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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Chris Tryhorn

Festive TV: what's your verdict?

To fill those moments when both your family and your television set have tired you out, tell us here what you've been watching over Christmas and New Year and what you thought of it.

On Christmas Eve I might start the festive season with a couple of films: Chicken Run on BBC1 and then A Fish Called Wanda on Channel 4. I can probably live without the Friday Night Christmas Project, though.

BBC1's Doctor Who special on Christmas Day will be popular with lots of you - though personally I'll be watching Channel 4 for the yuletide edition of Deal or No Deal - the prize is upped to £500,000. Cricket fans, remember: the fourth Ashes test starts on Sky Sports at midnight - if you can still bear to watch a dead rubber. Highlights on BBC2 about 23 hours later.

Boxing Day sees a truly momentous broadcasting event - the return of Challenge Anneka on ITV1. Will they still have that cartoon sequence at the start showing road-crossing hedgehogs being saved by an Anneka-built underpass? Can't wait for the Christmas special and a new series in 2007.

On December 27 I might give The Ruby in the Smoke a try on BBC1 - the delightful Billie Piper stars in the Philip Pullman adaptation.

Channel 4 asks a crucial question on December 28: Is Benny Hill Still Funny? Well, when I was about seven, I found it hilarious to watch a man chasing a ball into a bush and then grabbing a girl's bottom. Oh yes, and impressions of chinamen who hilariously mispronounced the word "clap". Will time have matured my sense of humour, like a fine wine? Channel 4 is screening the stuff to a bunch of kids and I hope they don't screw up their faces in postmodern disgust.

On to December 29: I recommend the stupendous Derren Brown's live show on Channel 4. Unfortunately, at least if you don't have a video recorder, it clashes with ITV1's Best Ever Spitting Image Moments.

Time to confess: I'm a big George Michael fan. So on December 30 I'm tuning into Channel Five for its documentary on the star, which incidentally has the genius title Careless Whiskers: The Unseen George Michael. I presume that refers to his varying facial hair rather than to a hitherto undisclosed life as a cat fancier.

New Year's Eve is not the best TV night, really - you ought to be out getting drunk. I do miss Clive James on these occasions, however, though perhaps I should console myself by watching his oh-so-highbrow interviews "In The Library" on Artsworld. Anyway, it's a toss-up between Natasha Kaplinsky on BBC1, Jools' obviously pre-recorded Hootenanny, and er, True Lies on ITV1.

On New Year's Day, BBC1 is showing its heavily publicised Wind in the Willows, with Matt Lucas as Toad and Bob Hoskins as Badger. Hard to go wrong with this lovely tale, though I'm so attached to the Cosgrave Hall animated version (featuring the voices of David Jason, Michael Hordern and Peter Sallis) I can't bear anything else.

On January 2, it's back to work time - but cheer up, The Thick of It is back with an hour-long special on BBC4. Surely worth an RPI-decoupled licence fee by itself. Oh, and there's a revival of an old drama, This Life - you may have heard of it - on BBC2 the same night.

And a special recommendation for the festive period - my favourite viewing at this time of year is the PDC world darts championship on Sky Sports. It builds to a climax on New Year's Day - who'd bet against the mighty Phil "the Power" Taylor retaining his crown?

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