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Christmas TV specials you must watch

Between the Downton Christmas special and the Strictly Come Dancing festive evening, TV at Christmas time is always an absolute treat. So stuff yourself silly and switch between BBC and ITV.
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1

Call the Midwife

Bangs, Vintage clothing, Acting, Cuff,
This year takes us back to 1960 where Chummy is charged with bringing some festive joy to a mother and baby home. 

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2

Top Gear

Leg, Sitting, Hat, People in nature, Fire, Sun hat, Bonfire, Lap, Campfire, Fedora,
This year's Top Gear Christmas special takes place in South America. 

Watch the guys take on Patagonia in a two parter.

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3

The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm

Performing arts, Band plays, Stage, heater, Drum, Drama, Costume, Baggage, Acting, Vintage clothing,
Harry Hill gets into costume for his Christmas efforts this year.

The drama follows the story of an eccentric with a crazy idea or two.

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4

Miranda

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Miranada comes to an end this Christmas. 

Giving her a romantic send off she has to choose between two different proposals. Who will she chose?

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5

Esio Trot, BBC

Flowerpot, People in nature, Conversation, Houseplant, Spring, Garden, Floristry, Annual plant, Gesture, Flower Arranging,
Dame Judy Dench and Dustin Hoffman star in a one off Christmas special of the Roald Dahl classic Esio Trot.

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6

Black Mirror

Text, Font, Darkness, Black-and-white, Brand, Graphics, Graphic design,
Charlie Brooker's dark comedy is back for a festive special. 

This time Mad Men's John Hamm is involved.

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7

Downton Abbey ITV

Winter, Branch, Astronomical object, Freezing, Twig, Landmark, Woody plant, Star, Snow, Space,
Season 5 of Downton Abbey comes to a close with its annual Christmas episode on 25 December.

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8

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell BBC

Hair, Face, Human, Leg, Human body, Jeans, Flowerpot, Denim, Houseplant, Lap,
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a magical book adaptation, perfect for the festive season.

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9

Strictly Come Dancing BBC

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Strictly's one-off festive speical will return for more sparkling fun with the likes of Darcey Bussell, and Tess Daly.

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10

Doctor Who BBC

Winter, Astronomical object, Fictional character, Holiday, Dress, Space, Snow, Star, Midnight, Christmas decoration,
Doctor Who takes his adventures to the North Pole to meet a certain Mr Claus.

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11

Text Santa ITV

Eyewear, Coat, Dress shirt, Hairstyle, Collar, Shirt, Outerwear, Suit, Formal wear, Blazer,
Downton Abbey gets an A-List guest this Christmas as George Clooney appears in the celebrity special.

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12

For The Love Of Dogs ITV

Eyewear, Glasses, Human, Vision care, Carnivore, Dog breed, Dog, Vertebrate, Comfort, Mammal,
Paul O'Gardy is bringing a festive twist to his For The Love of Dogs. As we know, dogs are not just for Christmas.

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Lifestyle

adapted from the best selling novel by andrea mara, "all her fault" opens on a terrifying situation that eventually unearths the deep secrets of a community. marissa irvine (sarah snook, "succession") arrives at 14 arthur avenue, expecting to pick up her young son milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. but the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognizes. she isn’t the nanny. she doesn’t have milo. and so begins every parent’s worst nightmare. also stars emmy nominee jake lacy ("the white lotus"), dakota fanning ("the perfect couple") and michael peña ("unstoppable").

All Her Fault is every parent's worst nightmare

the iris affair is a tense and cinematic chase thriller that pits two brilliant minds against each other in a deadly game of hide and seek across italy. when enigmatic genius iris nixon (algar) cracks a string of complex online puzzles, she’s led to a piazza in florence where she meets charismatic entrepreneur cameron beck (hollander). he invites her to come and work for him to unlock a powerful and top secret piece of technology. her curiosity piqued, she accepts. but when iris discovers its dangerous potential, she steals the journal containing the device’s activation sequence—and vanishes. what follows is a relentless pursuit, from a remote cabin in sardinia through the bustling streets of rome, as cameron races to find iris in a high stakes game where trust is dangerous and failure could be catastrophic.

Escape with Italy-set thriller The Iris Affair

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