For many of us, Christmas is a great opportunity to get together with family and friends, and spend time at home with the ones we love. But there’s only so much time you can spend eating, and it’s not like you can go outside much – it’s likely to be cold and horrible. So we bring glad tidings: the season sees an abundance of top-quality festive entertainment arriving on your Virgin TV channels with a hearty “Ho, ho, who’s got the remote?!”

And even better, it caters to a huge range of tastes, with everything from eye-opening documentaries to brilliant new comedy and movies, all with a sprinkling of delicious Yuletide flavour! 

Here we present our pick of the best Christmas goodies you can enjoy over the season of celebration. Wrap those gifts, mull that wine, and settle in for some real Christmas treats.

Christmas Carole

Coming this Christmas on Sky Max/HD (CH 122/121)

Entrepreneur Carole Mackay (Suranne Jones, Gentleman Jack) has made a fortune out of Christmas through her business that sells all things festive. Despite her success, she’s decidedly lacking in seasonal goodwill – ruthless, selfish, and positively, well, Scroogelike. But her past, present and future are about to start doing some serious haunting. Will they show her the error of her ways and the true meaning of Christmas? Also starring comics Jo Brand and Nish Kumar and, in a genius bit of Christmassy casting, Morecambe and Wise… impersonators Jonty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel.

Christmas From Above

Sunday 11 December, 8pm, National Geographic/HD (CH 266/268). Also available after broadcast in Catch Up > Channels > National Geographic

This special festive edition of the series Europe From Above uses drone-shot footage to give viewers a unique and stunning perspective on Christmas traditions across the continent. From fireworks in the Alps to reindeer herds in Finland to a dazzling train of lights on the English coast and a beautifully illuminated canal in the picturesque French town of Colmar, treat yourself to a visual feast that reveals some fascinating secrets about how Christmas is celebrated by Europeans from north to south.

Gavin & Stacey

Find it in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer

The Wales and Essex gang got back together in 2019 for a long-awaited reunion, and the result was an all-time classic episode that was by far the most-watched show that Christmas Day! More than 11 million tuned in to see Nessa (Ruth Jones) make a grand gesture that could change the future for her and Smithy (James Corden) – and you can relive the laughs and loves on BBC iPlayer, if you want to make this Christmas extra festive and super-romantic.

The Unofficial Science Of Home Alone

Coming this Christmas on Sky Max/HD (CH 122/121)

It’s not Christmas until you’ve watched a small boy repel a pair of bungling burglars using weapons improvised from various household goods. Home Alone is rightly a staple of the seasonal schedules, but how realistic are Kevin’s traps, tricks and obstacles? Comedians James Acaster and Guz Khan, with the help of a team of engineers, recreate some of the most memorable ones and then step into the Wet Bandits’ sticky shoes to find out if they work – with hair-raising, or perhaps hair-torching, results. Meanwhile, presenter Alex Brooker meets the stunt performers involved in making the 1990 film such a beloved classic.

Holiday Wars

Monday 28 November, 11.30pm, Food Network (CH 285) and every day at 11pm or 11.30pm until the double episode finale on Sunday 4 December at 11pm. Episodes are also available after broadcast in Catch Up > Channels > Food Network

We’ve always loved The Great British Bake Off but at the same time we’ve often wondered what it would be like if it was (a) exorbitantly Christmassy and (b) much more EXTREME! Holiday Wars is the answer, as teams compete to impress the judges by constructing the most amazing festive food sculpture using sugar and cake. In this all-new third season, tasks include creating fictional alien holiday celebrations, staging the ultimate snowball fight and reimagining Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. If you don’t get a toothache just from watching it, you’ll enjoy the seasonal heck out of Holiday Wars!

This Is Christmas

Available from Friday 9 December in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert TBC

Emma (Kaya Scodelario, The Pale Horse) and Adam (Alfred Enoch, Trust Me) commute into London from the village of Langton every day with the same passengers – but they’re all bound by the ultra-polite British convention that means they never actually talk to one another. However, when their train breaks down in the middle of the countryside during the Christmas period, it’s a different story. Everyone’s festive celebrations are in jeopardy until Adam decides to break the taboo and hold a Christmas party right there in the carriage. And maybe romance might begin to blossom too?… It’s heartwarming stuff, if somewhat nerve-racking for real-life commuters.

The King And I: The Musical

Thursday 22 December, 6.20pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Like many classic musicals, The King And I is a family favourite – whatever the generational split in your household, nothing brings young and old together like a good old show-tune sing-song! And this solid gold Rodgers and Hammerstein piece has been bringing harmony to homes everywhere for more than 70 years with ace numbers like “Getting To Know You” and “Shall We Dance”. This version, filmed live on stage in crystal-clear Ultra HD, will beam a bit of theatrical magic directly into your living room this Christmas.

Shake up your Christmas

Since Virgin Media and O2 joined forces, our broadband customers get exclusive access to Priority from O2. We’re shaking things up this year with 25 days of festive treats on Priority. Find out more below, plus check out all your Christmas TV, movie and sports listings.