ABC TV - Programs and Schedules

As mentioned in the TV Tonight article about the final season of Jack Irish, ABC Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley yesterday revealed the broadcaster’s 2021 upfronts would be held on Wednesday, November 25.

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good to hear that Jack Irish is returning. It’s a great drama.

The ABC has produced some quality Aussie dramas over the years.

Just a note that tonight’s schedule was changed in Sydney (and perhaps in Melbourne too?), to reflect the US Presidential Elections and Planet America’s popularity:

10pm: Planet America Fireside Chat
11pm: ABC Late News
11.20pm: Mum
11.50pm: Gruen rpt
12.30am: Rage
(Primetime pre 10pm as normal)

In The Face of Terror

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Taking over from 4 Corners Monday 16 November at 8:30pm

Documentary following the stories of ordinary people fighting for truth and justice following acts of terror. The first one featured is a hostage crisis in Syria that culminated in seven beheadings by a British executioner, later dubbed Jihadi John, while the second looks at the far-right attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which 51 people were shot dead in the city’s mosques.

From BBC - 3 episode series. Screened in UK in October.

4-part ABC series Wrong Kind of Black, which debuted in August 2018, has been picked up by Netflix.

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That Christmas

Tuesday 8 November at 9:30pm

Eleven poignant, funny and powerful stories about Christmas like no other, told by the people who lived through them. Some of the storytellers are familiar faces, some are new.

Gardening Australia Christmas Special

Friday 18 December at 7.30pm

For our last show of 2020, Gardening Australia celebrates gardening as an antidote to the challenges we have faced this year. We find out how the nursery industry kept up with demand and what exciting new projects you’ve been working on at home!

Seed to Sale: Josh Byrne
Josh explores how the nursery industry has kept up with vegetable seedling production during the unprecedented demand during lockdown.

Digging for Victory: Jerry Coleby-Williams
Jerry shares useful lessons from a wartime campaign that saw home gardens repurposed for local food production.

COVID Cul-de-sac: Tino Carnevale
Tino meets a gardener who turned a traffic island into an edible haven to beat the isolation blues.

A Blooming Century: Costa Georgiadis
Costa lends a hand to a centenarian gardener who’s been cultivating her beautiful backyard since 1950!

Cherry Ripe: Jane Edmanson
Jane finds out what it takes to produce tonnes of delicious cherries in time for Christmas.

My Garden Path
We meet a nature photographer who embraced having less work and extra time in 2020 by documenting the creation of his dream vegie patch.

Christmas Craft: Sophie Thomson
Sophie shows us how to make tasteful Christmas decorations, using inspiration from your own garden!

Maggie Beer in Japan

Tuesday 15 December at 9:30pm

Maggie has been intrigued by Japanese food for 20 years and has decided its finally time to put her fears aside and travel to Japan to master its flavours.

Maggie Beer’s cooking has always been inspired by the use of the freshest local produce in season and she describes herself as a Mediterranean cook who lives in the Barossa, SA. But she has a food secret; for 20 years she has been intrigued by Japanese food.

In this feature documentary, Maggie sets off to Japan, fired by her love of learning and a challenge to produce an exciting Japanese inspired feast for her Barossa friends.

We join her in Tokyo, then travel across the mountains north to rural Noto Peninsula, and finally south to Osaka. During this journey she meets chefs, eats their food, and joins their lives - and in true Maggie style, there is a lot of laughter and love.

Are they going to repeat that classic UK Christmas show where they film office work Xmas parties? Wish they had made new ones.

Week commencing 22 November 2020

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Sunday 22 November
7:40pm Restoration Australia
8:40pm Roadkill
9:40pm Total Control Rpt
10:30pm Killing Eve: Killing Eve: Nice and Neat Rpt
11:15pm Australian Made Rpt

Monday 23 November
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm In The Face of Terror
9:25pm Media Watch
9:40pm Q+A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:15pm Nigella’s Christmas Table Rpt

Tuesday 24 November
8:00pm Outback Ringer
8:30pm Wayne
10:05pm Searching For Superhuman: Bionic People
11:05pm ABC Late News
11:35pm Q+A Rpt

Wednesday 25 November
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm Reputation Rehab
9:35pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
10:20pm QI: Quills Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:25pm Media Watch Rpt
11:40pm Tick F***ing Tock Rpt

Thursday 26 November
8:00pm Scottish Vets Down Under
8:30pm Griff’s Great Kiwi Road Trip: Get Some Number 8 Wire Rpt
9:20pm Death In Paradise: Beyond The Shining Sea (Part One) Rpt
10:20pm Anh’s Brush With Fame: Dannii Minogue Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:25pm Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends: Christianity Rpt

Friday 27 November
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Vera: Young Gods Rpt
10:00pm Mum
10:30pm ABC Late News
10:50pm Gruen Rpt
11:35pm rage

Saturday 28 November
7:30pm Victoria: A Public Inconvenience
8:20pm Shetland Rpt
9:20pm Endeavour: Lazaretto Rpt
10:50pm Poldark Rpt
11:55pm rage Guest Programmer

ABC will be repeating the 6-part Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip from Monday 7 December at 9:30pm.

