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Christmas 2018: highlights

Your guide to festive TV specials, music & movies.

ABC

Father Brown: Christmas Special 7:30pm Monday
It’s December and the discovery of a partially skeletonised hand in the cold ground opens a seven year old case. A terrible miscarriage of justice has taken place – can Father Brown overturn it in time for Christmas?

The Queen’s Christmas Message special 7:20pm Tuesday
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II delivers her 2018 Christmas Message to the Commonwealth.

Royal Variety Performance 2018 special 7:30pm Tuesday
UK comic Greg Davies hosts The Royal Variety Performance, in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Acts including Take That, George Ezra, Rick Astley, Rhod Gilbert, Andrea Bocelli and the cast of Hamilton perform.

Call the Midwife 2017 Christmas Special 7:30pm Thursday
It’s 1963, the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House face the challenge of the coldest winter in 300 hundred years, as well as having to provide the best possible care for their patients.

Seven

Movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (2000) rpt 7pm Tuesday
Clark Griswold, the well-intentioned, walking disaster, has decided to stay home for the holidays–and the neighborhood will never be the same.

Movie: Love Actually (2003) rpt 9pm Tuesday
A romantic comedy following several interlinked individuals as they fall in and out of love in the lead-up to Christmas. Will they find happiness or forever be searching?

Nine

Baby It’s Christmas 7pm Monday
Join David Campbell for a special performance of his first Christmas album, “Baby It’s Christmas”. Featuring classics, Silent Night & Jingle Bells with special guests Jimmy Barnes, Rick Price, Diesel, Mahalia Barnes and The Kingdom Choir.

Carols by Candlelight Live 8pm Monday
Join Sonia Kruger and David Campbell for everyone’s favourite Christmas Eve tradition. This year marks the 81st annual Carols concert, where some of Australia’s most loved stars will perform a selection of Christmas favourites.

Movie: Red Christmas (2016) 10pm 9GEM
A mother must protect her family on Christmas Day from a demented stranger who is hell-bent on tearing them apart. (Dee Wallace, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Bishop)

Carols by Candlelight rpt 12:50pm Nine Tuesday

2018 Queen’s Christmas Message special 11:35pm Tuesday
Queen Elizabeth II delivers her annual Christmas message.

SBS

Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey Christmas 6.00pm Monday
Having returned from filming his odyssey all around the Far East, Rick Stein was inspired to come up with the answer to that big cooking dilemma facing us all at Christmas time – what to do with that cold turkey?

Sandringham: The Queen at Christmas special 7:30pm Monday
A colourful exploration that charts every detail of the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham as Prince Harry and fiancé Meghan Markle join them together for the very first time.

All Aboard the Sleigh Ride special 8:30pm Monday
A magical journey like no other, an amazing two hour trip through breathtaking snow-white scenery, filmed from the perspective of a traditional reindeer driven sleigh, travelling through the forests and across the frozen lakes of Lapland. Without music or narration, the only sound is the crunching of snow and the gentle tinkle of sleigh bells. Unhurried and mesmerising, the ride is a unique opportunity to experience the life of the indigenous Sami people and witness their traditions such as ice fishing and camping out on the tundra. Sit back and indulge in the beautiful but simple treasures of this seasonal treat.

Great American Railroad Journeys 7:30pm Tuesday
Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California Roll, and paints a pretty picture in Laguna Beach. It’s Mexican Independence Day and the locals are celebrating the country’s hard- won independence from Spain in the early 19th century. There’s dancing, singing and feasting in the streets and Michael joins the party.

Foxtel

A Merry MAX Christmas 6am Tuesday MAX
Merry Christmas! To start the day’s good times rolling, MAX spreads the cheer with the perfect Christmas soundtrack. Some of the best names in music will be sharing their favourite songs, such as Mariah Carey’s season staple All I Want for Christmas is You, plus more from Michael Bublé, Kylie Minogue and Chris Isaak. It’s music to make the day great!

Movie: White Christmas rpt 8.35pm FOX Classics
Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen and Danny Kaye star in this ultimate Christmas classic. When a Vermont inn is on the brink of ruin, two sisters join forces with a song and dance duo to change its fortune. Full of charming romance, music and comedy, this is truly a Christmas Eve treat for the whole family.

Christmas Is Here Playlist FOX Flicks
Want to kick back and enjoy some of those chocolates you’ve just received? FoxFlicks has a playlist full of festive films including Love Actually, Elf, Home Alone, The Family Stone, Die Hard, Bad Moms 2, Gremlins and many, many more! Finish this special day with an all-time favourite.

Christmas on Foxtel Arts 6.30pm Tuesday Foxtel Arts,
The festivities continue into the night with special Christmas screenings of The Jonathon Ross Show, plus performances from Michael Bublé, Andre Rieu and crooner Daniel O’Donnell to name a few! Pour yourself some eggnog and prepare for a big night of entertainment.

Antiques Roadshow: 65th Anniversary Special 8.30pm Tuesday Lifestyle
It’s been 65 years since Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, and Fiona Bruce and her team are celebrating in style! Join the Antiques Roadshow crew as they head to Edinburgh to board the Royal Yacht Britannia, where they look at the monarch’s reign through treasured items brought in by those who have worked for her.

Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life rpt 8.35pm Tuesday FOX Classics
As Christmas films go, this is the definitive festive flick. When George (James Stewart) is down on life and struggling to carry on, an angel (Henry Travers) visits to show him how important his life is, proving that even when it all seems far from wonderful – there is hope.

Call the Midwife 2018 Christmas special (pictured top) 7:30pm Wednesday
Acclaimed actress Miriam Margolyes stars in the Christmas special as Sister Mildred, a forthright and indefatigable sister from the Order. She arrives unexpectedly at Nonnatus House, her hands full with four Chinese orphans. Having fled China, the child refugees were found abandoned in Hong Kong and are being adopted in the UK as part of the World Refugee Project. With Christmas preparations in full flow and the midwives busy caring for the expectant mothers of Poplar, these unexpected visitors cause joy and chaos in equal measure. The Christmas special also sees Trixie return to Poplar just in time to cover for the Sisters as they leave for the Mother House. The Order’s Mother Superior has been taken ill and a new spiritual leader needs to be elected. It soon becomes clear, much to Sister Julienne’s horror, that she is the favoured candidate to take over.

12 Responses

        1. No Eventbrite event was scheduled- I have been checking their site for the last few weeks waiting for the event to be scheduled. I eventually gave up when Rove didn’t say he would see us on January 2.

  1. Why is Elf on Ten tonight (Christmas Eve) and 10 Peach tomorrow (Christmas Day)? It’s a great movie but two nights in a row is over the top. I’m disappointed 7 Mate aren’t showing any Chrissy episodes of the Simpsons.

    1. They’re all doing it. Seven with Love Actually again tomorrow, Nine with Deck the halls/Scrooged/Bad Santa again next couple of nights and 10 with Elf again tomorrow.

      David Knox has previously written here how commercial networks when licensed with feature films, may encore it within a certain short time frame with no extra charge or run restriction or whatever,

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