Christmas Day always ends up built around two things: food and the telly. If you’re hunting for a Christmas Day TV guide for 2025 that tells you what’s on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 without scrolling a million apps, this is for you.
Below you’ll find the key highlights by channel, plus a few simple ideas for what to actually do in between The King’s Speech, Strictly and yet another showing of The Snowman.
If you’re still finalising the day itself, you might also like:
Christmas Day TV guide 2025: at-a-glance
Here are the key Christmas Day shows across BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4 so you can plan your day around naps, walks and turkey.
BBC1 – big hitters
- 9.00am – The Snail and the Whale
- 9.30am – The Stick Man
- 11.00am – Bluey
- 1.00pm – Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)
- 3.00pm – The King
- 5.30pm – Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
- 6.45pm – Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel
- 7.45pm – EastEnders
- 8.15pm – Call the Midwife Christmas Special (Part 1)
- 9.45pm – EastEnders Christmas Special
- 10.15pm – Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special
- 11.35pm – When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Perfect if your house likes a mix of cosy kids’ telly, soaps and the classic “everyone half asleep on the sofa” rom-com.
BBC2 – old-school Christmas vibes
- 6.00am – My Life at Christmas with Anita Rani
- 7.00am – Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
- 8.45am – Carols from King’s
- 10.00am – Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
- 10.30am – Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out
- 11.25am – The Nutcracker from the Royal Ballet
- 1.05pm – White Christmas (1954)
- 3.10pm – Evil Under the Sun (1982)
- 6.00pm – Dad’s Army
- 6.40pm – Keeping Up Appearances Christmas Special (1994)
- 7.30pm – The Morecambe & Wise Show: The Lost Tapes
- 8.10pm – The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1975
- 9.15pm – Film: Jaws (1975)
BBC2 is the place for people who think it’s not Christmas without Morecambe & Wise, Wallace & Gromit and a bit of Jaws thrown in for chaos.
ITV1 – soaps, specials and film night
- 6.00am – Royal Carols: Together at Christmas
- 7.00am – Good Morning Britain Christmas Special
- 9.00am – Lorraine Christmas Special
- 10.00am – This Morning Christmas Special
- 1.00pm – James Martin’s Christmas Day
- 3.00pm – The King
- 3.15pm – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- 5.25pm – ITV Evening News
- 5.45pm – It’ll Be Alright on the Night
- 6.15pm – Emmerdale Christmas Special ( I can’t wait! Serious Emmerdale fans in my house!)
- 7.15pm – Coronation Street Christmas Special
- 9.15pm – The 1% Club Christmas Special
- 10.15pm – Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents Evening
- 11.10pm – Film: Red One (2024)
Ideal if your house is loyal to Emmerdale, Corrie and a bit of quiz-show shouting at the telly after pudding.
Channel 4 – The Snowman & family films
- 6.30am – The Dog House
- 7.30am – The Snowman
- 8.00am – The Snowman and the Snowdog
- 8.30am – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
- 9.00am – Terry Pratchett’s Abominable Snowbaby
- 9.30am – The Tiger Who Came to Tea
- 10.00am – Father Christmas
- 10.30am – Babe (1995)
- 12.00pm – The Snowman (repeat)
- 12.30pm – The Snowman and the Snowdog (repeat)
- 1.15pm – Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
- 3.15pm – Frozen 2 (2019)
- 5.20pm – The Alternative Christmas Message
- 5.25pm – Home Alone 2 (1992)
- 7.40pm – The Great Christmas Bake-Off
- 9.00pm – Gogglebox Best Of 2025
- 11.00pm – Notting Hill (1999)
Channel 4 wins if your idea of a perfect Christmas Day TV guide is wall-to-wall kids’ classics, Home Alone 2 and Bake Off in your PJs.
Simple things to do around the TV
In between all that screen time, a few low-effort traditions can stop the day turning into “12 hours of grazing and scrolling”.
- Christmas walk between mains and pudding – great reset after a big dinner.
- Board game or quiz while Strictly’s on in the background.
- Hot chocolate bar during the evening film.
- Phone-free hour to actually talk to each other (controversial, I know).
If you want more ideas for the build-up and evening:
Final thoughts
However you spend it, glued to The Snowman at 7.30am, shouting at EastEnders at 9.45pm or asleep in front of Jaws, I hope this Christmas Day TV guide helps you plan a day that feels relaxed and very “you”.
Wishing you a calm house, hot plates, minimal washing-up and at least one stretch of uninterrupted sofa time.