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Extinction With David Attenborough

Sunday 6 December at 7:40pm

With a million species at risk of extinction, David Attenborough explores how this crisis of biodiversity has consequences for us all, including putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases.

Over the course of his career Sir David Attenborough has encountered some of the world’s most extraordinary animals and plants. But many of these wonders now seem set to disappear from our planet forever. Last year with support from the United Nations, some 500 scientists from around the world carried out their most comprehensive assessment of the natural world. Their findings revealed that the huge variety of life onearth, known as biodiversity is being lost at a rate never seen before in human history. This means l million species are at risk of extinction; 500,000 insects and 500,000 other animals and plants.

Bringing together ecologists, biologists, economists and environmental lawyers, Extinction - The Facts examines why biodiversity loss is happening and what it means not just for the natural world but for every one of us. The loss of biodiversity threatens food and water security, it undermines our ability to control our climate and even puts us at greater risk of pandemic diseases.

Leading experts including Sir Robert Watson and plant scientist Prof Kathy Willis explain how all groups in the natural world are in decline and that extinction is now happening up to 100 times faster than the natural evolutionary rate. In Kenya we meet conservationist James Mwenda who has seen the number of Northern White rhinos dwindle from seven to just two. The last remaining pair are mother and daughter Najin and Fatou. This issue is about more than the loss of individual species. What we now know is that everything in the natural world is connected in networks that support the whole of life on earth; including us. We are losing many of the services that nature provides to us.

London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year

From Tuesday 15 December at 8:30pm

London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year is a new fly-on-the-wall series filmed at the iconic London Zoo and its sister site Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire during the nationwide U.K. lockdown.

Get into the Christmas spirit with ABC this December

Join the ABC this December as we bring you a cracking line up of Christmas television guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit as 2020 wraps up.

Australia’s favourite Blue Heeler family is kicking off the gift giving with Christmas Swim , a brand new Yuletide episode of Bluey , premiering on ABC Kids on Tuesday 1 December at 8am (with an encore screening on ABC on Christmas Eve ahead of the 7pm News). When the Heelers gather for a classic Aussie Christmas, Bluey gets a new teddy and introduces him to the whole family. But the family play too rough with him and now he wants to go home, until Frisky convinces him to stay. The fun continues on ABC Kids with Play School’s Our Celebrations on Monday 14 December at 9am. Our Celebrations features different festivals and joyous moments celebrated in multicultural Australia.

Crowd pleasers Gardening Australia and Spicks and Specks return for specials, with episodes on Friday 18 December at 7.30pm and Sunday 20th at 7.40pm, respectively. Lockdowns and isolation have brought more people to gardening than ever before, keeping us healthy in both mind and body, entertained and fed. Gardening Australia meets some ‘Covid gardeners’, visits a cherry farm and indulges in some garden-inspired Christmas craft; while the Spicks and Specks crew Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by musicians Kate Miller Heidke and Vance Joy and comedians Claire Hooper and Luke McGregor as they relive the music of the 2010s - the decade that finally managed to convince kids that flossing was cool.

Australia’s second favourite news satire show explores and analyses the meaning and significance of the happiest day of the year in Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell – Pagan Holiday Special on Sunday 20 December at 8:35pm on ABC. Join Micallef and his team as they take audiences on a journey through the miracle of the world’s most beloved holiday eve, without once mentioning the word ‘Christmas’.

Has Tom Gleeson finally met his match in this year’s Hard Quiz Christmas Special ? Airing on Wednesday 23 December at 7.30pm, four contestants aged between 10 and 12 years old will try to prove they’re the smartest kids in the room and may even knock Tom off his high horse while they’re at it. This is followed by Charlie Pickering and The Weekly team who emerge from their plague bunker at 8pm to wrap 2020. Was it the worst year ever? Have you washed your hands? Can we even remember what happened in January? All will be revealed in The Yearly …from a safe distance.

