Feeding a national habit this Christmas on BBC Radio

The festive season has long been associated with television, as the channels offer up their finest wares – blockbusters, new commissions and special editions – but what of Christmas radio?

It might not steal the headlines like TV, but there is still much to celebrate.

Listening to the radio is a national habit. Around 90% of the population tune in every week. It’s part of the fabric of our daily lives. Of course, during Christmas our routines are disrupted and we don’t tune in as normal. But nevertheless there are many moments during the merriment and mayhem when the simple pleasure of tuning in to a favourite presenter or a beloved programme feels like entering an oasis of calm and companionship.

What’s more, there are some things you still can’t do when looking at a screen: driving a car safely and slicing an onion being two of them. So radio’s convenience, as well as its creativity, continues to be an enormous strength.

This year all the BBC stations will be offering special programmes for just about every taste and habit. Here are a few highlights:

• On Radio 4, the Ambridge production of Blithe Spirit features as Afternoon Drama on Boxing Day, this year’s Today programme guest editors include Lady Butler Sloss, Lenny Henry and Tracey Thorn, while New Year’s Day sees a 10-hour production of War and Peace with John Hurt and Lesley Manville

• Three Wise Women – in the form of St Vincent, Neneh Cherry, and Alison Goldfrapp - take over 6 Music on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

• On Radio 5 live, Mike Ingham looks back at the World War One’s Christmas Truce and the reality behind stories of British and German soldiers coming together to play football

• Zane Lowe offers his soundtrack for Christmas Eve in a Christmas Mixtape show and Trevor Nelson presents some of the best performances from the 1Xtra Live Lounge in 2014, including George the Poet, Kiesza and Ed Sheeran

• On the Asian Network, young Pakistani singer Asim Azhar makes his debut as a radio presenter when he joins the station’s Saima Ajram for a Christmas special

• Heston Blumenthal, James Blunt, Sharleen Spiteri and Nicola Benedetti make their presenting debuts on Radio 2, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor presents two hours of upbeat music to get New Year revellers across the country in the party mood

• Radio 3’s first ever Christmas Carol Competition reaches its climax with performances of the winning work by the BBC Singers on the station’s Breakfast show and Sarah Walker presents Five Reasons to Love…Bach at Christmas in Essential Classics, showcasing seasonal choruses and arias

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Every day our stations will be offering a huge variety of distinctive programmes. And with our range of podcasts and the ability to listen again on iPlayer Radio, I am sure you will find something to suit your mood.

Enjoy your telly viewing over Christmas – most people rightly love it. But don’t forget the enormous pleasures of BBC Radio. When the Christmas cards have been taken down and the tinsel packed away, radio will still be there as the daily and much loved soundtrack to our lives.

Merry Christmas.

Helen Boaden is Director, BBC Radio