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