekMagazine…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Friday

◂ Denotes programmes starting before 7.00pm † Regions vary Documentary NEW 2025: The Year from Space C4, 7.30pm Satellite images of some of the year’s major events, including the Hollywood fires and the continuing war in Ukraine. Entertainment NEW Taskmaster’s New Year’s Treat C4, 9pm Celebs including Countdown’s Susie Dent (above) take part in a seasonal special. Travelogue NEW Jane McDonald: From Pole to Pole 5, 9pm The singer boards a luxury cruise ship and heads to the Antarctic Peninsula. Factual NEW Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job BBC1, 9.35pm (box set, BBC iPlayer) The friends decide on the Greek island of Corfu for their latest renovation project. (S) Subtitles (SL) Signing (R) Repeat (AD) Audio Description Instagram.com/TVSatelliteWeek…

1 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Relax at the back!

CROSSWORD Solve the clues in our just-for-fun crossword puzzle and rearrange the letters in the shaded squares to spell out the name of an English actor and presenter (5,4). Answers, right – no cheating! ACROSS 1 ------Ride, hit Christmas song covered in 2020 by American singer Gwen Stefani (6) 6 Former My Family actor, Daniela Denby ----(4) 7 -----Marley, character in 17 Across (5) 9 Christmas movie from 2014 starring Robert Wagner and Jill St John (9) 10 ----Smith & Jones, old comedy sketch series (4) 13 Rosemary & -----, old ITV crime series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris (5) 14 See picture clue: Star of sitcom Not Going Out and TV host, Lee ----(4) 17 Oft-dramatised Charles Dickens story (1,9,5) 19 1960s US comedy with Jim Nabors and Frank…

2 min

TV&Satellite Week|20-Dec-25

Hot new shows for 2026!

Steal Prime Video Sophie Turner stars in a tense thriller about an office worker at a pension-fund investment company who gets caught up in a heist that has a shocking ripple effect. Hijack Apple TV The second run of the thriller sees Idris Elba reprise his role as negotiator Sam Nelson, who must take charge of a hostage situation on a Berlin underground train. The Lady ITV1 Drama about Jane Andrews (Mia McKenna-Bruce) – the ex-dresser of Sarah Ferguson (Natalie Dormer) – who was jailed for killing her lover. A Thousand Blows Disney+ As the period saga returns, there are fresh challenges for gang boss Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) and ‘Sugar’ Goodson (Stephen Graham). Waiting for the Out BBC1 A moving drama centres on Dan (Josh Finan), who teaches philosophy…

1 min