TV Guide 2023-12-23
Saturday 23rd brings us The Hit List, The Weakest Link and Blankety Blank (all BBC1).
Christmas Eve has Christmas Bake Off (C4), some new creations on The Big Bake (ITVBe), and The Radio Wales Christmas Quiz (Radio Wales).
Christmas Day has the annual Strictly Come Dancing and The Wheel specials (BBC1). The Masked Singer heads ITV, with Stephen Mulhern's In for a Penny and The 1% Club flanking. Channel 4 offers The Piano and The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Boxing St Stephen's Day has The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4), and Tipping Point (ITV). On Wednesday, World's Strongest Man moves into its finals (C5).
Thursday has The Big Quiz (2) with ITV's big soaps and Stephen Mulhern; and Masterchef The Critics Challenge, where the opinionated hacks put their mouths where their words are. On Friday, Christmas University Challenge finds the winner (BBC2), and Would I Lie to You? begins a new series proper (BBC1).
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Schedules are accurate at the time of publication; check against EPG for late changes.
Contents |
Saturday 23 December
- Masterchef (RTÉ1, 10.20) Semi-finals from 2022.
- Fighting Talk (Radio 5, 11am).
- Celebrity Masterchef (BBC2, 12 noon) Repeat from last week.
- Great Local Christmas Menu (Food Network, 12.30) All seven episodes from the 2020 series.
- Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow (sic) (ITV2, 12.35); Stephen Mulhern's Celebrity Catchphrase with Stephen Mulhern (ITV2, 1.40) Repeats from last Christmas.
Primetime
- University Challenge (BBC2 NI, 5.40) House of Games (BBC2 NI, 6.10) Postponed by live rugby last night.
- The Hit List (BBC1, 6pm; Scotland 7.25) Celebrities try to name those tunes. With Una Healy, Kimberly Wyatt, Gregg Wallace, Kate Thornton, George Shelley, Kitty Scott-Claus.
- World's Strongest Man (C5, 7.10) The deadlift world open, from Cardiff.
- The Voice of Holland of ITV (ITV, 8.10) One from each team for next week's final. Apparently, there are stages after the spinning chairs. Who knew?!
- The Weakest Link (BBC1, 8.10) Christmas, with Alex Jones, Cliff Parisi, Coleen Nolan, Dane Baptiste, Mel Schilling, Danny Beard, Paul Zerdin, Meryl Williams.
- Blankety Blank (BBC1, 9pm) Joining Bradley are Ainsley Harriott, BRIAN BLESSED, AJ Odudu, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett, Gemma Collins.
- The 1% Club (ITV, 10.05) You're not getting smarter, this is a repeat from 2022.
Sunday 24 December - Christmas Eve
- Runaround Christmas Special (Talking Pictures, 7.15am) Repeat from 1979, with Barbara Dickson the guest.
- Just a Minute (Radio 4 Extra, from 10.15am; repeated 4.15 and 10.15) Two classic episodes, one trip to India, and a Perkins-Merton chat. Airing as part of Nicholas Parsons Day on Radio 4 Extra, which also includes some of his other works.
- The Big Bake (ITVB, 12.10) Three new episodes of the hugemungous cake show.
- The Radio Wales Christmas Quiz (Radio Wales, 3pm) The Beast is in the chair. Hope they've got planning permission for that chair.
Primetime
- Christmas Bake Off (C4, 8.15) With Sophie from series 8, Dan from 9, Amelia from 10, Linda from 11, George from 12, and Carole from this year. Repeated 1.55 tomorrow.
- Britain Get Singing (ITV, 9pm) Groups from great ITV shows sing. Featuring folk from Good Morning Viewers, Love Island, Coronation Street, The Masked Singer, and (er) Eastenders. The panel is will.i.am, Adam Lambert, Alesha Dixon, and Jonathan Ross, and the host is Roman Kemp. Best seen after a very large number of brandies, we fear.
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown at Christmas (C4, 11.30) Repeat from last week.
Monday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 7.15am) A Christmas episode, repeated from last week.
- Elephant in the Room (Radio 4 Extra, 9am, 2pm, 7pm) Surveys to find who's closest to the average person, repeated from 2019.
- Counterpoint (Radio 4, 1.15) Heat 3 of the current series has a festive flavour. Repeated next Saturday night.
- In for a Penny with Stephen Mulhern (ITV, 3.45) Stephen Mulhern travels the length and breath of the island, giving away money, playing silly games, and dodging stollen used as a missile. Repeated ITV2 at 9am tomorrow; also VM1 at 3pm New Year's Day.
- Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 4.40) Tess and Claudia host the festive edition, with Dan Snow, Sally Nugent, Jamie Borthwick, Tillie Amartey, Danny Cipriani, and Keisha Buchanan. Signed repeat on BBC2 early tomorrow morning.
