PICKS OF THE DAY: CHRISTMAS EVE, WHAT TO WATCH

What to watch today, Wednesday 24th December 2025.

 The Great Celebrity Sewing Bee

Brand new host Sophie Willan takes the helm as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young put four celebrities’ sewing skills to the test. They welcome into the sewing room professional dancer and Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke, comedian Lucy Beaumont, actress Susan Wakoma and Gladiator Tom Wilson aka Hammer.

 Two Doors Down

When Eric and Beth put their tree up earlier than usual, they unwittingly kick off the Christmas season in Latimer Crescent. What starts as a simple decoration quickly turns into a flurry of festive activity as neighbours start to gear up for the holidays in their own unique ways.

 Gone Christmas Fishing

Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and terrier Ted head to Devon and Cornwall for their festive treat this year. Arriving by their traditional transport of an old steam train, they fish the stunning rivers Lyd and Camel in Devon and head out to sea in Cornwall on a traditional fishing boat.

 The Room In The Tower

The BBC's 2025 ghost story for Christmas, Mark Gatiss's adaptation of EF Benson's The Room in the Tower. It's 1944, and while sheltering during an air raid, Roger strikes up a conversation with Verity, a Wren. When he asks if she dreams, he begins to recount the haunting vision that has followed him for most of his life: a recurring dream of a mysterious house, a silent family on the lawn and an unseen, unidentified terror lurking in the room in the tower.

 Finding Father Christmas

Follows 16-year-old Chris (BAFTA TV Award winner Lenny Rush, Am I Being Unreasonable?, A Woman of Substance), who still wholeheartedly believes in Father Christmas. His concerned dad (BAFTA TV Award nominee James Buckley, The Inbetweeners) decides it’s finally time to have “the talk” and tell him the truth. But Chris refuses to give up on Santa and embarks on a madcap mission to prove his dad wrong. 

Joined by his cousin Holly (Ele Mckenzie, Funboys), Chris’s journey takes him into the heart of a Christmas conspiracy. Along the way he meets a cabal of scientists and thinkers – including Stephen Fry, Hannah Fry, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, and Jason Fox – who seem to know the truth about Santa and may have cracked the science behind his apparent magical feats. 

 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Jimmy Carr hosts a festive edition of the comedy words-and-numbers quiz, with Jon Richardson and Daisy May Cooper taking on Rob Beckett and Judi Love. Katie Norris is in Dictionary Corner, while Countdown regulars Rachel Riley and Susie Dent are on hand to adjudicate.

 The Last Leg

Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker get into the festive spirit with the help of funnyman Harry Hill and TV presenter Alison Hammond, with Rick Astley on hand for a spot of music and chat, as the team present their own brand of comedy and seasonal cheer.

 All Creatures Great & Small

It’s Christmas 1945, the first peacetime Christmas after the war. With Helen feeling under the weather, it’s fallen on James to take on the Darrowby Nativity play. Siegfried is back at Mrs Stokes’ Farm to see Hilda the goat, who’s been up to more mischief and, true to form, gives Siegfried the run-around. Will Siegfried’s drench solution do the trick?

Christmas dinner is in very short supply this year, so Mrs Hall is keen to enter the Drovers' darts competition and scoop the first prize; a fresh turkey. Maggie reminds Tristan he’s supposed to be supplying the Christmas tree and he covers himself, but of course, he’d forgotten. Charlotte resolves to help him.