Advertisement

Close this content

Yahoo Movies UK

The best movies to watch on TV over Christmas 2021

·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment UK

21 December 2021 at 5:26 pm·3-min read

The best films on TV over Christmas (Disney/Universal)

Television networks know that Christmas is the perfect time for some guilt-free sofa time, hence why the programmers stack the schedules with crowd pleasing movies of all shapes and sizes.

We've taken the liberty of choosing the best films airing on the main UK channels (and some streaming services) over the Christmas period, so sit back, relax and enjoy some incredible movies at home.

Wednesday, 22 December

ET looking out window with Henry Thomas in a scene from the film 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', 1982. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)

11:30am: E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial (ITV)

3:05pm: Pete's Dragon (2016) (BBC One)

10:35pm: Crazy Rich Asians (BBC One)

Thursday, 23 December

Emilia Clarke with Henry Golding in Last Christmas (Credit: Universal)

1:50pm: Sing (ITV)

3:15pm: Cinderella (BBC One)

9:00pm: Last Christmas (BBC Two)

Christmas Eve, Friday, 24 December

American actors James Stewart (1908 - 1997) as George Bailey, and Donna Reed (1921 - 1986) as Mary Hatch Bailey in a promotional still from 'It's A Wonderful Life', directed by Frank Capra, 1946. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Anytime: Encanto (Disney+)

1:35pm: To Catch A Thief (BBC Two)

2:00pm: It's a Wonderful Life (Channel 4)

3:20pm: North By Northwest (BBC Two)

Christmas Day, Saturday, 25 December

Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen and children pose for picture in a scene from the film 'White Christmas', 1954. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images) — Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen and children pose for picture in a scene from the film 'White Christmas', 1954. (Paramount/Getty Images)

11:10am: Casablanca (BBC Two)

12:55pm: White Christmas (Channel 4)

3:10pm: Mary Poppins Returns (BBC One)

9:35pm: Their Finest (BBC Four)

Boxing Day, Sunday, 26 December

LOS ANGELES - 1958: Actors Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis on the set of the film — Actors Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis on the set of the film "Some Like it Hot" in Los Angeles, California. (Richard C. Miller/Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

Anytime: The Suicide Squad (Sky Cinema)

10:10am: Shaun The Sheep Movies (BBC One)

2:20pm: Some Like It Hot (BBC Two)

4:20pm: Paddington (BBC One)

Monday, 27 December

The sexual politics of Blade Runner 2049: progressive or problematic? — Ana De Armas and Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros)

1:30pm: Finding Dory (BBC One)

4:35pm: West Side Story (1961) (BBC Two)

9:00pm: Blade Runner 2049 (BBC Two)

Tuesday, 28 December

James Caan in a wheelchair in a scene from the film 'Misery', 1990. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

1:55pm: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (BBC One)

3:25pm: The BFG (2016) (BBC One)

11:15pm: Misery (Channel 4)

Wednesday, 29 December

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born (Warner Bros)

8:40am: Bringing Up Baby (BBC Two)

1:40pm: Inside Out (BBC One)

9:00pm: A Star Is Born (2018) (BBC One)

Thursday, 30 December

Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland (Credit: Pathe)

10:45am: Missing Link (BBC One)

6:45pm: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Channel 4)

9:00pm: Judy (BBC Two)

New year's eve, Friday, 31 December

Spectre (MGM/Eon/Sony Pictures)

Anytime: The Lost Daughter (Netflix)

2:20pm: Beauty and the Beast (BBC One)

9:00pm: Spectre (ITV)

10:40pm: When Harry Met Sally (Channel 4)

New year's day, Saturday, 1 January

'Downton Abbey' made its way to the big screen, making a tonne of cash in the process. (Credit: Universal)

2:00pm: How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World (BBC One)

8:40pm: Downton Abbey (ITV)

10:55pm: Guardians of the Galaxy (BBC One)

Watch: Renée Zellweger talks to Yahoo about Judy

Yahoo Movies UK
Everything we know about The Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke will return as The Grabber in the horror sequel. Here’s everything we know about The Black Phone 2 so far.
PA Media: Movies
Dick Van Dyke endorses Kamala Harris for US president
The 98-year-old tagged the vice president in his social media caption.
PA Media: Movies
Barry Keoghan says people use his son as ammunition against him
He has one child, Brando, with a former partner.
Yahoo Movies UK
Red One and the history of Hollywood's weirdest takes on Santa Claus
Dwayne Johnson's action-comedy Red One introduces a muscular Santa Claus. But plenty of other Christmas movies have twisted Saint Nick into something new.
Yahoo Movies UK
Will there be a Paddington 4?
Michael Bond's loveable bear has become a cinema icon through the Paddington film franchise, but will the character return after his adventures in Peru?
Yahoo TV UK
Which Agatha All Along characters have a future in the MCU?
The new Disney+ series is over, but Agatha All Along introduced several Marvel characters we will definitely see again in the years to come.
Yahoo Movies UK
Where to stream Joker: Folie à Deux in the UK
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck in Joker 2. Here is everything you need to know about the long-awaited DC sequel.
Yahoo Movies UK
Paddington in Peru fails to live up to Paddington 2 but is 'just as jolly', critics say
The third film in the Paddington franchise sees the beloved bear visit his Aunt Lucy in Peru, only to go on a rescue mission when he discovers she is missing.
PA Media: Movies
Hugh Bonneville says Paddington In Peru was a ‘lovely reunion’ for cast
The movie will be released in the UK on Friday.
PA Media: Movies
Paddington In Peru producer says Queen Elizabeth II will feature in film
The film will be released in the UK on November 8.
PA Media: Movies
Bill Nighy says he stole ‘complete works of Shakespeare’ from a library
The star said he applied for drama school to impress a girl.
PA Media: Movies
Daisy Ridley and husband Tom Bateman plan ‘another two’ films after Magpie
Bateman described his wife as ‘one of my favourite actors in the world’.
PA Media: Movies
Hugh Jackman to perform songs from Greatest Showman as BST Hyde Park headliner
The star will also perform songs from musicals including The Boy From Oz, Les Miserables, and The Music Man at the London festival.
PA Media: Movies
Clint Eastwood’s The Good, The Bad And The Ugly duster to go on auction
Eastwood rose to international fame in Sergio Leone’s dollars trilogy of spaghetti westerns in the 1960s.
Yahoo Movies UK
Everything we know about Paddington in Peru
Ben Whishaw is back as the voice of Britain's most loved bear. Here is all we know about the third Paddington film.
Yahoo Movies UK
Why isn’t Sally Hawkins in Paddington 3?
Emily Mortimer replaces Sally Hawkins as Mrs Brown in Paddington in Peru, the upcoming third film in the franchise.
PA Media: Movies
‘Election Endgame’: Avengers stars assemble to endorse Kamala Harris
The stars comically referenced their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
PA Media: Movies
Alexandra Daddario announces birth of child with a Halloween joke
The Percy Jackson and White Lotus star shared a photo of the newborn swaddled in a blanket with various chocolate wrappers on the baby.
Yahoo Movies UK
'The Saw movies are torture porn for tortured gays'
The gruesome horror franchise has served as a surprising inspiration for queer viewers, who have latched on to a number of characters over the years.
Yahoo Movies UK
Hammer Horror doc director explains Peter Cushing's appearance in the film
Hammer Films: The Heroes, Legends and Monsters director Ben Field speaks to Yahoo UK about digitally recreating the late Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein.