The 25 best Christmas TV specials of all time
From Gavin and Stacey to Peep Show, these are the greatest Christmas specials to date
Christmas TV specials are a go-to during the festive season – the question is, which one is the best?
After all, there are literally hundreds of them among the best shows on Netflix and across streaming. Also, Christmas TV is a big thing in the UK; people want to know the BBC schedule months in advance.
Whether it’s Gavin and Stacey, Only Fools and Horses, or The Snowman, most of us spend December rewatching festive editions of our favourite shows.
In this writer’s opinion, these are the best Christmas specials to grace our TVs. There are a lot of laughs to be had, but pre-warning: not every episode here is full of cheer.
25. Midsomer Murders: ‘Ghosts of Christmas Past’
- Genre: Drama
- Year: 2004
- Creator: Anthony Horowitz, Douglas Watkinson
- Cast: John Nettles, John Hopkins, Philip Quast, Jane Wymark
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: ITVX
What it’s about: DCI Barnaby is called away from his Christmas celebrations when an elderly woman claims she was pushed down the stairs. She dies soon after, leaving the police to work out who’s responsible – and why someone would want to kill her.
Why to watch: Ghosts of Christmas Past’ was Midsomer Murders’ first-ever Christmas special.
Even now, it’s a standout episode; absorbing, elaborate, and a little magical, with a mystery akin to a great Poirot story. It’s one of the show’s highest-rated episodes for good reason.
If you’re fan, Midsomer Murders series 24 will be out soon.
24. Dinnerladies Christmas Special
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1999
- Creator: Victoria Wood
- Cast: Victoria Wood, Celia Imrie, Maxine Peake, Andrew Dunn
- Runtime: 34 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: NOW TV
What it’s about: It’s nearly Christmas and all is not well in the canteen. Bren thinks she has blown it with Tony, and Petula’s hopes of a family Christmas are thwarted.
Why to watch: Christmas’ may be the best episode of Dinnerladies: sharp, moving, and heartwarming without being sickly sweet. It’s so well-written that it would have functioned as a finale to the whole show (but the last few episodes are great too).
23. The Inbetweeners: ‘Xmas Party’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2008
- Creator: Damon Beesley, Iain Morris
- Cast: Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, Blake Harrison
- Runtime: 30 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Channel 4
What it’s about: At the end of term, Will is elected as chairman of the Christmas prom committee, so he ropes in Simon, Jay, and Neil to help set it up.
Why to watch: The unsung beauty of The Inbetweeners isn’t its scarily accurate, hysterical writing or unimaginable social blunders: it’s how sweetly it manages to portray its quartet when you least expect it.
As mean as they are to each other, they’re all they have – and the Christmas special ends on the perfect note to celebrate that.
22. The Simpsons: ‘Marge Be Not Proud’
- Genre: Animated, Comedy
- Year: 1995
- Creator: Matt Groening
- Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
- Runtime: 30 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Disney Plus
What it’s about: When Bart is caught attempting to steal a video game before Christmas, Marge punishes him by cutting him out of the family’s festive activities.
Why to watch: The Simpsons (one of the best shows on Disney Plus) literally began with a Christmas special. However, it’s a little dated now – and, more importantly, ‘Marge Be Not Proud’ is the better episode.
It’ll make you laugh, but Marge’s treatment of Bart is so palpably upsetting that it’ll leave a lump in the throat of every viewer, no matter their age. Don’t worry, it has a happy ending.
21. The Snowman
- Genre: Animated, Fantasy
- Year: 1982
- Creator: Raymond Briggs, Dianne Jackson
- Cast: Raymond Briggs
- Runtime: 26 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Channel 4
What it’s about: When a young boy makes a snowman on Christmas Eve, it comes alive at midnight and flies him away to meet Santa Claus.
Why to watch: This one is a bit of a cheat; it’s not a special episode of a show, it’s a short film made for television.
However, The Snowman is essential TV viewing every Christmas. Over 40 years later, it’s every bit as breathtaking and magical (and it led to Irn-Bru’s amazing advert).
20. Top Gear: ‘Middle East Special’
- Genre: Factual, Comedy
- Year: 2010
- Creator: Jeremy Clarkson, Andy Wilman
- Cast: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May
- Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May embark on a seasonal road trip as they attempt to follow the path of the Three Wise Men across the Middle East.
Why to watch: Is it as good as the America or Argentina specials? No, but not only is Top Gear’s Middle East special quite surreal to watch after 15 years (they even say, “you idiots, you’ve left the safe country and entered a war zone”), but it’s still incredibly entertaining.