Primetime
- Bake Off (Food Network, 6pm) The entire first series, featuring Young Sue and Young Mel.
- The Wheel (BBC1, 6.50) Michael McIntyre asks questions of Rylan Clark, Peter Crouch, and Nicole Scherzinger. The experts are Abbey Clancy, Nigel Havers, Carol Vorderman, Aled Jones, Judi Love, Joe Marler, and Scott Mills.
- The Masked Singer Christmas Special (VM1 and ITV, 7.30) Joel Dommett from Survivor is joined by Leona Lewis and the regular panel. Can they guess the identities of Partridge, Decorations, Reindeer, Sprout?
- The Great Pottery Throw Down (C4, 7.30) Hugh Dennis, Sophie Duker, Alice Levine, and Joe Swash build a little birdhouse in your noel.
- The Piano (C4, 8.45) A special episode from King's Cross station. Repeated 2.05 tomorrow.
- The 1% Club Christmas Special (ITV, 9pm) Lee Mack asks questions of logic and common sense on a Christmas theme. Repeated Saturday at 10.20.
- Love Island Australia (ITVB, 11pm) We're trying to see the festive connection. Do they have contestants called Holly and Rudolf?
Tuesday 26 December - St Stephen's Boxing Day
- The Masked Singer Christmas Special (ITV Breakfast Broadcasting, 6am) Missed it yesterday? There's no escape. Also on ITV2 at 9.45am, and VM1 at 5pm.
- Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 7.15am) Another chance to see a Christmas special. There's another repeat at 11.45am.
- The 2fm End of Year Quiz (RTÉ 2fm, 12 noon).
Primetime
- Tipping Point Lucky Stars (ITV, 5.45) Ben Shepherd invites Julian Clary and Jamie Laing back, and Stephanie Beacham to make her debut.
- World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm) World Tour Finals from Glasgow.
- Popmaster TV (More4, 7pm) Ken Bruce's surprisingly big hit. Continues all week at this time.
- Festive House of Games (BBC2, 7.30) Hugh Dennis, Kerry Godliman, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Harry Judd. Our friend Brig Bother is going to do his nut at this, because Richard goes 0/5 on Christmas What Day Is It?!
- Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Wrestlers play Arrowheads in a new match.
- Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) Middlesex and Leeds, with Heather Phillipson and Claire Cashmore.
- The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2023 (Channel 4, 9pm) 2023 recalled, with Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan, Mel Giedroyc, Mo Gilligan, Rosie Jones, Kevin Bridges.
- Love Island Australia (ITVB, 10.45).
Wednesday 27 December
- Counterpoint (Radio 4 Extra, 9am, 2pm, 7pm) Repeat from 2012.
- Junior Bake Off (C4, 11.25am) Highlights from 2022.
- Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.50).
- Stephen Mulhern's Celebrity Catchphrase (ITV, 2.30) Another chance to see Paul Sinha.
- Lingo (ITV, 3.30) Repeat.
- Tipping Point Lucky Stars (ITV, 4.30) A classic edition.
Primetime
- Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.30) Another chance to see The Fabulous Iain Stirling, Marek Larwood, Kitty Scott-Claus, Vanity Milan, Shaparak Khorsandi, Johnny Vegas, Bhavna Limbachia, Victoria Ekanoye.
- The Chase Celebrity Edition (ITV, 5.30) A repeat.
- World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm) The finals begin in South Carolina.
- Festive House of Games (BBC2, 7.30) Richard thinks it's Tuesday.
- Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Edwards Family vs Wrights, repeated from 2020.
- Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) The first semi-final.
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (E4 Extra, 9pm) Repeat from 2020.
- Love Island Australia (ITVB, 10.30).
- A League of Their Own (Sky Max, 11.30) Best of series 15, a new episode. The Satellite Channel shows this episode at 11.45pm.
Thursday 28 December
- Junior Bake Off (C4, 11.40am) Further highlights from 2022.
- Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.30; not Wales).
- Stephen Mulhern's Celebrity Catchphrase (ITV, 2.30) Another chance to see Vernon Kay and Joel Dommett.
- Lingo (ITV, 3.30) Repeat.
- Tipping Point Lucky Stars (ITV, 4.30) Sarah Millican pops up for the second time this afternoon.
Primetime
- Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.25) Another chance to see the BBC centenary, with Tony Blackburn, Scott Mills, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Chris Lintott, Peter Purves, Lindsey Russell, Shanequa Paris, Mobeen Azhar, Floella Benjamin.
- The Chase Celebrity Edition (ITV, 5.30) A repeat with Susan Calman.
- World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm) The finals continue in South Carolina.
- Festive House of Games (BBC2, 7.30) "It's Wednesday," says Richard, failing his audition for Play School.
