Christmas TV comedy guide 2023
Ghosts, Not Going Out, Here We Go, The Heist Before Christmas and The Kemps: All Gold are amongst the new comedy on TV this festive period. Here's a rundown of all the key comedy specials to look out for over the next three weeks.
A League Of Their Own
Wednesday 13th, 9pm on Sky Max
Romesh and the gang are joined in the studio for festive fun and games by Manchester United and French International legend Patrice Evra, as well as award-winning comedian Rob Beckett. Together, the gang make a special visit to Brentford FC to cook up a Christmas lunch for the players... Guide
Bad Education
Wednesday 13th, 9pm on BBC Three
An extra special musical-themed Christmas spectacular sees Jack Whitehall return to the fold. Layton Williams, Charlie Wernham, Mathew Horne and Vicki Pepperdine star alongside the cast of Class K as they've never been seen before. Guide
Blood Actually: A 'Murder, They Hope' Mystery
Saturday 16th, 9pm on Gold
A festive special of the format starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson. It's Christmas and Gemma has hired a lovely cottage in a quaint village. Terry spots that the village has a Santa competition, but things take a dark turn as competitors start being killed off in a host of warped and festive ways. Click through to find out about all the guest stars in this episode. Guide
Rob And Romesh Vs
Sunday 17th, 9pm on Sky Max
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan head to Lapland for Christmas, where they try their luck at a range of festive-themed tasks featuring elves, reindeer, magic and Santa Claus to see if there's one activity that they have the Christmas spirit for. Guide
QI
Monday 18th, 9pm on BBC Two
Sandi Toksvig is joined by Eshaan Akbar, Jo Brand, Jimmy Carr, and Alan Davies for a festive special to kick off Series U (the 21st series). They'll uncover the whereabouts of Santa Claus, why horses make excellent party guests, and why there always seems to be room for Christmas pudding. Guide
Live At The Apollo
Monday 18th, 9:45pm on BBC Two
In this special episode, Tom Allen plays host in front of a packed audience and welcomes Thanyia Moore and Lloyd Griffith to the stage. Guide
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Tuesday 19th, 9pm on Sky Max
Greg, Daisy, Noel and Jamali are joined by Harry Hill, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson. Plus, there's special appearances from 100% of DJ Luck and MC Neat, two fifths of 5ive, two sevenths of The Wurzels, and one half of Blazin' Squad's remaining squad. Guide
Painting Birds With Jim And Nancy Moir
Wednesday 20th, 8pm on Sky Arts
The couple seek out their favourite seasonal birds, with a special focus on the bohemian waxwing, whose festive headgear, berry-eating diet and community spirit sum up so much of what Christmas is about. This episode is notable as it sees Vic & Bob on screen together for the first time in a number of years. Guide
Mike Yarwood At The BBC
Wednesday 20th, 9pm on BBC Four
Rory Bremner reflects on the life and career of fellow impressionist Mike Yarwood, one of the BBC's most successful stars of the 1970s and 1980s. Assessing Yarwood's style, impact and legacy, Rory shares some of his memories of the comedian's career, using archive clips and interviews he gave. Guide
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan
Wednesday 20th, 10pm on Channel 4
Guests include chart-topping singer Leona Lewis, TV Cupid Fred Sirieix, Joel Dommett, and star of People Just Do Nothing and The Curse, Allan Mustafa. Guide
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Thursday 21st, 9pm on Channel 4
Joe Lycett and Danny Dyer take on Jon Richardson and Roisin Conaty. Meanwhile Mr Swallow (Nick Mohammed) is back in Dictionary Corner. And, as a Christmas treat, Joe Wilkinson is back to help/annoy Rachel. Guide
Late Night Lycett
Thursday 21st, 10pm on Channel 4
Joe Lycett celebrates "the most wonderful time of the year" with a host of guests including Mel B, Aisling Bea, Self Esteem, Guz Khan and Shaun Ryder. Guide
Brassic
Thursday 21st, 10pm on Sky Max
Vinnie, Erin, Tommo, Cardi, Carol, Ashely and JJ must bring on their A-game and help save Christmas. Imelda Staunton guest stars as Aunt Edie and Greg Davies as a character named Dick Dolphin. Guide
Would I Lie To You?
