Londonist Stays In - Sunday 23 December

By london_alice Last edited 195 months ago
Londonist Stays In - Sunday 23 December
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Have a nice relaxing Sunday in front of the telly, resting up for that last minute dash at shopping tomorrow. Here are a few options you might want to take a peek at.

On TV, Londonist likes:

Heston’s Perfect Christmas Dinner (BBC2, 14:45-15:45) If you’re feeling nervous about cooking Christmas dinner, this maybe isn’t the programme for you. You’ll very likely feel intimidated and that your dinner doesn’t match up. But if you want to see some insanely complicated and delicious looking food, you’ll want to check this out.

Charles Dickens and the Invention of Christmas (BBC1, 15:40-16:40) Clearly, Charles Dickens didn’t invent Christmas. But A Christmas Carol sure is a great Christmas story, and we can probably all recite the story in our sleep. Griff Rhys Jones takes a look the origins of our current Christmas traditions and how they stemmed in part from Dickens’ story. Want to know the origins of turkey for Christmas dinner? The answer lies here!

Noel’s Christmas Presents (Sky One, 18:00-19:30) Noel Edmonds travels the country, making Christmas dreams come true for some of Britain’s most deserving people by delivering festive presents. Now that’s some excellent sappy Christmas viewing right there.

The Most Annoying People of the Year (BBC3, 21:00-23:30) The second part of this look at the things people that irritated in the last year. Hate to love them, or love to hate them – chances are you’ve had a few conversations about these people this year.

Dawn French’s Boys Who Do Comedy (BBC1, 22:15-22:45) This is the final episode of the greatest hits version of French’s BBC4 series. It’s pretty much a can’t miss show for a few laughs. Dawn French = funny. The comedians she’s interviewing = funny. The show = funny, and surprisingly insightful. Comedy’s not all laughs, you know.

Liverpool Nativity (BBC1, 22:45-23:50) The nativity story is updated and moved to Liverpool in this drama. Starring loads of familiar Liverpool faces, this should be an interesting programme. Updating Bible stories doesn’t always work, but it’s an interesting idea.

And now for a few films:

Santa Claus – The Movie (BBC1, 11:50-13:35) We like this film. Dudley Moore stars as an elf that needs to learn the true meaning of Christmas. We don’t want to ruin the film for you, but we’re pretty sure he figures it out.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (Channel 4, 13:55-15:30) We firmly believe that SpongeBob SquarePants is some of the most surreal stuff you can see on television, and here’s the film version. With a cameo by David Hasselhoff! What’s not to love?

Miracle on 34th Street (ITV1, 14:30-16:35) It’s not nearly as good as the original, but Richard Attenborough makes a fantastic Kriss Kringle, and makes this remake worth watching. It’s a classic Christmas story, and we’re sappy and sentimental at this time of year, so we fully approve of this.

Spice World: The Movie (Living, 15:00-16:55) “Not nearly as bad as it could have been” is a great way to describe this film. The Spices are actually quite charming and likeable in this film, and if you’re not bothered by a lack of plot, you’ll probably smile at least once while watching this.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Five, 17:25-18:55) Speaking of Dickens, here’s a very entertaining version of the classic Christmas story. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge, with Kermit taking the Bob Cratchit role and Gonzo as Dickens the narrator. The songs aren’t great, but Caine looks like he’s having an awful lot of fun and who doesn’t love the Muppets?

Pan’s Labyrinth (Film4, 21:00-23:10) This is a dark, disturbing, fascinating film about a young girl dealing with the horror of war. Despite the fairy-tale elements, this is definitely not for kids, and is riveting viewing that will leave you with an awful lot to think about.

Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights (Five, 23:15-00:35) If you’re tired of all the Christmas related holiday movies, here’s one about Hanukkah. It’s had some pretty bad reviews, but if you like Adam Sandler films, you’ll find the humour familiar and funny.

Last Updated 23 December 2007