The Edge is back for its weekly TV round up and this time we’re covering everything from season finales from Strictly Come Dancing and The Apprentice to all our favourite Christmas Specials such as Man Down and Doctor Who. Thankfully however to break up all the Christmas TV James Corden’s critically acclaimed Wrong Mans returns for its second series.
Text Santa: The festive fundraising extravaganza returns, with the evening’s presenting duos – Ant and Dec, Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley, and Paddy McGuinness and Alesha Dixon – joined by a host of famous faces to raise money for six deserving causes. Highlights include George Clooney making a surprise visit to Downton Abbey, the residents of Coronation Street appearing in a comedy sketch with a Text Santa twist, and Ant and Dec hosting a Yule Tucker Trial for an unsuspecting celebrity while serenaded by a choir of former jungle contestants. The Birds of a Feather stars also get involved, The Cube welcomes some unexpected visitors and there are appearances by the casts of Mr Selfridge and Emmerdale, plus plenty of live music. Tune in tonight on ITV at 8pm.
Citizen Khan: Adil Ray creates and stars in this British sitcom about a Pakistani family in Birmingham. It’s Christmas Eve, 10 months after Shazia and Amjad’s wedding. Mr Khan is feeling extremely festive – he’s even got a new Christmas suit. And what’s more, this year he’s been given the honour of placing thestar on top of the Sparkhill interfaith Christmas tree. But when the whole family gathers at the Khan house to head out to the ceremony, it turns out that Shazia has other plans. Tune in tonight on BBC One at 8:30pm.
Strictly Come Dancing: Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman host the live grand final, which sees Frankie, Caroline, Mark and Simon performing two routines each, hoping to pull off an array of dazzling lifts, tricks and surprises as they compete to win the glitterball trophy. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell give their verdicts on the performances, but the all-important votes from viewers determine who waltzes off with this year’s title. Tune in this Saturday at 6:30pm on BBC One.
The Apprentice: After 11 weeks of challenges that have seen the teams making candles, launching YouTube channels and trying to sell soft drinks to New Yorkers, Bianca and Mark are the two candidates who remain – and here they battle it out to go into partnership with Alan Sugar. Their final task is to launch their businesses, coming up with brands and devising campaigns before pitching them to an audience of industry experts. Former contestants return to help each finalist, and while one candidate takes a dictatorial approach to management, the other succumbs to stage fright during the filming of a promotional video. Who will have done enough to convince Lord Sugar to pick them as his partner? Tune in this Sunday at 9pm on BBC One to find out.The Wrong Mans: Having earned their status as hometown heroes, former Berkshire County Council employees Sam and Phil are blasted back to zero again. Now in hiding 4,000 miles from Bracknell, Phil is relishing the chance to reinvent himself, while Sam pines for his old life, but distressing news from back home forces them to step out of the shadows and embark on a dangerous international quest to get home in time for Christmas and reclaim their lives. The first in a two-part special of the comedy thriller written by and starring James Corden and Mathew Baynton. Tune in this Monday on BBC Two at 9pm.
Michael Buble’s Christmas 2014: If you’re looking for something a bit more festive this is it for you. The Canadian crooner’s fourth Christmas special sees him take to the stage of Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with guest appearances by Barbra Streisand, Ariana Grande, Miss Piggy and the Rockettes. The music features festive classics such as It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and All I Want For Christmas Is You. Michael also performs an unplugged selection of songs chosen from requests posted by his fans on social media, including I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Cold December Night and Blue Christmas. Tune in this Monday on ITV at 9pm.
Man Down: Christmas is coming, the turkey is getting fat… and, in this case, alarmingly aggressive. Greg Davies, acclaimed stand-up comedian, Mr Gilbert in the hit TV series and films The Inbetweeners, and BAFTA-nominated star of Cuckoo, writes and stars in a seasonal special of his critically acclaimed sitcom. After a difficult year Dan is convinced he has turned his life around only to meet a Christmas thorn in his side in the shape of his aunt Nesta (Stephanie Cole OBE). He and his two faithful friends quickly discover that a farm is not their natural habitat.Tune in this Tuesday on Channel 4 at 10pm.
Doctor Who: We last saw the Doctor and Clara (Jenna Coleman) walking their separate ways, having both told a big lie so that the other could be free to explore their own path. This is how we arrive at Christmas. It’s set in a bleak, futuristic landscape covered in the ubiquitous Christmassy snow. Nick Frost is playing Santa Claus – the real Santa Claus, although that doesn’t exempt him from the Doctor’s withering looks – and, despite persistent rumours of Coleman’s departure, she is back for this episode and the group finding themselves pitted against face-sucking aliens called the Dream Crabs. Tune in on Christmas day at 6:15pm on BBC One.Miranda: Sitcom starring Miranda Hart. It doesn’t matter what Miranda attempts in life, whether it’s dating or simply dealing with her overbearing mother, she always seems to fall flat, quite literally. This time though she’s taking on Christmas. The special is set to make the end of Miranda to the British public’s utter display so let’s hope it all ends with a bang. Tune in on Christmas day at 7:15pm on BBC One.
Downton Abbey: It’s the early autumn of 1924 and Rose’s father-in-law Lord Sinderby has rented Brancaster Castle in Northumberland and invited the Crawleys to a grouse-shooting party. However, the Sinderbys’ butler Stowell (guest star Alun Armstrong, New Tricks) has an axe to grind and a scandalous secret threatens to derail the holiday. Back at Downton, the servants hold the fort and unlikely later-life romances abound, while Bates takes drastic measures to clear Anna’s name as she faces an uncertain future behind bars. The seasons change and another Christmas is enjoyed at the Abbey, where a heartbreaking farewell and a joyful reunion take place. Tune in on Christmas day at 9pm on ITV.
