Must Watch: Christmas TV 2021

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan share their favouite festive offerings for Christmas 2021.

Scott: The Greatest Snowman. Christmas Eve at 8pm on Channel 4. 

Scott says: "My first recommendation is probably the best named show of the entire year! The Greatest Snowman is where celebrities compete to make the best snowman and ice sculptures. Yes, really!

"Contestants include Johnny Vegas, Dani Dyer, Laurence Llewelyn Bowen (wearing the biggest and most ridiculous scarf you’ve ever seen) and Cherry Healey. As there’s no snow here, they go to the Alps to do it.

"Renowned snow and ice experts are on hand to assist them. And yes, Sue Perkins opens the show by saying “Yes, we came up with the idea of the show first and then had to think of a concept.” The whole thing is complete nonsense."

Hayley: The Mezzotint. Christmas Eve, 10:30pm on BBC Two. 

Hayley says: "This is a new adaptation of a M.R. James ghost story by Mark Gatiss. It’s a one-off half hour drama starring Rory Kinnear from the James Bond films and Black Mirror. The official synopsis is: 'It’s 1922, and in the heart of an old English college, Edward Williams receives an engraving of an old country house. An imposing façade. A sweeping lawn. And just perhaps... something else.' Anything more would be a spoiler so I'll just leave it there.

"I'm a longtime fan of the old BBC adaptations of M.R. James stories — Jonathan Miller's 'Whistle and I'll Come To You' remains one of the most frightening, affecting things I have ever seen — and this has the feel of those. It's clearly made by a devoted fan. It's excellent, only as long as it needs to be, and after watching it I had trouble getting to sleep."

Scott: A Very British Scandal. Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC One. 

Scott says: "You may have seen ‘A Very English Scandal’, a television series written by Russell T Davies that was on several years ago. This is the next in the anthology. This new series, on between Christmas and New Year, has a different writer too. It is Sarah Phelps, who is behind every single wonderfully bleak Agatha Christie adaptation you may have seen on television.

"I love how Phelps takes the happiest jolly time of year and makes it as dark as possible! It’s based on a true case and stars Claire Foy as Margaret the Duchess of Argyll and looks at her 1963 divorce and subsequent fallout."

Hayley: The Girl Before. Started Sunday 19th December on BBC One. Catch up on BBC iPlayer. 

Hayley says: "I’m recommending this not for the reasons I would ordinarily recommend a BBC One thriller, but for the opposite. It’s perfect if you want some nonsense that isn’t of the ‘singing contest’ variety.

"It stars David Oyelowo, who we’ve had on ‘Must Watch’ way back when he was on the TV adaptation of Les Mis. In this he plays a creepy landlord who has really strange and specific rules about what new tenants can and can’t do in his ultra-minimalist house. It’s exactly the kind of thriller nonsense I like to watch at this time of year, the kind that only requires part of your brain."

Scott: The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021 - It's A Sin Special. Christmas Day at 8pm on Channel 4.

Scott says: "'It’s A Sin' was arguably one of the best shows of the year. They have some of the stars from the show, Nathaniel Curtis, Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Sean Dooley.

"They have to do festive challenges. They settled on the cast of 'It’s A Sin' for this special because the heartbreaking series broke Channel 4’s records, they’ve done it before with the cast of Derry Girls. The Derry girls one was the funniest episode of Bake Off ever too and that’s already available to watch on All 4."

Hayley: Mortimer and Whitehouse, Gone Christmas Fishing 2021. Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC Two. 

Hayley says: "I’m going to surprise everyone and suggest ‘Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing' — a little-known show I rarely talk about (this is a joke, I talk about it constantly). Based on last year's Christmas special this will probably make you cry, so be warned.

"In terms of who joins them, the former footballer Paul Gascoigne is going to be on the show, and just like they did last year, they have the annual work party which is just the two of them. Their musical entertainment for the evening is provided by Paul Heaton and Jackie Abbott from The Beautiful South."

Scott: Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure. Boxing Day at 9:30pm on ITV. 

Scott says: "It’s another autobiographical look at his career highlights. There was a special last year too. This is a new episode where he looks at some of his favourite routines, and the events that have shaped his career.

"If you’re a big Billy fan they also have a great documentary on BBC iPlayer, called Made in Scotland, which looks at his comedy roots and the world famous Glasgow sense of humour."

Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.

In this week's Christmas special, the team speak to Gyles Brandreth about All Star Musicals on ITV, Charlotte Ritchie from the Ghosts Christmas special on BBC One and Mark Gatiss about The Amazing Mr Blunden on Sky Max.

Click here to listen to the latest episode.