The laughs continue on ABC COMEDY with ‘12 Days of Christmas’, commencing with Sammy J’s 2020 Dumpster Fire Spectacular on Sunday 13 December at 9.10pm. From the Ballad of Dunny Roll to the Government Coach’s historic address on the essential nature of hairdressers, join Sammy J and friends as they look back on an objectively dreadful 12 months. Other highlights include new Christmas episodes of Live At The Apollo on Saturday, 19th December at 9.30pm and Would I Lie To You? on Wednesday, 23rd December at 9.20pm.

On Tuesday, 8 December at 9.30pm a line-up of seasoned storytellers, including Richard Glover, Benjamin Law, Dr Norman Swan, Blak Douglas and Di Morrisey bring us That Christmas – eleven poignant, funny and powerful festive tales about past Christmas experiences like no other.

Also coming to ABC this December will be a new series from culinary queen Nigella Lawson, Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat , the much-revered Royal Variety Performance and Christmas specials from popular dramas Call the Midwife and Doctor Who (airdates for all four programs are yet to be confirmed).

Ever-popular cook Nigella Lawson returns to share the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen, introducing viewers to a number of delicious new recipes made with her favourite ingredients. Follow the prolific chef as she crafts some mouth-watering dishes for Christmas in a special episode.

Multi-award-winning drama series Call the Midwife is back for festive fun. This year the medics and midwives of Nonnatus embark on a trip to the remote yet idyllic Scottish island, where residents have a desperate need of their services. Exposed to the elements, they operate in bleak conditions with limited access to water and electricity to help their patients, just in time to reconvene in Poplar for Christmas.

Doctor Who’s biggest and most feared enemies the Daleks return in Revolution of the Daleks . The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) is locked away in a high-security alien prison. Isolated, alone, with no hope of escape. Far away, on Earth, her best friends, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham have to pick up their lives without her. But it’s not easy. Old habits die hard. Especially when they discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek, without the Doctor?

Week commencing 29 November 2020

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Sunday 29 November
7:40pm Restoration Australia: Mittagong, NSW
8:40pm Movie: The Child In Time (2017)
10:10pm Total Control Rpt
11:00pm Killing Eve: The Hungry Caterpillar Rpt
11:45pm No Offence Rpt

Monday 30 November
8:00pm Australian Story Season Final
8:30pm In The Face of Terror
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q+A Season Final
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:15pm Harrow: Abo Imo Pectore Rpt

Tuesday 1 December
8:00pm Outback Ringer
8:30pm Wild Australia: After the Fires
9:30pm Searching For Superhuman: Immortality
10:25pm Insert Name Here: Rob Rpt
11:00pm ABC Late News
11:30pm A Berry Royal Christmas Rpt

Wednesday 2 December
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm Reputation Rehab
9:35pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
10:20pm QI: Queens Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:25pm Media Watch Rpt
11:40pm The Leunig Fragments Rpt

Thursday 3 December
8:00pm Scottish Vets Down Under
8:30pm Griff’s Great Kiwi Road Trip: Get Some Number 8 Wire Rpt
9:20pm Death In Paradise: Beyond The Shining Sea (Part Two) Rpt
10:20pm Anh’s Brush With Fame: Deborah Hutton Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:25pm Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends: Head For The Hills Rpt

Friday 4 December
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Reef Live
9:30pm Attenborough At 90: Behind The Lens Rpt
10:20pm Mum: July
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:10pm Gruen Rpt
11:45pm rage

Saturday 5 December
7:30pm Victoria: The White Elephant Season Final
8:20pm Call The Midwife: Christmas Special Rpt
9:50pm Endeavour: Harvest
11:20pm Poldark

QI Christmas Special

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Wednesday 23 December at 9:00pm

Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies and guests explore things starting with the letter Q.

In this ‘Quizmas’ festive edition of QI, host Sandi Toksvig is joined by regular panellist Alan Davies and guests Johnny Vegas, Sara Pascoe and Josh Widdicombe.

Among the fascinating topics discussed are the aquatic equivalent of a sheepdog, why ice is slippery, and how big Dumbo’s ears would have to be in order to fly.

Plus, Sara reveals how her mother ruined the show for everyone and Alan achieves something he has wanted to do since QI first began.

