Channel 4's blog

5:40pm Tuesday, December 25 on C4

Over the holiday period Channel 4 presents an opportunity to see the complete trilogy of films, each introduced by director Peter Jackson. In the first of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations, Elijah Wood stars as Frodo, a hobbit who elects to become the bearer of the Ring of Power, which, if regained by its maker and master, Lord Sauron, will see him gain full and terrible power over all of Middle Earth.

10:00am Tuesday, December 25 on C4

Gordon Ramsay serves up an action-packed, entertaining guide to cooking a fool-proof Christmas dinner – live on Christmas Day. Gordon invites the nation’s families to cookalong together. Don’t leave it all to mum this year – Gordon challenges everyone to muck in and help create the perfect three-course festive feast. Plus, special lunch guests pop in to share Gordon’s feast.

10:30pm Monday, December 24 on C4

It’s Christmas Day and Mum has made a fantastic Christmas dinner. The boys are delighted that Grandma is coming round, but horrified that dad’s mother – ‘Horrible Grandma’ – is coming too. It can only get worse with a dog in an oxygen mask, ‘horrible dry turkey’, a prank with spaghetti bolognaise and Jim dressed as Father Christmas…

9:00pm Monday, December 24 on C4

Jimmy Carr is at the helm to oversee the disputes and deliberations on the festive topics that set the great British public’s chins wagging. Sean Lock and Jon Richardson captain the teams, featuring guests Sarah Millican, Stephen Mangan and Joe Wilkinson.

8:30pm Monday, December 24 on C4

Stephen brings his customary insight and wit to bear on gadgets from Christmases past. Using unusual and entertaining archive, Stephen surveys how Christmas and gadgets go together like mince pies and cream, as he takes a wry look at toys, snow, decorations and Christmas dinner. Stephen also suggests some Christmassy gadgets you can buy right now.

10:25pm Sunday, December 23 on C4

In the penultimate episode, Jeremy sparks up an old relationship with Mark’s sister and moves in with her and her five-year-old son. Mark, meanwhile, in an attempt to deal with a damp patch on his bedroom wall, launches a campaign to be elected chairman of the freehold committee of Apollo House. The final episode of the series airs tomorrow.

8:00pm Monday, December 24 on C4

A brand new, charming animated sequel to Raymond Briggs’s classic The Snowman. Briggs’s iconic children’s book The Snowman was adapted for television in 1982 and has been screened by Channel 4 every year since its first transmission. For the 30th anniversary, Briggs gave his blessing to this brand new sequel in which a Snowman and a Snowdog magically come to life. A boy joins them on an amazing adventure, flying to the North Pole where they join Snowmen and Snowwomen from around the world, and even get to meet Father Christmas.

9:00pm Sunday, December 23 on C4

The second season of the compelling US thriller comes to a tense conclusion. Following the dramatic events at the mill, Carrie must decide where her heart really lies: does she want to be back at the CIA – with a promotion, no doubt – or leading a very different life? Brody shares a drink with Faber to consider the future of his family. Meanwhile, Saul is tasked with a secret mission, and Quinn makes a decision that may change everything.

9:00pm Saturday, December 22 on C4

Network premiere. Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn star in Seth Gordon’s frothy romcom about a happily unmarried couple who reconsider their relationship after spending Christmas with their families. The couple usually avoid family Christmases but when their flight abroad is cancelled they have no choice but to see each of their divorced parents – whom they’ve never introduced one another to – on the same day…

Comedy partners and sketch surrealists Anna Crilly and Katy Wix announce their much-anticipated TV show Anna & Katy with a six-part series for Channel 4.

Due to air in early 2013, the character-driven sketch show will showcase the pair’s wonderfully absurd and off-the-wall comedy creations.

From daft TV pastiches such as ‘Rice Britannia’ an expertly observed parody of The Great British Bake-Off, to daytime show ‘Congratulation!’ where people write in to be congratulated for completing life’s minor tasks, audiences will get a window into ‘the unfathomable genius of Anna Crilly and Katy Wix’. Continue reading »