It’s almost Christmas! Over the Christmas holidays, we’ll be here every day recommending the best of what’s on television. We’ll do the hard work, slogging through the TV listings, and let you sit back with a nice hot drink and a mince pie. Enjoy!
On TV, Londonist likes:
Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 17:50-19:15 and 21:25-22:10) While we haven’t been keeping up with the excitement of this year’s dancing fun, we know lots of you are big fans. Be sure not to miss the final dance competition, and then the results programme.
Britain Sings Christmas (ITV1, 19:15-20:15) Just the thing to get you in the Christmas spirit! Celebrity carol singers performing Britain’s favourite Christmas songs, from traditional hymns to pop hits. And they’re raising money for The Prince’s Trust, which is always nice.
TOTP2 Christmas Special (BBC2, 19:45-21:25) If you’re in the mood for a more pop style of Christmas, here’s just the thing. Festive classics (which pretty much means Christmas songs, and Christmas number ones that have only a vague association with Christmas) from Slade, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Destiny’s Child, Kylie Minogue and the Darkness among others.
Parkinson: The Final Show (ITV1, 20:15-23:20) The end of an era – it’s Parky’s last show! He’s chosen the clips himself, so don’t expect any embarrassing fiascos. We’re guessing this will be a bit more on the sentimental side, but there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
Xmas Turkey On The Telly (BBC4, 21:30-22:00) A clip show full of festive food preparation from classic shows should inspire you to make an amazing Christmas dinner. If you’ve ever wondered how many “stuffing” jokes there are, this should definitely help you out.
The Most Annoying People of 2007 (BBC3, 22:10-00:40) This is by far our favourite of the end of year list shows. Most annoying people? We love to moan about annoying people! How delightful! We’re just wondering where Pete Doherty’s going to finish – can someone beat him to the top spot?
And a few films Londonist likes:
Ice Age (ITV2, 19:45-21:15) If you’re still suffering from a last-day-at-the-office-work-drinks hangover, we always think a nice animated film is just the ticket. This one’s quite funny, and by far our favourite mammoth related cartoon.
The Last Picture Show (Five US, 23:00-01:25) Not Christmassy in any way, this is still a great film. Cybill Shepherd is both gorgeous and in the role of her career as the young small town Texan girl in this tribute to the 1950s. It’s in black and white, but don’t let that put you off.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (BBC2, 23:05-01:00) You either like Wes Anderson films, or you don’t. And if you’re not sure which camp you fall into, this film is worth watching just for the roving guitarist singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese. Seriously.