Friday 22nd, 8pm on BBC One
David Mitchell is joined by Victoria Coren Mitchell (which should be interesting, given they're married!) and Naga Munchetty, while Lee Mack is joined by Alex Brooker and Melvyn Hayes. Guide
Series 17 of Would I Lie To You? then begins on Friday 29th December.
Here We Go
Friday 22nd, 8:30pm on BBC One
Amy is home again for the holidays, so Rachel is determined to engineer an absolutely classic Jessop Family Christmas: stockings, presents, church, turkey, King's speech, charades. Should be great, so long as everyone sticks precisely to the schedule. It's never that easy. Guide
The Last Leg
Friday 22nd, 9pm on Channel 4
Guests Tom Davis and Alison Hammond join Adam, Josh and Alex for the customary Christmas special. Guide
There will also be the now-traditional end-of-year show, on New Year's Eve from 9pm. Richard Osman, Judi Love, Suzi Ruffell, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Seann Walsh have been booked to take part in that one.
I Literally Just Told You
Friday 22nd, 10pm on Channel 4
Jimmy Carr presents a brand new celebrity special of the game show with a unique twist. AJ Odudu, Ben Shephard, Bill Bailey and Sarah Millican play to win cash for their chosen charities. Guide
The Unofficial Science Of Die Hard
Saturday 23rd, 8:10pm on Sky Max
Chris Ramsey and Paul Chowdhry join engineer Zoe Laughlin to replicate stunts from the action film, including rooftop escapes and walking over shattered glass. Guide
An episode in which Greg James and Maisie Adam look at Indiana Jones follows on New Year's Day at 8pm.
Blankety Blank
Saturday 23rd, 9pm on BBC One
Joining Bradley Walsh for this festive edition of the long-running game show are Ainsley Harriott, Brian Blessed, AJ Odudu, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett and Gemma Collins. Guide
The Heist Before Christmas
Christmas Eve, 8pm on Sky Max
A one-off comedy drama. Twelve-year-old Mikey Collins finds two Santa Clauses in the woods: one has just robbed a bank and is on the run, while the other claims to have fallen out of his sleigh. Mikey's determined to get his hands on the bank-robber's cash, convinced that this is the answer to giving his poverty-stricken family the Christmas they all crave. Guide
The Story Of Only Fools And Horses At Christmas
Christmas Eve, 9pm
A special programme celebrating all the Christmas specials of the evergreen sitcom. In a new and exclusive interview with Sir David Jason - Del Boy himself - the actor shares his secrets from the seasonal sets. Guide
Not Going Out
Christmas Eve, 10pm on BBC One
A festive episode that also sees the sitcom hit the 100 episode milestone. Lee and Lucy invite Wilfred, a lonely pensioner from a nearby care home, to join them for Christmas dinner. The only instruction is that Wilfred is not, under any circumstances, allowed to drink alcohol... Guide
The Jonathan Ross Show
Christmas Eve, 10:15pm on ITV1
Jonathan is joined by Kevin Bridges, Romesh Ranganathan, Katherine Jenkins and Willem Dafoe for this Christmas special. Guide
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon
Christmas Day on Netflix
Ricky Gervais presents his latest stand-up show. He riffs on "the end of humanity, political correctness, family weddings, funerals and artificial intelligence". Guide
Ghosts
Christmas Day, 7:45pm on BBC One
The highly anticipated final ever episode of the sitcom. Christmas is just around the corner and Mike's mum, Betty is staying. Although she is just trying to be helpful, Mike and Alison soon lose patience with her interfering ways. Guide
The Music Of Morecambe And Wise
Christmas Day, 8pm on BBC Two
In this new showcase of archive clips, Eric and Ernie talk with Michael Parkinson and introduce some of the musical highlights from their shows over the years. Guide
Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh
Christmas Day, 10pm on ITV1
In this special documentary a host of top stars reflect on the life and comedy of Barry Humphries - AKA Dame Edna Everage - a trailblazer and a hellraiser whose road to worldwide fame was far from easy. Guide
Arena: Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen
Christmas Day, 10:25pm on BBC Two
A new edition of the long-running culture strand Arena, celebrating the unique life and talent of Caroline Aherne. The programme features unseen photographs and contributions from a variety of her lifelong friends. Guide
Mrs. Brown's Boys
Christmas Day, 10:45pm on BBC One
All Mrs Brown wants is a nice, peaceful Christmas, but the family have other ideas! Cathy's decided to cook Christmas dinner for the first time ever. Guide
There's a second new episode - in which the gang attempt a tough new health and fitness regime - on New Year's Day at 10pm.