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Week commencing 6 December 2020

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Sunday 6 December
7:40pm Extinction With David Attenborough
8:40pm Reef Live Season Final
9:40pm Total Control Rpt
10:30pm Killing Eve: Desperate Times Rpt
11:15pm No Offence Rpt

Monday 7 December
8:00pm Australian Story Season Final
8:30pm Countdown To Disaster
9:30pm Media Watch Season Final
9:50pm Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip: Perth to Kalgoorlie Find a Sandgroper Rpt
10:40pm ABC Late News
10:55pm Harrow: Audere Est Facere Rpt
11:50pm No Offence Rpt

Tuesday 8 December
8:00pm Outback Ringer
8:30pm London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year
9:30pm That Christmas
10:30pm Insert Name Here: Xmas Rpt
11:00pm ABC Late News
11:15pm Christmas At St Paul’s Rpt

Wednesday 9 December
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm Reputation Rehab OK Karen
9:35pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
10:20pm QI: Quantity and Quality
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:05pm Media Watch Rpt

Thursday 10 December
8:00pm Scottish Vets Down Under
8:30pm Rick Stein’s Secret France Series Premiere
9:20pm Death In Paradise: Murder on the Airwaves Rpt
10:20pm Anh’s Brush With Fame: Alan Jones Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:05pm When Louis Met Paul And Debbie Rpt

Friday 11 December
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Vera: Prodigal Son Rpt
10:05pm Mum: September
10:35pm ABC Late News
10:50pm Gruen Rpt
11:25pm rage

Saturday 12 December
7:30pm Midsomer Murders: The Ghost Of Causton Abbey Rpt
9:00pm Endeavour: Muse Rpt
10:35pm Sherlock: The Six Thatchers Rpt

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Antiques Roadshow - Season 40

From Sunday, 27 December, 6.00pm

Episode 1: The magnificent Castle Howard in Yorkshire is first stop as thousands of visitors raid their attics to bring in family heirlooms to show the experts. Objects brought to light suggest that four decades on there are plenty of unrecognised and valuable pieces still out there.


Joanna Lumley’s Unseen Adventures

From Sunday, 17 January, 7.40pm

Actress, presenter, and much-loved travelling companion Joanna Lumley returns withthis brand-new three-part series, to share her previously unseen travelling adventures.Joanna goes back as far east as Japan and across the world to Cuba in the west, to share her treasure trove of unseen stories and give viewers an insight into how her travel programs are made and why she loves to make them.

Featuring behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes, we join Joanna at home as she recalls some of her most memorable journeys and hidden gems from her travels.

The series offers viewers the chance to escape back to some incredible countries and enjoy their breathtaking scenery, with the added joy of witnessing what really happened along the way - from translation struggles, to filming with an overzealous dog and the challenges of extreme weather conditions.

“I’ve been lucky enough to visit some incredible places over the years. Travel is my passion; it is in my blood. What you eventually see on your screen takes weeks to shoot and months to edit and we didn’t always have time to show you everything we filmed. We have kept the unseen stories safe and now I can reveal this treasure trove!” Joanna Lumley.

Produced by Burning Bright Productions. Producer, Ewen Thomson. Executive Producer, Clive Tulloh. Executive Producer, Joanna Lumley.

Episode 1: Japan to Siberia

Travel is Joanna Lumley’s passion. She has travelled the world, thousands of miles that take weeks to shoot and months to edit. Inevitably, she has never been able to show us everything – but now she is revealing unseen stories and special moments of how these journeys are made, and why she loves making them. Starting in the Far East on the frozen Japanese sea of Okhotsk, she takes us across China, Mongolia, and ends at Lake Baikal in Siberia, where she meets some amazing seals.

Week commencing 13 December 2020

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Sunday 13 December
7:40pm Climate Change: The Facts Rpt
8:40pm Danny and the Human Zoo
10:10pm Total Control Rpt
11:00pm Killing Eve: Smell Ya Later Rpt
11:45pm No Offence Rpt

Monday 14 December
8:00pm Stan Grant’s One Plus One: Alex McKinnon Season Premiere
8:30pm Danny and the Human Zoo
9:30pm Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip: Rawalinna to Sydney What is an Australian? Rpt
10:20pm ABC Late News
10:35pm Harrow: Malum In Se Rpt
11:30pm No Offence Rpt

Tuesday 15 December
8:00pm Outback Ringer
8:30pm London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year Season Final
9:30pm Maggie Beer In Japan
10:30pm Insert Name Here: Xmas
11:05pm ABC Late News
11:20pm Lucy Worsley’s Christmas Carol Odyssey Rpt

Wednesday 16 December
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen Season Final
9:05pm Reputation Rehab One Bad Joke Season Final
10:20pm QI: Quads and Quins
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Pool: Our Battleground

Thursday 17 December
7:30pm 7.30 Season Final
8:00pm Scottish Vets Down Under
8:30pm Rick Stein’s Secret France
9:20pm Death In Paradise: Murder on the Airwaves Rpt Season Final
10:20pm Anh’s Brush With Fame: Saroo Brierley Rpt
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:10pm Louis Theroux: Louis & The Nazis Rpt

Friday 18 December
7:30pm Gardening Australia Christmas Special Season Final
8:30pm Vera: On Harbour Street Rpt
10:05pm Mum: Mum Season Final
10:35pm ABC Late News
10:50pm Gruen Rpt
11:30pm rage

Saturday 19 December
7:30pm Midsomer Murders: Death Of The Small Coppers Rpt
9:00pm Endeavour: Cartouche Rpt
10:35pm Sherlock: The Lying Detective Rpt

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Danny and the Human Zoo

Sunday 13 December at 8.40pm

A heart-warming, comic feature drama, loosely based on actor and comedian Lenny Henry’s life as a working-class teenager in 1970s Dudley.

