It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas TV: But is this the best we can do?
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If watching Gemma Collins build a snowman sounds like entertainment to you, you’ll be thrilled with this year’s Christmas TV show.
The Only Way Is Essex star, 41, will be featured in Channel 4’s The Greatest Snowman where she will compete with other ‘celebs’ to build snow and ice sculptures in Austria’s snowy climes.
The show, hosted by Sue Perkins, is one of many featured in Britain’s Christmas Guide this year, which is starting to take shape after broadcasters today announced their ‘world class’ offering.
It will take part in a Strictly Come Dancing special with Anton Du Beke on the BBC, and more Ant and Dec on ITV, as the Geordie duo launch the first Christmas edition of their new game show Limitless Win.
If watching Gemma Collins build a snowman sounds like entertainment to you, you’ll be thrilled with this year’s Christmas TV show. The Only Way Is Essex star, 41, will star in Channel 4’s The Greatest Snowman
A Strictly Come Dancing special featuring Anton Du Beke (pictured) and the rest of the jury will air on the BBC this Christmas
Other predictable specials on the Beeb include The Graham Norton Show, EastEnders, Antiques Roadshow and Call The Midwife.
Elsewhere, ITV Daytime treats audiences to more Loose Women and This Morning, both of which air for the first time between 28 and 30 December, along with Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.
But there will also be celebratory one-offs for big hits, including BBC’s Motherland and two Sir David Attenborough shows; Dynasties II and Frozen Planet II.
There will also be game show specials from Blankety Blank, The Weakest Link, House Of Games, The Hit List, Question Of Sport, Pointless, The Wheel, University Challenge, Would I Lie To You and QI.
Meanwhile, the BBC rewards viewers with not one, but two festive Mrs Brown’s Boys specials.
One viewer joked on Twitter that he was hoping for power cuts during the specials, while another said: “There are two things that are inevitable in life… death and Mrs Browns Boys on Christmas Day BBC 1.”
Another joked on Facebook: ‘Mrs Browns Boys? Hasn’t the nation suffered enough?’
A third compared the BBC’s schedule to ‘very thin porridge’, while another lamented: ‘As always the BBC reveals what’s on at Christmas and as for so many years there’s nothing I fancy, there’s not even no dr who! ‘
But the BBC was quick to defend its lineup.
Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer said: ‘Nothing brings people in the UK together like Christmas on the BBC and this year we have a world class line-up like no other.
“Get ready to escape and be entertained with an incredible array of new festive shows in every genre, live or on demand, there’s something for everyone.”
Part of that ‘world-class’ line-up is The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special, which will see a number of familiar faces attempt to transform unwanted materials into something festive.
And fans of Cliff Richard can rejoice, as the King of Christmas will perform a one-hour special on BBC Two.
Cliff At Christmas will see the 82-year-old some of his classics in an East London church – as well as some of his new material.
There will be even more Ant and Dec on ITV this Christmas as the Geordie duo launch the first Christmas edition of their new Limitless Win games show
Top Gun: Maverick will stream on Paramount+ this Christmas (Pictured: Tom Cruise in the sequel)
There will also be celebratory one-off performances for big hits, including BBC’s Motherland (cast pictured) and two shows from Sir David Attenborough; Dynasties II and Frozen Planet II
“Thank God for Amazon and Netflix,” another Twitter user joked after reading the schedules.
Another called the list of programs a “horror story.”
Others were enthusiastic about the programme, as one declared: ‘Finally some great Christmas specials from the BBC this year! Looking forward to.’
‘Thank God for Amazon and Netflix’: Viewers react to Christmas TV schedule announcement
Meanwhile, on Channel 4, comedian Nish Kumar hosts Celebrity Legomasters At Christmas, in which three teams of celebrities compete in the ultimate Lego building competition.
As in recent years, the broadcaster will also show a celebratory celebrity edition of Bake Off.
Perhaps the most original offering is Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama.
In the series, Michael Sheen dramatizes the now infamous Wagatha Christie trial – dubbed the “libel trial of the century” – between WAGs Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, which captured the nation’s imagination this year.