Lest we forget: “I had a bit of a problem with myrrh… so I used my imagination: a Nintendo DS.”
19. One Foot in the Grave: ‘Who’s Listening?’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1990
- Creator: David Renwick
- Cast: Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Geoffrey Chater
- Runtime: 1 hour
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Victor bemoans the commercialism of Christmas and ponders whether it ever had a deeper, spiritual meaning. He decides to help the vicar feed the homeless on Christmas Day, but it’s not quite the uplifting experience he’d hoped for.
Why to watch: If you read a synopsis for One Foot in the Grave, it’ll probably say something along the lines of: “The grump antics of Victor Meldrew, a retiree with bad luck.”
That sounds like it should be a pretty low-key sitcom, but ‘Who’s Listening?’ – its best-ever Christmas special – has a gun-toting reverend. You won’t regret watching it.
18. Only Fools and Horses: ‘Heroes and Villains’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1996
- Creator: John Sullivan
- Cast: David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Buster Merryfield, Tessa Peake-Jones
- Runtime: 1 hour
- Where to stream in the UK: NOW TV
What it’s about: Del and Rodney get Batman and Robin costumes for a fancy dress party, and inadvertently save a local councillor from muggers.
Why to watch: It speaks volumes about Only Fools and Horses that its best moments (like Del and Rodney dressed as Batman and Robin) are still reference points in British pop culture. It’s worth watching for the historical element of it alone – but it’s also really funny.
17. Bottom: ‘Holy’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1992
- Creator: Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson
- Cast: Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Steven O’Donnell, Christopher Ryan
- Runtime: 30 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: NOW TV
What it’s about: Richie’s Christmas celebrations take an unexpected turn when Spudgun and Hegdehog show up for dinenr, and things get weirder when a baby boy turns up on their doorstep.
Why to watch: In the opening minutes of ‘Holy’, Rik Mayall accidentally hangs himself. So, it’s fair to say it’s not like any other Christmas TV special, but you could say that about Bottom generally – and therein lies its wacky, unpredictable genius.
16. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1988
- Creator: Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Miranda Richardson, Miriam Margolyes
- Runtime: 43 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: NOW TV
What it’s about: Ebenezer Blackadder, a Victorian proprietor of a moustache shop, is one of the kindest men in England. However, on a fateful Christmas eve, he gets a glimpse of his not-so-nice ancestors.
Why to watch: Second only to the ending of Blackadder Goes Forth, this ingenious twist on Charles Dickens’ story (“the very clear lesson that bad guys have all the fun”) is the classic sitcom at its naughty and silly best.
15. Motherland Christmas Special
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2020
- Creator: Sharon Horgan, Helen Serafinowicz, Holly Walsh
- Cast: Anna Maxwell Martin, Lucy Punch, Diane Morgan, Paul Ready, Tanya Moodie
- Runtime: 30 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Julia, Liz, Meg, and Kevin abandon their Christmas preparations to cut loose at Amanda’s “seasonal soirée”, where they play a game of “Evil Santa”.
Why to watch: Last Christmas’ was great, but a bit depressing. Motherland’s first Christmas special, an understated ode to the mums who hold the holidays together is just funny from start to finish.
However, it’s best when it taps into passive-aggressive back-and-forths and quieter gags; remember, it’s Minecraft, not Mine Kraft.
Its spinoff, Amandaland, is returning for a Christmas special this year.
14. Merry Christmas, Mr Bean
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1992
- Creator: Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Matilda Ziegler
- Runtime: 26 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: ITVX, Netflix
What it’s about: In this two-part festive special, Mr Bean gets ready for Christmas, visiting Harrods, purchasing gifts, and sitting down for a turkey dinner. Obviously, things don’t go exactly to plan.
Why to watch: Is there a more universal TV character than Mr Bean? It doesn’t matter if you’re from the UK, America, Africa, or outer space: his bemused, careless slapstick antics are irresistible, and his Christmas special is an enduring favourite of the season.
13. Friends: ‘The One with the Holiday Armadillo’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2000
- Creator: David Crane, Marta Kauffman
- Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Cole Sprouse
- Runtime: 22 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Netflix
What it’s about: After Ross finds himself looking after Ben over Christmas, he decides to introduce him to Hanukkah. He also wants to surprise him by dressing as Santa, but there’s only one outfit left.
