Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be shocked at how shit Xmas day telly is this year?

161 replies

Upholstery · 20/12/2025 18:49

40 year old films, Xmas specials from half a century ago, bake-off and the bloody McIntyre wheel? That's the best they can come up with? And as for ITV - what kind of self-loathing maniac wants to watch Lorraine on Xmas morning? The only thing that sounds half decent is Amandaland. What are they playing at?

OP posts:
Buscobel · 20/12/2025 18:55

Desperation! They have nothing.

cardibach · 20/12/2025 18:57

Watch whatever you want on streamers or catch up. That’s what most people do and is why there’s no point in TV stations putting a load of money into telly for a specific day.
There are some good specials lined up though.

taxguru · 20/12/2025 19:00

Its been crap for years, this is nothing new. But there again, terrestial TV is crap for the rest of the year too these days.

noblegiraffe · 20/12/2025 19:03

Speak for yourself, I personally can't wait for the Gladiators Christmas Special. So excited!

Scarlettpixie · 20/12/2025 19:04

Do people still watch live telly? I watch stuff on catch up, now tv, disney + etc.

FurForksSake · 20/12/2025 19:04

It’s a real shame they don’t put the effort in to it that they used to. I think they’ve put some better bits on at new year.

Not everyone enjoys streaming services and repeats, they want some nice festive favourites and recent family movies.

It used to be a big budget family Christmas that people would look forward to.

I don’t know anyone who watches soaps any more, we’d rather have casualty, here we go and a new midsummer murder 🤭🤭🤭😆😱

FFSToEverythingSince2020 · 20/12/2025 19:07

YABVVVVVVU. It’s Peep Show Bake Off! Everyone I know has been excited since it was announced.

Upholstery · 20/12/2025 19:14

Ok I like Peep show. But bake-off is boring!

OP posts:
FurForksSake · 20/12/2025 19:19

I think a lot of formats have reached the end of people’s tolerance. Bake off and strictly are probably losing a lot of numbers.

we will absolutely watch the peep show bake off, but because it is peep show. I’d love a new inside number nine and a ludwig.

we always save the last season of task master to watch over Christmas so we’ve got that to watch, one a day!

ponyprincess · 20/12/2025 19:22

What sort if specials were you hoping for @upholstery? I agree that watching things together is cosy part of Christmas I like so not great if you are disappointed

ponyprincess · 20/12/2025 19:23

Scarlettpixie · 20/12/2025 19:04

Do people still watch live telly? I watch stuff on catch up, now tv, disney + etc.

Not everyone has those extra channels though- but lovely to have more options yes!

LighthouseLED · 20/12/2025 19:24

YABU to describe Amandaland as half decent. It’s as shite as the rest of the TV.

But Christmas Day TV has been terrible for years.

TheaBrandt1 · 20/12/2025 19:25

Forced to watch Strictly due to guests. Just awful. Total filler TV - women with extreme plastic surgery shrieking at each other. And it went on and on and on.

xmasstress12 · 20/12/2025 19:26

Terrestrial can’t really compete with the streamers

Goodadvice1980 · 20/12/2025 19:26

Is the Muppets Christmas Carol on 🤔

xmasstress12 · 20/12/2025 19:26

Amandaland is brilliant though.

Hufflemuff · 20/12/2025 19:31

Amandaland is literally the only thing that peaked my interest! I understand they might struggle to keep up with streaming, but this year it feels like they just gave up completely.

vanillalattes · 20/12/2025 19:31

I don't even remember the last time I watched live TV - and I suspect it's the same for lots of people. Everything is done on streaming these days.

Upholstery · 20/12/2025 19:44

@ponyprincess I'd like to see as you say things that everyone can watch eg Dr Who, Wallace and Gromit. And I miss Xmas top of the pops, which kept going long after the regular programmes, again everyone could watch it, it was all big tunes from the year that you hear on radio even if you're not particularly plugged in to current music.

Also not specifically for Xmas but BBC used to do Dickens adaptations in winter that ran across Xmas, in the early 2000s, they were great, and M R James adaptations.

And they used to have genuinely good recent films, or at least old proper classics golden age of Hollywood type stuff.

But, I guess my Fantasy TV Xmas Special would be Alan Partridge. I would love to see that.

OP posts:
GreenClock · 20/12/2025 19:50

I think that last year’s Gavin & Stacey success was a rare thing these days due to (as PPs said) so many channels and streaming options.

SisSuffragette · 20/12/2025 20:02

Call the midwife is on 😁

Upholstery · 20/12/2025 20:18

Exactly!

OP posts:
CheshireCat1 · 20/12/2025 20:21

We tend not to watch TV on Christmas Day, I haven’t even looked at what’s on.

Lloki · 20/12/2025 20:24

It's been terrible for years, I miss looking forward to watching a good bit of TV over Christmas.

Middlemarch123 · 20/12/2025 20:25

I was listening to Dead Ringers earlier on Radio 4. One of the segments started with ‘Happy Christmas Day, and welcome to ITV, is your internet down?” Yep, would have to be to watch mainstream TV Christmas Day!