What We Will Be Watching and Reading this Christmas
Film & Television to enjoy this festive season
Whether you fancy a festive trip to the cinema or are looking for a good series to get stuck into, here's our pick of the best films and TV to get stuck into this festive season.
Black Doves
We all love a good crime thriller, so when Netflic announced it's new spy series, Black Doves, starring Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire alongside Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, we immediately added it to our watch list.
Released 5th December, from the creator of BBC's Giri/Haji, this fast paced spy thriller is set in the heart of London over Christmas and follows Helen (Keira Knightley) a spook selling secrets to the highest bidder. However when she embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her true identity is, her world slowly unravels as her he ultimately falls victim to the dangerous London underworld.
Desperate to find out who her lover's killers are, Helen turns to Sam (Ben Wishaw) - a trigger man with demons of his own - for help whilst trying to shield the truth from her husband Wallace (Andrew Buchan), Britain's Defence Minister, the man who's secrets she's been selling.
Available to Stream on Netflix Now
A Christmas Carol : The Read with Ann Marie Duff
Few stories embody the Christmas spirit quite like the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. In this 90-minute special, Bad Sisters star Anne-Marie Duff narrates, breathing new life into the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ghostly visitors.
"Filmed in Manchester, The Read: A Christmas Carol is an intimate narration of the much-loved short story as the Bafta-winning actor brings to life Bob Cratchet and his loving family along with party-loving Fezziwig and the well-meaning ghouls."
The Perfect Winter Warmer!
Sunday 22 December, 7.45pm, BBC Four & available on Catch Up
Nigel Slater - A Thousand Feasts
Really rather hoping for a good book or two under the Christmas tree this year - in A Thousand Feasts, award-winning food writer Nigel Slater presents his latest volume of treasured memories and observations from notebooks full of curiosities and wonderings. No-one quite captures the sights and smells of their surroundings quite like Slater.
What may seem like mundane tasks are detailed in the most joyous of details in this glorious journal - from packing a suitcase for a trip and watching a butterfly settle on a carpet, to short stories of feasts such as a mango eaten in monsoon rain or a dish of restorative macaroni cheese. Pure Comfort!
Better Man
This intriguing new musical biopic complete with CGI Monkey at its forefront, is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British Superstar Robbie Williams. Under the direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), comes this unique telling from Williams' perspective, capturing his signature charm and wit. The film follows three decades of Williams' life - from childhood, to his days as the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, and ultimately to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist. Better Man confronts the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring to those wholly underprepared.
Gavin & Stacey - The Finale
One of Britain's most loved sitcoms is back for one final send-off !
With all of the original cast members returning, it's safe to say that not all is as it was when we left Barrie/Essex 5 years ago - so what are Nessa's current feeling's for Smithy, how is Neil the Baby and will we ever find out what happened on that fishing trip?!
Speaking on a Recent Table Manners Podcast, show creator James Corden said: "The show picks up five years after we left off… Nessa has had this unbelievable chequered life and you find out more about that in this special – some really fun bits that we wrote. On TV or films, you very rarely see people that look like Ruth and I fall in love. You just don’t. I’d be dropping off a TV to Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones and Ruth’s like working on a newsstand when someone buys a newspaper. What I like about the show is that it’s so messy and complicated and they just clearly have fantastic sex. I really enjoy that confidence."
Christmas Day, 9pm, BBC One
Squid Game
Smile — Squid Game is ready to play once again, and by the looks of the newest trailer, the games are set to be as sinister as ever!
A battle-hardened Gi-hun ( Lee Jung-jae ), aka Player 456, returns to the deadly games with one goal in mind: to end the horrifying competition once and for all. Forced to play a new set of games, Gi-hun finds himself locked in a tense battle with the shadowy Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), whose true motivations remain cloaked in secrecy as the twists and turns of Season 2 unfurl. Will Gi-hun succeed, and how many more lives will the system claim as he tries?
Speaking about the upcoming season in 2023, Director Hwang Dong-hyuk said “I do have a lot on my shoulders, but I’ll make sure it’s worth the wait."
