Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas: Special: 2023
On Sunday 15 December at 20:00 – BBC LIFESTYLE (DStv Channel 174)
Kirstie provides a flurry of jovial festive fun – with enough competitions, makes, decorations, gifts, food and drink to inspire every kind of crafter. From stained-glass snowflakes to tree-topping horses, Kirstie makes more joyful creations and gives Festive HQ a glow-up. But which of her crafty helpers’ decorations will be the star of her display?
The Great Pottery Throw Down Special: Christmas 2023
On Monday 16 December at 20:00
Siobhán McSweeney hosts a fabulously festive dollop of Christmas clay, as four celebs roll up their sleeves and take on two yuletide challenges set by judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller. Hugh Dennis, Sophie Duker, Alice Levine and Joe Swash take on some festive firing as they hand-build a Christmas birdhouse. Who can throw the most nibbles bowls and who’ll be crowned champion?
On Tuesday 17 December at 19:00
Nigella returns for a very special Christmas treat when she travels to Amsterdam to enjoy the festive season in the Venice of the North. With family ties to Amsterdam that go back generations, Nigella has fond memories of lights reflecting in the canals, the sights of people huddled against the cold drinking Claret Cup, the smells of spice-sweet and fruited breads and the crunch of icing-laced cookies.
The Great British Bake Off: Christmas Specials 2022
On Saturday 21 December at 19:00
Gaby Roslin, Sir Tony Robison, Miquita Oliver, Terry Christian and Claire Sweeney compete for Christmas Star Baker, and there’s a beautiful performance of Swan Lake by the English National Ballet.
Christmas in New York: Inside the Plaza
On Saturday 21 December at 21:00
An access-all-areas look at how Christmas comes to life at one of the most famous hotels in the world, the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York, at their busiest time of the year where the guests expect a five-star service like no other.
The Great British Bake Off: Christmas Special: 2023
From Tuesday 24 December at 19:00
Series 1 (2 episodes)
Paul and Prue celebrate Christmas 2023 with the ‘Baker Ghosts of Christmas Past’, in a festive fete that also includes a performance from the Citizens of the World Choir.
Million Dollar Buffet
On Sunday 29 December at 20:00
The All You Eat Buffet has gone LUXE. It’s no longer about chicken chow mein and bad margarita pizza. It’s a brave new world of $10,000 sides of wagyu beef, foie-gras mac n cheese, Alaska king crab claws piled to the ceiling and 20,000 gold leaf topped crème brûlées. This programme will visit the places where the luxury food is piled high. Our guide will be presenter and acclaimed food critic Grace Dent. She’ll head behind the scenes and into the kitchen, learning the secrets of turning out gourmet food in Titanic quantities before getting stuck in at the buffet, filling her plate and trying to work out the tricks of the trade.
BBC BRIT (DStv Channel 120)
Sherlock S1
From Monday 2nd December at 20:00
Dr John Watson returns from service in Afghanistan and finds himself drawn inexorably into the world of the brilliant but baffling ‘consulting detective’, Sherlock Holmes.
From Tuesday 31st December at 20:00
British cosy mystery television series based on Robert Thorogood’s novel where a retired archaeologist and crossword setter Judith Potts believes that a brutal murder has taken place in the sleepy town of Marlow; when the police refuse to believe her story, she kicks off a private investigation with two unlikely friends.
BBC UKTV (DStv Channel 134)
Great British Bake Off Christmas Special 2020 & 2021
Thursday 12th December at 18:00
Celebrate with some Yuletide specials of Bake Off. Familiar faces from Bake Off past battle it out to win the star baker.
Iceland with Alexander Armstrong
Friday 12th December at 21:00
British actor and comedian, Alexander Armstrong, embarks on a journey across Iceland, traversing the full breadth of the country to discover more about Iceland’s unique culture, wildlife and landscapes.
Ghosts S2
Saturday 14th December at 19:00
Lovers Jay and Samantha inherit a rundown country estate and decide to convert it into a hotel. Little do they know that the property inhabits the spirits of deceased residents who call it their home.
Stephen Fry in Central America
Monday 16th December at 21:00
Having travelled to all 50 states of the USA in a black cab, Stephen Fry heads back to America to explore a different path. He begins his journey at the Mexican border and travels through the entire Central American isthmus until he reaches the Panamanian border. As well as visiting dangerous places, Fry takes in beautiful landscapes, celebrates wildlife and meets locals.
Mimi and the Mountain Dragon
Wednesday 25th December at 16:00
Animated adaptation of the children’s book by Michael Morpurgo. A shy little girl named Mimi finds a baby dragon and undertakes a perilous journey to return it to its mother.
Billionaire Boy
Thursday 26th December at 15:30
One-off family comedy. Father and son Len and Joe Spud have very little, but they become overnight billionaires when Len invents a new toilet roll.
BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184)
Life Below Zero S12
From Sunday 1 December at 19:00
Follow the further icy adventures of Life Below Zero’s resilient characters as this twelfth series charts their day-to-day lives in Alaska; the fascinating documentary series returns to inform viewers of the hardships experienced by four Alaskan households in different corners of this merciless territory as they battle to make it through a long, dark, and freezing winter. The huge US state of Alaska boasts some of the world’s most deadly weather, with temperatures regularly plummeting to a lethal -80 Fahrenheit, yet it is also home to some of the toughest, most resilient, and isolated people in the world.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal
From Friday 6 December at 19:00
Seven well-known celebrities, with differing faiths and beliefs, meet in northern Portugal to tackle a modern-day Catholic pilgrimage. Known as the Northern Way, their destination is the famous sanctuary in the city of Fatima, one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world. Travelling by foot, road and train are actor Su Pollard, who was raised in the Church of England; Jewish actress Rita Simons; Pentecostal born-again Christian Shane Lynch of Boyzone fame; reality TV star and influencer Vicky Pattison, who is agnostic; Bobby Seagull, a practising Catholic, maths whizz and TV personality; Nabil Abdulrashid, a comedian and practising Muslim; and Paralympian skier Millie Knight, who is non-practising Church of England. Living as pilgrims, they begin their adventure in the border town of Valenca and over 14 days the celebrity pilgrims will follow the 364-kilometre path.
Secret Amazon: Into the Wild S1
From Friday 6 December at 20:00
The Amazon is the last wild frontier. The world relies on it. Man is destroying it. Hardcore explorer Lucy Shepherd is on a dangerous crusade. Spearheading a new generation of climate-change battling explorers, Lucy has tackled some of the planet’s most hostile terrains. Now, she must learn to live in harmony with this wilderness and its people, to show how coming together can bring hope and help to our imperilled planet. This is a world first, a low impact, high stakes mission of constant danger to understand what can be done to save us all – before it’s too late.
Mzansi Life & Style by Mishkah Roman-Cassiem 