Christmas Day’s best TV: Torvill & Dean; Call the Midwife; Christmas Bake Off (original) (raw)
Torvill & Dean
9.15pm, ITV
Missing the Royle Family this Christmas? This earthy biopic might fill the gap. It stars Poppy Lee Friar and Will Tudor as the UK’s beloved ice-dance titans, and is an unexpected gold-medal delight, dramatising the familial tensions of their working-class childhoods in Nottingham with sharp wit, a killer soundtrack and an abundance of heart. As job pressures and emotional setbacks pile up, Jayne and Christopher’s partnership is put under increasing pressure; will they unravel before we hear that fateful Bolero? You may already know the answer. Graeme Virtue
Zog
4.50pm, BBC One
Kit Harington and Lenny Henry provide voices for an animated rendering of the story about young dragon Zog’s brave efforts to impress his teacher and win a gold star: the moral being “If at first you don’t succeed … ” Parents beware: once this has been added to iPlayer you may never be allowed to watch anything else again on your TV – ever! Mike Bradley
Call the Midwife Christmas Special
7.45pm, BBC One
There is a winning formula at work here – an exodus, a tragedy, a nail-biting delivery to finish – so it is no surprise that this year the nuns of St Nonnatus are delayed from their trip to elect a new Mother Superior by the rumbustious arrival of Sister Mildred (Miriam Margolyes) and four Chinese orphans. MB
The Great Christmas Bake Off
8pm, Channel 4
It looks suspiciously summery outside as the extended Bake Off family assemble in their Christmas jumpers, but who cares when it is this much fun? Past contestants Flo, Andrew, Jake and Liam do battle for the title of Christmas star baker, hoping to impress Prue Leith and Paul “The Grinch” Hollywood. MB
Upstart Crow: A Crow Christmas Carol
8.35pm, BBC Two
The Shakespearean sitcom’s clever take on A Christmas Carol minimises the show’s agonising “let’s hope that never happens!” hindsight humour and instead plays to the strengths of its supporting cast: Mark Heap as Will’s nemesis; and Dominic Coleman, on fire as a supremely catty thespian. Jack Seale
Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special
10.15pm, BBC One
Everyone likes a good mystery show: here the mystery continues as to why this series rides higher than Santa’s reindeer in the ratings. Agnes wants to enter a Christmas-decoration competition, but has to tear herself away from her new wifi assistant first. Pinnacles of wit include “arse”, and a raspberry noise. David Stubbs
Film choice
Keira Knightley as Georgiana in The Duchess. Photograph: Paramount/Everett/Rex
The Duchess (Saul Dibb, 2008) 10.15pm, BBC Two
This lush costume drama stars Keira Knightley as an 18th-century Lady Di chosen to wed the surly Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). There is much bedding – she has an affair with future PM Charles Grey, among others – but the intelligence of Amanda Foreman’s source biography remains intact. Paul Howlett
Live sport
Basketball: New York Knicks v Milwaukee Bucks 5pm, Sky Sports Main Event. NBA action. Houston v Oklahoma, Boston v Philadelphia and Golden State v LA Lakers follows.
Test cricket: New Zealand v Sri Lanka 9.55pm, Sky Sports Cricket. First day of the second Test.
Test cricket: Australia v India 11.15pm, BT Sport 1. MCG hosts the Boxing Day Test.