The story centres around Danny Fearon (Kascion Franklin), a talented impressionist, and his working class Jamaican family. When Danny wins a talent competition at the local club he soon finds himself working the comedy circuit, eventually hitting the big time on TV, an unheard-of achievement for a young black boy. Danny has it all – fame, fortune, and the girl of his dreams.

But Danny’s new life isn’t all it seems. Exploited by an unscrupulous agent, Danny’s success drives a wedge between him and his family, including his colorful, high-spirited mother (Cecilia Noble) and pragmatic father, portrayed by Lenny Henry. Having made his name by becoming other people, Danny has to save himself by finding out who he really is.


Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat

From Friday 1 January at 7.30pm

Nigella is back on our screens with the new series Cook, Eat, Repeat. Once again viewers can revel in the joy that Nigella and her food brings. Nigella’s calm unhurried approach and genuine pleasure in the food she makes, and eats will inspire everyone with a range of recipes that takes the most familiar of ingredients and simply elevates them to a different plane. This is home cooking at its best, combining simplicity and innovation to deliver unforgettable food that as the title suggests we will want to cook again and again.

Over 6 episodes Cook, Eat, Repeat will see Nigella at her most witty and thoughtful revealing where she finds inspiration for her recipes, from delving into her collection of vintage cookbooks to exchange ideas on social media. In this series Nigella gets to the heart of how food is woven into our everyday lives and the connection it provides - she’ll share the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen through a multitude of delicious recipes that will bring weekly servings of comfort and cheer to the nation.

Cook, Eat, Repeat debuted on the BBC on November 9 and episode 7 (scheduled for UK on December 21) is a one-hour Christmas special. It was Nigella’s first show since COVID-19 lockdown in Britain.

Strange that the ABC only provided synopses for episode 3 and episode 4 for Rick Stein’s Secret France. Where’s episode 1 and 2? There are six episodes in the series.

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Week commencing 20 December 2020

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Sunday 20 December
7:40pm Spicks and Specks: 2010s Special
8:35pm Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell Pagan Holiday Special
9:35pm Total Control Rpt
10:25pm Killing Eve: I Hope You Like Missionary! Rpt
11:10pm No Offence Rpt
11:55pm Endeavour: Cartouche Rpt

Monday 21 December
7:30pm Hard Quiz
8:00pm Stan Grant’s One Plus One: Poh Ling Yeow
8:30pm Australia Remastered: Wild Alps
9:30pm Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip: Brisbane to Cairns Try Not Die Rpt
10:15pm Tomorrow Tonight Rpt
10:45pm ABC Late News
11:05pm Harrow: Aegri Somnia Rpt
11:55pm No Offence Rpt

Tuesday 22 December
7:30pm Hard Quiz
8:00pm Outback Ringer Season Final
8:30pm Mystify Michael Hutchence
10:15pm The Queen’s Green Planet Rpt
11:00pm Christmas Sounds Better This Year Rpt
12:00am ABC Late News

Wednesday 23 December
7:30pm Hard Quiz Kids Special
8:00pm The Yearly With Charlie Pickering 2020
9:00pm Would I Lie To You At Christmas? Rpt
9:30pm QI: Pubs Rpt
10:00pm Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell Pagan Holiday Special Rpt
11:00pm ABC Late News
11:20pm Score: A Film Music Documentary Rpt

Thursday 24 December
7:30pm Spicks And Specks Reunion Special Rpt
8:30pm Would I Lie To You?: At Christmas
9:00pm QI: Quizmas
9:35pm Mystify Michael Hutchence Rpt
11:10pm Sammy J’s 2020 Dumpster Fire Spectacular Rpt

:christmas_tree: Friday 25 December :christmas_tree:
7:30pm The Royal Variety Performance 2020
9:30pm Midsomer Murders: The Christmas Haunting Rpt
11:00pm ABC Late News
11:20pm rage

Saturday 26 December
7:30pm Call The Midwife Christmas Special
8:55pm Endeavour: Passenger Rpt
10:20pm Sherlock: The Final Problem Rpt
11:55pm rage Guest Programmer