Christmas TV 2020

Isn't the Shaun the Sheep short for Netflix - I believe they now hold the rights for it as they made a new series for Netflix a few months ago.

It's for BBC One:
https://deadline.com/2020/02/shaun-the-sheep-bbc-2021-christmas-special-1202853028/

Christmas Eve is wall-to-wall films/cartoons and news until nearly 6pm when there’s actually some original programming.

The thing is, although it’s been difficult to film things this year, I wouldn’t put it past the BBC to have this schedule on Christmas Eve even if there wasn’t coronavirus.

There is a 1 minute update scheduled at 16:43

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qq5z

They may as well not bother.

Not quite sure of the thinking behind showing Kung Fu Panda 1 & 3 but not 2...

It must be said, the schedules look pretty weak...BBC 1 Christmas Day evening looks as least as bad as last year.


Seems like we’ve had Call the Midwife, Eastenders & Mrs Browns Boys on Christmas Day for years, would be nice if they dared to try something a little more exciting.

BBC don't have the rights to the second film. Channel 4 has it and they aired it last Sunday.

The linked page says (currently) that it'll be on "BBC One HD, London and West Midlands only"!

Exactly. What's more frustrating is that they never schedule any specials of their new shows (e.g. Ghosts) on the big three days, it being on on the 23rd December. And it's not like it isn't tried and tested; it's had two very well received series.

It's more of a critical darling than a ratings success.

I'm not sure that's true. Besides, the Mrs Brown's Boys specials have surely had decreasing ratings year on year, and not just because of the rise of on-demand, catch-up and DVDs. It's more the principle of it. How can a special be "special" if there hasn't been a full series for eight years now? It's unfortunately the same with the revived Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and more.

In recent years BBC1 seem to have been willing to sacrifice Christmas Eve and Boxing Day in favour of packing the schedule on Christmas Day. They do get somewhat of a free pass this year but the problem I have with a repetitive schedule is for the last decade or so half of primetime on Christmas Day has been dominated by two shows I've no interest in - Call the Midwife and EastEnders.


Seems to be more often than not that with sequels or trilogies the films will end up on different channels. Once they become a returning franchise they tend to get grouped together and I think sold independently of other films from the studio.

And Strictly, and Mrs Brown's Boys. At least the first three are on regularly in the same year.