Ronnie Corbett: My 30 Funniest Moments
Boxing Day, 8pm on Channel 5
This special 90-minute documentary celebrates the life of one of Britain's most talented and loved comedians and comedy actors, Ronnie Corbett, through 30 moments from his incredible career spanning six decades. Guide
The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year
Boxing Day, 9pm on Channel 4
The annual end-of-yer quiz, hosted by Jimmy Carr. Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan, Mel Giedroyc, Mo Gilligan, Rosie Jones and Kevin Bridges are the line-up this time. Guide
Sports Funniest 2023 With Greg James
Wednesday 27th, 9pm on Sky Max
Greg James is joined by Maisie Adam and Guz Khan to look back at 2023's sporting events in this one-off special. Guide
Imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
Wednesday 27th, 10:30pm on BBC One
A profile of one of the UK's most successful double acts of the past 40 years. This documentary charts their journey from the game-changing Comic Strip team - which helped launch Channel 4 in 1982 - to their domination of BBC schedules into the 1990s and beyond. Guide
Britain's Favourite 70s Sitcoms
Thursday 28th, 8pm on Channel 5
A 60-minute special celebrating the funniest sitcoms of the 1970s - from hostile hoteliers to comedy convicts - with inside stories, hilarious moments and secrets from the shows. Guide
Breaking The News
Thursday 28th, 10pm on BBC Scotland
Des Clarke is joined by special guests Ashley Storrie, Sanjeev Kholi, Kirsty Wark and Mark Nelson to take a wry look back at the biggest stories of 2023 at home and around the world. Guide
Dawn French Is A Huge Twat
Thursday 28th, 10:30pm on BBC One
A TV broadcast of the stand-up show in which the comedy star lays bare the most excruciating gaffes and howlers she has made across her 40-year career as a comedian, from the stage of the London Palladium. Guide
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Friday 29th, 9pm on BBC Two
Bob, Paul and Ted travel to Scotland to fish for salmon and to taste the traditional Hogmanay celebrations on offer. Guide
The Kemps: All Gold
Friday 29th, 10pm on BBC Two
A star-studded cast featuring a mix of seasoned talent and fresh faces join the Kemp brothers as Rhys Thomas follows the pair over a whole year as they make a biopic, get divorced and form a super group; naturally not everything goes to plan. Guide
Scotland Stands Up
New Year's Eve, 9:30pm on BBC Scotland
Farmer Jim Smith hosts a night of comedy at Edinburgh's Church Hill Theatre, featuring Susie McCabe, Jamie MacDonald, Stuart McPherson and Marjolein Robertson. Guide
The Graham Norton Show
New Year's Eve, 10:25pm on BBC One
Rob Brydon, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Claudia Winkleman, Nadiya Hussain and Ezra Collective are amongst the guests talking ahead of the BBC broadcasting Rick Astley and the fireworks from 11:30pm. Guide
Queen Of The New Year
New Year's Eve, 11pm on BBC One Scotland
Greg Hemphill, Robert Florence and a wealth of Scottish comic talent take an irreverent look back at the year. True crime podcasts, King Charles, Sam Smith and The Traitors are set to be amongst the targets. Guide
Taskmaster's New Year Treat
Tuesday 2nd, 9pm on Channel 4
Deborah Meaden, Kojey Radical, Lenny Rush, Steve Backshall and Zoe Ball compete for Greg's golden eyebrows in this year's one-off episode. Guide
For everything - including all repeats and radio comedy as well - see our full schedule