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Christmas television, it must be said, can be extremely hit and miss. With TV bosses trying to please everyone, from age four to 104, sometimes they end up pleasing no one and it\u2019s best just to nap through it all.<\/p>\n
But there can be some true gems out there. Our top pick this year has to be Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, a Sky Atlantic drama starring Colin Firth as Jim Swire, a man whose daughter was one of 270 people who died in the UK\u2019s deadliest terror attack. What it lacks in Christmas cheer it makes up for in stellar performances, and the series\u2019 makers are hoping it could be as agenda-setting as last new year\u2019s offering, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.<\/p>\n
Lockerbie is not arriving until 2 January, but from the finale of Gavin & Stacey to season three of The Traitors, there\u2019s a lot more on the schedules before then. Here\u2019s what you can expect on your screens this festive season, and our verdict on what is and isn\u2019t worth watching\u2026<\/p>\n
The Hairy Bikers: You\u2019ll Never Ride Alone<\/p>\n
BBC Two, 23 December<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been on a journey with Hairy Bikers Dave Myers and Si King since their TV debut in 2004, you\u2019ll want to strap in and grip the handlebars one last time. Dave\u2019s death earlier this year, at the age of just 66, was a gut punch, but this is an unfettered celebration. It is a union of private and public grief that conspires to give fans and family a last chance to say thank you, and allows the Hairy Bikers to ride off, together, into the sunset. Nick Hilton<\/p>\n
Old pals Dave and Si (BBC\/South Shore Productions\/Jon Boast)Gavin & Stacey: The Finale<\/p>\n
BBC One, Christmas Day<\/p>\n
The 2019 Christmas spesh ended with the tough but tender Nessa proposing to Smithy; what did the UK\u2019s favourite man-child do next? Though overlong at 90 minutes, somewhat predictable and not a patch on The Royle Family\u2019s \u201cThe Queen of Sheba\u201d, this follow-up\/send-off for the Barry-Billericay posse has a glorious third act. I can reveal very litte here, but the show\u2019s creators and co-writers, Ruth Jones and James Corden, excel as Nessa and Smithy, who\u2019ve always blazed with Main Character Energy, while there\u2019s at least one scene that will bring tears to your eyes. Charlotte O\u2019Sullivan<\/p>\n
Outnumbered Christmas Special<\/p>\n
BBC One, Boxing Day<\/p>\n
The first family of Christmas chaos return for a one-off special, as the Brockman children head home for an elaborate beef Wellington, trimmings of bickering, and a big dollop of facing up to mortality. Gentle to a fault, and featuring some rather rough round the edges performances, Outnumbered is still a charming glimpse behind the curtains of Britain\u2019s middle classes.<\/p>\n
The Split: Barcelona<\/p>\n
BBC One, 29 December<\/p>\n
A beautiful young couple rushing headlong into marriage. A sun-soaked location. Romantic complications aplenty. There\u2019s a dash of\u00a0Mamma Mia!\u00a0to\u00a0The Split: Barcelona, the two-part special picking two years after the final season of Abi Morgan\u2019s divorce lawyer drama. Nicola Walker\u2019s Hannah is acting as both legal adviser and mother of the bride as her daughter Liv (Elizabeth Roberts) prepares to tie the knot in Spain (and oscillates over signing a hefty prenup). Reuniting with Morgan\u2019s characters feels like checking in with old friends, and Walker is as magnificent as ever. Katie Rosseinsky<\/p>\n
Sophie Ellis-Bextor\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve Disco<\/p>\n
BBC One, New Year\u2019s Eve<\/p>\n
Ellis-Bextor is ringing in 2025 (BBC Studios \/ Bekky Calver)New Year\u2019s Eve is a hard one to get right. It\u2019s difficult to live up to the pressure of making it fun. You might have regrets about the year that\u2019s just passed. Your hangover from Christmas could still be lingering. But there\u2019s one surefire way to do NYE well: cover everything in glitter and dance to Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who\u2019s hosting a New Year\u2019s Eve disco on BBC One. I went to the pre-record earlier this month, and it was pure, sequin-clad joy. Between sips of her herbal tea, Ellis-Bextor took us through hits from \u201cMurder on the Dancefloor\u201d to \u201cGroovejet (If This Ain\u2019t Love)\u201d, all with special guests in tow. What better way to ring in 2025? Ellie Harrison<\/p>\n
Squid Game season 2<\/p>\n
Netflix, New Year\u2019s Day<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to overstate the impact Squid Game had on pop culture. Released mid-pandemic in 2021, the Korean-language juggernaut went on to become Netflix\u2019s most-watched series in some 90 countries. Hwang Dong-hyuk\u2019s ultra-violent, candy-coloured vision and razor-sharp, anti-capitalist message landed with a well-timed gut punch. News of a second season raised the question: can lightning strike twice? Well, yes and no. It\u2019s impossible to replicate that initial shock factor, but season two does well not to try. Instead, these seven episodes dive into the background and origins of the torrid competition, as Squid Game deftly manoeuvres into mystery drama territory. A new and superb ensemble cast rally around Lee Jung-jae\u2019s vengeful hero. There\u2019s plenty of bloodshed, but crucially we get some answers, too. Annabel Nugent<\/p>\n
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days<\/p>\n
New subscribers only. \u00a38.99\/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled<\/p>\n
Try for free<\/p>\n
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days<\/p>\n
New subscribers only. \u00a38.99\/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled<\/p>\n
Try for freeThe Traitors season 3<\/p>\n
BBC One, New Year\u2019s Day<\/p>\n
What better \u2013 and cosier \u2013 way to kick start the new year than with a return to the Scottish Highlands and Claudia Winkleman in tweed? BBC\u2019s Bafta-winning The Traitors has made game shows appointment viewing once again \u2013 a refreshing notion in a time where everyone streams shows at their own leisure. As with series two, this outing will bring plenty of twists, turns and shock reveals, with producers doing their utmost to ensure surprises for those contestants and viewers who think they\u2019ve got the format nailed down. Think you know how The Traitors works? Think again. Jacob Stolworthy<\/p>\n
Missing You<\/p>\n
Netflix, New Year\u2019s Day<\/p>\n
Harlan Coben, the American author of pulpy crime thrillers, is a staple on Netflix, and his latest,\u00a0Missing You, shares much DNA, and many problems, with last year\u2019s\u00a0Fool Me Once. Rosalind Eleazar plays a detective trying to untangle the truth about her father\u2019s death, while about five other totally different plots are happening at the same time. The result is a bugger\u2019s muddle, and one that will likely attract vast audiences. NH<\/p>\n
Rosalind Eleazar and Ashley Walters in \u2018Missing You\u2019 (Netflix)Lockerbie: A Search for Truth<\/p>\n
Sky Atlantic, 2 January<\/p>\n
With a heartbreaking central performance from Colin Firth,\u00a0Lockerbie: A Search for Truth\u00a0is a wrenching but important depiction of the fallout from Britain\u2019s deadliest terror attack. Unfurling over a span of decades, the show follow\u2019s Firth\u2019s grieving father, Jim Swire, as he becomes a vociferous and controversial campaigner for that most elusive of things: the truth. NH<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviewsSign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our\u00a0privacy policy Christmas television, it must be said, can be extremely hit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n