- Masterchef - The Critics Challenge (BBC1, 8pm) Turning the tables on Grace Dent, Leyla Kazim, William Sitwell, Jay Rayner, and Jimi Famurewa; the judges are previous series winners.
- Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) New episode, Politicians vs Activists.
- The Big Quiz (2) (ITV, 8pm) Stephen Mulhern hosts the annual fixture between Coronation Street - Jack P Shepherd, Channique Sterling-Brown, Tony Maudsley - and Emmerdale Farm - Mark Charnock, Natalie Ann Jamieson, Kevin Mathurin.
- Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) The second semi-final.
- Love Island Australia (ITVB, 10.30).
Friday 29 December
- Junior Bake Off (C4, 11.10am) Highlights from 2023.
- Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12 noon).
- Breaking the News (Radio Scotland, 1.30) Breaking the year 2023.
- Do You Remember 2023? (RTÉ Radio 1, 2pm) Irish celebrities battle to try and remember the year gone by.
- Dickinson's Biggest and Best Deals (ITV, 2pm).
- Stephen Mulhern's Celebrity Catchphrase (ITV, 3pm) Another chance to see Sally Lindsay.
- Lingo (ITV, 4pm) Repeat.
- Tipping Point Lucky Stars (ITV, 4.30) Roisin Conaty and Jordan Banjo.
Primetime
- Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.30) A mixed bag episode, with Tomasz Schafernaker, Owain Wyn Evans, Kerry Godliman, Toussaint Douglass, Nicki Chapman, Kelli Young, Jeremy Edwards, and Lucy Dixon.
- Un Cwestiwn (S4C, 5.50) The celebs from 2021.
- The Chase Celebrity Edition (ITV, 6pm) A repeat with Dan Walker.
- Festive House of Games (BBC2, 6.30) We're being cheeky about the wrong day because it's literally the biggest error House of Games has ever made. No dodgy questions in 600 editions is a mighty achievement.
- Only Connect (BBC2, 7pm; not NI) Another chance to see Turophiles and Corkscrews from 2021.
- World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm) The finals continue in South Carolina.
- Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 7.30) The grand final.
- Would I Lie to You? (BBC1, 8.30) Alex Jones and Rav Wilding, Chris McCausland and Su Pollard, as series 17 starts here.
- Love Island Australia (ITVB, 10.30).
Bonus feature
- Greats at the BBC (Radio 2, 10pm Mon, 9pm Tue-Thu) Nostalgic and affectionate profiles of Cilla Black, Michael Parkinson, Paul O'Grady, and Barry Humphries,
Challenge
What's on the specialist game show channel?
Saturday
7am The Chase 3pm Tenable 7pm The Chase Celebrity Edition 10pm Bullseye 4am The Chase
Sunday
7am The Chase 3pm Tenable 7pm The Chase Celebrity Edition 10pm The Chase
Monday
7am The Chase 10am The Family Chase 3pm The Chase Celebrity Edition 7pm The Weakest Link 8pm The Chase 10pm Who Wants to be a Millionaire 11pm Bullseye 1am Cash Trapped 2am The Chase 4am Who Wants to be a Millionaire 5am Bullseye
Tuesday
7am The Chase 10am Blankety Blank 1pm The Chase 4pm Bullseye 6pm Who Wants to be a Millionaire 7pm The Weakest Link 8pm The Chase Celebrity Edition 9pm The Chase 10pm Who Wants to be a Millionaire 11pm Bullseye 12 midnight The Weakest Link 1am Cash Trapped 2am The Chase 4am Who Wants to be a Millionaire 5am Bullseye
Wednesday
As Tuesday except
10am Blockbusters with Simon Mayo
Thursday
As Tuesday except
10am Dale's Supermarket Sweep
then as Tuesday until
5am Dickinson's Real Deal
Friday
As Tuesday except
10am Five Gold Rings to 4pm
then as Tuesday until
5am Pointless Celebrities
Sign language interpretation
- Gigglequiz (Cbeebies, 3.40pm Sat and Sun).
- Limitless Win Christmas Special (ITV, 3am Sun).
- Lego Masters (E4, 10.35am Sun).
- Family Fortunes (ITV, 5.05am Mon).
- Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (BBC2, 3.20am Tue).
- Bake Off (C4, 3.45am Tue).
- Pottery Throw Down (C4, 2.45am Wed).
- Celebrity Masterchef (BBC2, 4.10am Wed).
- Couples Come Dine with Me (C4, 5.10am Wed, 4.15am Fri).
- Scotland's Home of the Year Christmas 2023 (BBC Scotland, 2pm Wed).
- Sewing Bee Christmas Special (BBC2, 1.50am Thu).
- The Piano (C4, 5.05am Thu).
