It’s the week before Christmas, and like us, you’re probably panicking because you’ve still got loads of shopping to do. If you have a spare night when you’re not out at wild and crazy office Christmas parties or fighting the crowds on Oxford Street, here are a few suggestions to keep you entertained.

On TV, Londonist likes:

Monday, 17 December
Dispatches: How Safe Are Your Christmas Toys? (Channel 4, 21:00-22:00) If you’re Christmas shopping for kids, you may want to watch this to make sure their pressies aren’t going to be dangerous. Just in time for you to exchange those potentially hazardous gifts before the big day.

The Birth Of The Spice Girls (Living, 22:00-23:00) In the wake of Spice Girls taking over London this weekend, this is a fascinating look at the early days of the group. For a rare glimpse of Posh smiling, the girls all getting along and all five Spices looking young and fresh faced, this is sure to be entertaining viewing.

Tuesday, 18 December – Saturday, 22 December
Oliver Twist (BBC1, Tuesday 20:00-21:00, other times vary) In five episodes, this is a pre-Christmas look at Dickens’ London as Oliver Twist. Sure, there’s no singing and dancing but this new version of the classic tale is getting good reviews and is sure to be enjoyable.

Wednesday, 19 December
Growing Up Skint (BBC3, 21:00-22:00) This documentary looks at child poverty in the UK, focusing on three children including a 10 year old Bangladeshi girl in London who thinks studying is the way out of poverty.

Friday, 21 December
Olympia Horse Show: The Puissance (BBC2, 21:00-22:30) From London’s Olympia, this is live coverage of the Puissance competition. If, like us, you’ve never heard the term before, you’ll be interested to know that Puissance is high jump on horseback. What better way to relax after a long week than with some horse jumping?

Online, Londonist likes:

Glitterditch - A new blog about London? Fabulous! The more, the merrier, we say. Edited by former Londonista Siany, Glitterditch promises to

babble about London's most scandalous. Glitterditch will keep you up to date with who's doing what when they shouldn't be (and where you can see them doing it). We'll leave no party invitation unturned.

We'll be your eyes and ears into the dark world of London's trash and glamour. We'll whisper secrets into your ear that we know will dazzle you and we'll tease you with sneaky snippets about your wonderful city and the people who live and work in it.

Glitterditch promises to be dazzling, exciting and unexpected. We can't promise to be sober, quiet or well-behaved. But you wouldn't want it any other way.

As we're often too busy watching the telly to attend London's most glamorous and scandalous parties, we appreciate a blog that's willing to dish the dirt.