TOTP2 Xmas 2017
7.30pm, BBC Four
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Slade, Wham!, Mariah Carey … the artists in this Christmas special are unlikely to surprise you. But, really, that’s the charm of the thing: it’s reliable, nostalgia-heavy and comes with those all-important chart facts from Mark Radcliffe. Less predictably, there’s also Skepta, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, whose ubiquity is sure to bring out the Scrooge in some, while others rock around the Christmas tree to his ballads. Hannah J Davies
The Last Leg Christmas Special
9pm, Channel 4
In 2017, this comedy news roundup has remained – in the face of ever more bewildering world events – the sanest response on television. It is sharp and righteous, but also humble and inclusive, always punching up, never falling into the trap of seeming to be part of the establishment. For its festive farewell, Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe welcome guests including the very funny Stephen Merchant. Jack Seale
Have I Got 2017 News for You
9pm, BBC One
Odd to reflect that not so long ago there were mutterings HIGNFY had run out of steam. Then came Brexit. And Trump. And who knows what lies ahead next year? That said, it can still seem a little stale on those nights when Merton and Hislop rest too heavily on our familiarity with their respective personas. Tonight’s episode gathers highlights, including, presumably, Jo Brand’s silencing-the-boys admonishment moment. Jonathan Wright
Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie
9pm, BBC Two
Strictly’s Bruno Tonioli is your host for this enjoyable doc about the 1977 film. He’s an entry point into what is actually – for all the widespread misperception of disco as “guilty pleasure” music – a fairly gritty movie. All told, this gets under the bonnet rather well: John Travolta is involved, as is Barry Gibb. Key to the enterprise was Bee Gees manager and entrepreneur Robert Stigwood. John Robinson
Al Murray’s Make Christmas Great Again
9pm, ITV
With his usual publican threads enhanced by a festive sparkly belt buckle, Al Murray’s thundering landlord hosts easily the most entertaining ITV Christmas special set in a fake East End pub since Chas and Dave’s boozy knees-up in 1982. The boisterous audience of civilians and C-list celebs includes Love Island’s Marcel and Georgia, East 17’s Tony Mortimer and cheeky Liam from Bake Off, while Richard E Grant cameos as a sad-sack Santa. Graeme Virtue
Music Legends We Lost
9pm, Sky Arts
By some terrible algorithm – well, the length of time since rock’n’roll began, plus the inexorable process of ageing – we are losing the musicians we love at an uncomfortable rate. This doc pays homage to some of the artists who died in the past year, including George Michael, who passed away on Christmas Day 2016, as well as Tom Petty, Glen Campbell and Chuck Berry. The soundtrack will, of course, be heartbreaking. Sophie Harris
Putin’s Revenge
9pm, PBS America
First of a two-part investigation into the degree to which Russia might have interfered in the 2016 US presidential election – and into Russia’s motivations for so doing. While neither the weaponising of disinformation nor interference in the internal politics of a rival is new, many means by which these can be done are, and law-enforcement and intelligence services are struggling to keep up. A solid primer on a story we have not heard the last of. Andrew Mueller
Film choice
Photograph: Allstar/Lionsgate
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski, 2017), 12.35pm, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
The lean and mean original – in which Keanu Reeves’s hitman avenged his pup with terminal efficiency – gets a big-budget sequel. The new villain is Riccardo Scamarcio’s Italian gang boss Santino, who sets umpteen stooges on the trail of Reeves’s lethal-but-noble assassin Wicks. The result is a series of numbingly violent slaughters. Paul Howlett
Live sport
Big Bash T20 cricket: Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder Australia’s domestic competition continues in Adelaide. 8.30am, BT Sport 2
Premiership rugby union: Worcester Warriors v London Irish From the Sixways Stadium. 7pm, BT Sport 1
Premier League football: Arsenal v Liverpool Two customarily entertaining teams meet at Ashburton Grove. 7pm, Sky Sports Main Event
