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Top Ten British Christmas Telly – Rich's Choice

Published Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:23:48 -0600

Last updated Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:30:02 -0600

Ho ho ho. A quick look at British telly output on the runup to Christmas Day…

1. Little Crackers. 19th December, through the week, Sky One, 9pm.

Victoria Wood and Chris O'Dowd create the first two of twelve fifteen minute films over the Christmas season about themselves as children. Wood directs a story of a Lancashire girl whose shit Christmas is transformed when she visits a very happy neighbour. And Chris O'Dowd has the nine year old Chris ambushing Father Christmas. More epidoes through the season have Stephen Fry, Catherine Tate, Jo Brand, David Baddiel, Julia Davis, Bill Bailey and Dawn French revisiting the most embarassing Christmasses of their youth.

2. Misfits. 19th December, E4, 10pm.

They're out of community service and Nathan has a job, as a store Christmas Santa. And the Misfits get the chance to sell theirs. And a very very differnt Natrivity scene indeed.

3. The Nativity, Monday 20th December, BBC1 7pm.

Four parts in four days, this is a retelling of the Christmas story by Tony Jordan (Life On Mars, Hustle) from different perspectives. Teen pregnancy, visits from angels at night and Peter Capaldi as one of the magi.

4. Miranda, 20th December, BBC1 , 8.30pm

The broad comedy about a broad broad, this episode is The Perfect Christmas. It won't be. A quiet holiday with friends away from parents's… won't be . Also catch 2010 Unwrapped With Miranda Hart on Tuesday 28th December, BBC2, 11pm.

5. Top Gear, 21st December, BBC2, 8pm.

Look, they'll be wearing Santa hats. It counts,. Top Gear returns for a new series with Clarkson, Hammond and May. I do not drive, I do not even like cars, I find Jeremy Cklarkson's politics appalling and I love this show. Ho ho ho. In this show the three wise men drive the most glamourous sports acrs in the world in the country that they were not made in, the USA, racing to New York in a Mercedes, a Ferrari and a Porsche, bearing gifts. And they review Christmas-related car tat.

6. QI, Christmas Eve, BBC1, 9.30pm

A Christmas themed, in questions and in set decoration, episode of this similutaneously high brow and low brow quiz show. Stephen Fry in the fez, his guests in the Santa suits, Daniel Radcliffe, Gtaham Norton, Lee Mack and Alan Davies.

7. Doctor Who. Christmas Day, BBC1, 6pm

Steven Moffat's ode to A Christmas Carol with a major twists. Co-stars Michael Gambon. This show will also be broadcast on BBC America at 9pm on the same day.

8. The Royle Family. Christmas Day, BBC1, 9pm

One episode a year of the show that began the naturalised audience-less sitcom boom, as the usually silent neighbour Joe gets verbose, telling a tale of Women in Love scenes of Christmasses past. And how do they all cope with the now far-too-successful Anthony?

9. Come Fly With Me, Christmas Day, BBC1, 10pm

The start of a new sitcom set in and around an airport and airline, written by and starring in many roles David Walliams and Matt Lucas. ANd yes, they black up. All together now, "we're living the high life, we're living it weeeeelllll…."

10. Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder On The Orient Express, Christmas Day, ITV1, 9pm

David Suchet returns as Poirot in this lush retelling of the most famous Poirot mystery of all, alongside David Morrissey,

The Best Of The Repeats:

Victoria Wood: Christmas With All The Trimmings. Wednesday 22nd December BBC2 8.05pm

A devastating and hilarious critique of modern BBC programming that seems incredibly foresighted in its big musical number Anne Widdecome On Ice.

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