Call the Midwife brings a cracking festive special for Christmas Day...
There's little better than Christmas TV, and today Call the Midwife is back with a festive special, Zog and the Flying Doctors will delight the whole family, and a celebrity-packed Blankety Blank will test your knowledge. Here's what you shouldn’t miss tonight.
- Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include three TV shows, a film and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set
- Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis
- For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide
What's on TV tonight
Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...
Best TV shows on TV tonight
Call the Midwife, 7.40pm, BBC1
The circus comes to town in this year’s cracking Christmas special. But ailing ringmaster Mr Percival (played by guest star Peter Davison) and his pregnant daughter Jaquetta soon require medical attention... With another moving birth, a hospital stay for Sister Monica Joan, a surprising present for Trixie and wry scenes as Phyllis and Miss Higgins discuss their dream Christmas, it’s jam-packed with warmth, wonder and moments that will make you weep – all cleverly filmed within COVID-19 guidelines. ★★★★★ CC
Mrs Brown’s Boys, 10pm, BBC1
Agnes and the family are trying to navigate the ‘new normal’ as we join them for Christmas Day. But don’t worry, as even a pandemic can’t stop the hilarious hi-jinks we’ve come to expect chez Brown! In the first of two seasonal specials (there’s another on New Year’s Day), Father Damien comes to Agnes for advice about his festive sermon, and the residents of Finglas are on their guard as a flasher called Knickie Knackie Dickie is giving the locals an eyeful! ★★★★ JH
Zog and the Flying Doctors, 2.35pm, BBC1
Like Brussels sprouts and mistletoe, an animated adventure inspired by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s children’s books has become a festive TV tradition. This sequel to 2018’s Zog follows the daring dragon (voiced by W1A’s Hugh Skinner) as he teams up with Princess Pearl and Sir Gadabout. But when Pearl’s uncle, the king (Rob Brydon), disapproves and locks her in the palace, how will she escape? Sir Lenny Henry narrates this future classic. ★★★★ RM
Blankety Blank, 7pm, BBC1
It feels as though it belongs to a bygone age of TV, but iconic game show Blankety Blank just keeps on coming back! With previous hosts having included Sir Terry Wogan, Les Dawson and Lily Savage, these are big shoes to fill, but Bradley Walsh, who presides over hit ITV quiz The Chase, is a safe pair of hands. The celebrity guests trying to fill in the blanks in this one-off are comics Sue Perkins and Jimmy Carr, boxer Amir Khan, presenter Anita Rani, McFly’s Danny Jones and Silent Witness star Emilia Fox. A nostalgic treat. ★★★ IM
Quentin Blake’s Clown, 7.40pm, C4
Helena Bonham Carter narrates this animation based on Quentin Blake’s classic tale. A little toy clown is thrown away alongside a mismatched bunch of other toys. But undeterred, the clown sets out on an adventure to find them all a new home where they will be loved and played with. On the way he must navigate scary streets, vicious dogs, and an unexpected school assembly! A real treat to see Quentin’s unmistakable drawing style brought to life. ★★★★ JL
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Call the Midwife, BBC iPlayer, series 1 to 9
Call the Midwife is back on BBC1 for a Christmas special today, so why not binge watch the entire nine series before you tune in? Or, if you're new to Call the Midwife, now is your chance to catch up on all the drama from Poplar. Based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife follows a group of midwifes in the poverty-stricken East End of London in the 1950s.
Best film to watch on TV tonight
Coco, 3.10pm, BBC1
A 12-year-old Mexican Boy, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez goes in search of his musical idol and gets stuck in the land of the dead in this Oscar-winning animation.
Soaps on TV tonight
- Emmerdale, 6.00pm
- Coronation Street, 7.00pm
- EastEnders, 9.10pm
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss the heart-warming Call The Midwife Christmas Special - what better way to spend your Christmas evening?
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