Why to watch: One of the best episodes of the most iconic sitcom in modern times; ‘The One with the Holiday Armadillo’ may be the most widely-seen entry on this list, but it fully deserves its place. How can you not laugh at Superman, Santa, and an armadillo together at Christmas?
Friends is leaving Netflix soon, though, so you better be quick.
12. The Bear: ‘Fishes’
- Genre: Drama, Comedy
- Year: 2023
- Creator: Christopher Storer
- Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon-Moss Bachrach, Abby Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
- Runtime: 1 hour 6 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Disney Plus
What it’s about: Five years before the opening of The Bear, Carmy returns from Copenhagen to spend Christmas with his extended family and friends – and all hell breaks loose.
Why to watch: Fishes’ is one of The Bear’s most intense episodes; a double-barrelled blast of panic, anger, and regret that shows off the cast’s extraordinary talent.
It’s a weird compliment to say something is unwatchable, but the heart-thumping strain of all the stress is almost too much to bear. The show’s best work (outside the kitchen).
11. Inside No. 9: ‘The 12 Days of Christine’
- Genre: Drama
- Year: 2015
- Creator: Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith
- Cast: Sheridan Smith, Tom Riley, Michele Dotrice
- Runtime: 28 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Christine Clarke brings a new man back to her flat from a New Year’s Eve party, and immediately her life starts to unravel. Who is the terrifying stranger that keeps appearing in the flat at night?
Why to watch: Sheridan Smith, the most reliable stalwart in British TV, and Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, two of the most wicked and incisive writers in all of telly.
Together, they made The 12 Days of Christine, an unmissable, immensely emotional 30-minute experience that’s more effective than an entire TV shows.
If you like Shearsmith and Smith, they starred together in ITV’s The Widower, which is on Netflix.
10. Still Game: ‘The Party’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2006
- Creator: Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill
- Cast: Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Jane McCarry, Paul Riley
- Runtime: 28 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer, Netflix
What it’s about: Jack, Victor, Isa, and Winston get stuck in a lift on their way to a party, leading to them to reminisce about an eventful New Year’s Eve.
Why to watch: One word: “feeches”. ‘The Party’ is the funniest episode of Still Game (no small feat, given it’s Scotland’s greatest sitcom), and the only reason it’s not higher on this list is that it’s more of a Hogmanay special.
Still, there’s a turkey carcass and a tub of Roses, so it counts.
9. Knowing Me, Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1995
- Creator: Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Patrick Marber
- Cast: Steve Coogan, David Schneider, Rebecca Front
- Runtime: 46 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: NOW TV
What it’s about: In this special Christmas edition of Alan Partridge’s talk show, he badgers the BBC for a second series and bears witness to a Christmas cracker disaster.
Why to watch: Knowing Me, Knowing Yule will either convert a Partridge sceptic or deepen their hatred. It is Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci’s most hilariously indulgent hour; a masterwork of cringe and awkward laughs. A-ha!
8. Black Mirror: ‘White Christmas’
- Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
- Year: 2014
- Creator: Charlie Brooker
- Cast: Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, Oona Chaplin
- Runtime: 1 hour 14 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Netflix
What it’s about: Three interconnected tales of technology run amok during the Christmas season are told by two men at a remote outpost in a frozen wilderness.
Why to watch: Bleak, chilling, and one of the most memorably horrifying festive specials to date, ‘White Christmas’ remains the peak of Black Mirror’s power. Coming just before Netflix’s softened takeover, this showcases Charlie Brooker’s most demented dramatic edge. Who says Christmas needs to be happy all the time?
7. Doctor Who: ‘A Christmas Carol’
- Genre: Sci-fi
- Year: 2010
- Creator: Steven Moffat
- Cast: Matt Smith, Michael Gambon, Katherine Jenkins
- Runtime: 1 hour
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: After a space liner with more than 4,000 passengers loses control, the Doctor finds Kazran Sardick, the only man who can help – but he refuses.
Why to watch: Picking one Doctor Who special for this list was the hardest task; how can you pick between The Runaway Bride and The Invasion, not to mention the rest?
However, ‘A Christmas Carol’ isn’t just the best of the lot, it’s one of the highlights of Matt Smith’s tenure. Steven Moffat’s poignant, thrilling take on Charles Dickens’ story has all of the whimsy and emotion you’d want from classic Doctor Who, and it’ll make you appreciate Smith’s portrayal of the Time Lord.
