Every year the channels strive to provide a brilliant Christmas schedule, and this year’s promises to be packed with a mixture of the old and new.
We take a look at some of the weirdest holiday specials, from killer snowmen to passive aggressive relatives.
Black Mirror – White Christmas
Writer Charlie Brooker sets a tranquil scene in the beginning of the Black Mirror Christmas episode, before dragging viewers along a twisted story of loneliness and ostracisation.
White Christmas unravels three storylines that ultimately connect in a shocking ending that sees no winners. Matt (Jon Hamm) and Joe (Rafe Spall) feature as two men in a remote cabin who share their troubled past as it plays out onscreen.
Doctor Who – Snowman
Watching Doctor Who on Christmas day is a tradition that’s about to change, with this year’s episode moved to New Year’s Day.
In Snowman its 1892, the Doctor (Matt Smith) has given up on saving the world and Clara (Jenna Coleman) must convince him to fight the sharp toothed snowmen before they take over the world.
Sherlock - The Abominable Bride
Airing shortly after Christmas, The Abominable Bride took Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) back in time to Victorian England to solve a ghost story.
It follows the return of a bride, who supposedly killed herself, on a mission to murder the groom.
Created to fill a gap between seasons, The Abominable Bride may be the most shocking Sherlock episode to air.
The X-Files – How the Ghost Stole Christmas
Science fiction cult drama The X-Files is usually strange, but in this unique holiday version the writers manage to combine both its funny and creepy elements.
Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate a house haunted by a couple every Christmas Eve and are plagued by mind games as result. The pair narrowly resist the urge to kill one another in time to escape the ghosts and exchange gifts.
Peep Show - Seasonal beatings
The classic sitcom didn’t release a festive episode until its seventh series and showed everyone just how horrible Christmas can get for a normal family.
Mark (David Mitchell) must face his passive aggressive father, resentful friend and frustrated girlfriend all at Christmas dinner. Insults, breakups and screaming ensues, with most of the guests driven away from the dinner table.
