News

Mrs Brown's Boys was the most watched television programme on Christmas Day, according to overnight data.

The first of two festive specials was watched by an average of 7.61m, giving the Brendan O'Carroll sitcom a 32.2% share of the audience from 10pm to 10.30pm.

It's the second year running that Mrs Brown's Boys has topped Christmas Day, although numbers were less than last year's 9.4m, representing an overall decline for all channels.

Elsewhere on BBC One, 6.98m (35.1%) saw Louis Smith win Strictly Come Dancing Christmas at 5pm. Call the Midwife attracted 6.83m (27.9%) at 7.45pm, while Doctor Who's 'Last Christmas' achieved 6.34m (27.5%) and Miranda's penultimate episode was watched by 6.67m (27.6%).

Downton Abbey's two-hour episode was ITV's biggest programme of the day outside of soaps. 5.51m (23.1%) watched from 9pm as the Crawley family celebrated Christmas, with an extra 319.9k tuning in on +1 (1.7%).

Earlier in the evening, Paul O'Grady...

Get ready for a whole host of TV shows and movies to get you through the festive period - it's our look at UK telly...!

We've taken a scythe to the Christmas telly schedule to help you sort the geek from the chav. We hope the listing of shows and films will help brighten your holiday via the warm rays of the living room telly.

If we missed any of your favourites, please have a ho-ho-ho in the comments section, with our thanks and best wishes for a happy holiday.

Thursday December 23rd

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather Part 1 4:00pm Sky1 (repeats through 1st Jan)

24 series 8 6:00am Sky 2 (marathon consecutive run of the series' episodes)

8 Out Of 10 Cats Christmas Special 10:00pm Channel 4 (repeats 00:05am 27th Dec)

The Royle Family Christmas Special (2009) 00:45am Gold (repeats through 30th Dec)

Christmas Eve Friday December 24th

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather Part...

Just a few quick words on two Britcom TV on DVD releases today that brought a smile to this jaded writer's face. BBC Video today releases new editions of British comedy classics Blackadder and Fawlty Towers, both in deluxe remastered versions that not only include all episodes produced but a healthy dose of extras and bonus features. (Just don't mention the war.) It's a testament to the creative forces behind both Black Adder and Fawlty Towers that both series have stood up extremely well, even after all of these years; both series remain as sharp, incisive, and hilarious as they were when they aired. The sumptuous six-disc Black Adder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition contains all four seasons of BBC's Black Adder as well as Blackadder's Christmas Carol, Blackadder's The Cavalier Years, Blackadder: Back and Forth, new commentaries, documentaries (including the 25th anniversary doc "Blackadder Rides Again"), behind-the-scenes featurettes, video diaries,...