6. The Royle Family: ‘The New Sofa’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2008
- Creator: Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, Henry Normal
- Cast: Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash
- Runtime: 58 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Denise and Dave decide to host Christmas dinner, with Barbara and (a very reluctant) Jim spending the day with Dave’s parents.
Why to watch: Some people will prefer the 1999 special. Others will argue the (heartbreaking, but brilliant) merits of ‘The Queen of Sheba’.
If you can only watch one Royle Family Christmas special, it should be ‘The New Sofa’. It is pure kitchen-sink comedy and, unlike other episodes, it’s uplifting (in its own ridiculous, amusing way) by the end. You could say, good point well made!
5. The Vicar of Dibley: ‘The Christmas Lunch Incident’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1996
- Creator: Richard Curtis, Paul Mayhew-Archer
- Cast: Dawn French, Emma Chambers, Mel Giedroyc
- Runtime: 45 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: ITVX (premium)
What it’s about: It’s Geraldine’s second Christmas as Dibley’s vicar, and everyone wants to celebrate with her. Unfortunately, that means she accidentally accepts invitations to four Christmas lunches.
Why to watch: The Vicar of Dibley has become one of the UK’s great forgotten sitcoms (if only it were easier to stream). It produced four Christmas specials, but this is the best; a perfect distillation of the show’s laugh-out-loud charms and Dawn French’s wonderful performance.
If you’re looking for the episode where she jumps in the puddle, it’s ‘The Handsome Stranger’ special from 2006.
4. Peep Show: ‘Seasonal Beatings’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2010
- Creator: Andrew O’Connor, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain
- Cast: David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Matt King, Isy Suttie
- Runtime: 26 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Channel 4, Netflix
What it’s about: It’s Christmas Day, and Mark has invited his family (and Jez) over to the flat for dinner. Dobby also shows up, but there’s one problem: Mark hasn’t told his parents they’re together yet.
Why to watch: Peep Show’s Christmas Special is the ultimate helping of exquisite, joyously sweary cringe, whether it’s Mark’s “no turkey?” outburst, some of the worst presents ever, “Father Spliffmas”, or a mechanism-breaking use of a shredder. Remember, cauliflower is not traditional.
Also, the cast is reuniting for a Peep Show Bake Off special this month.
3. Father Ted: ‘A Christmassy Ted’
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 1996
- Creator: Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews
- Cast: Dermot Morgan, Ardal O’Hanlon, Frank Kelly, Pauline McLynn
- Runtime: 55 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: Channel 4
What it’s about: Ted wants a quiet, uneventful Christmas. However, whether it’s a group of priests getting lost in a department store’s lingerie section, a dodgy funeral, or an unexpected award, things won’t go to plan.
Why to watch: Two things can be true. Father Ted’s Christmas special is a touch too long (something Graham Linehan admits himself). However, it also has some of the funniest and most iconic moments in the entire sitcom, if not the whole British sitcom genre. It’s not Christmas until you’ve seen priests trying to avoid a knicker scandal.
2. The Office Christmas Specials
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2003
- Creator: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
- Cast: Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Gareth Keenan
- Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Three years on from the original documentary, Wernham Hogg is now under Gareth Keenan’s stringent management, Tim and Dawn still aren’t together, and david Brent is a travelling salesman. However, anything is possible at Christmas.
Why to watch: The Office is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and with its Christmas specials, it achieved a rare feat: a perfect ending. We won’t spoil what happens, but it somehow marries British understatedness with punch-the-air catharsis.
Also, there’s a small, easy-to-miss moment with Ricky Gervais that may be the most touching acting moment of his career.
1. Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special
- Genre: Comedy
- Year: 2008
- Creator: Ruth Jones, James Corden
- Cast: Joanna Page, Mathew Horne, James Corden, Ruth Jones
- Runtime: 1 hour
- Where to stream in the UK: BBC iPlayer
What it’s about: Bryn, Gwen, Nessa, Baby Neil, and Dave Coaches head to Essex for Christmas with the Shipmans, where Gavin and Stacey have some big news to break to both sides of the family.
Why to watch: Try as others might (including Gavin and Stacey in 2019), Christmas specials don’t get better than this.
Its first festive effort covers the full spectrum of the British yuletide experience: the quaint lamp-lit glass of Baileys, Marks and Spencer, belting out Band Aid in the car, and booze-fuelled arguments that give way to hugs and laughter.
With the show’s trademark wit (and a hint of melancholy; James Corden will break your heart), there isn’t a special that’s cosier, funnier, or more Christmassy.
Read more: The best Christmas movies of all time and where to stream them
