The Christmas TV Strategy Guide 2020
It’s the big day! Time to enjoy time with your family, open your presents and have fun. And once that half an hour or so is done, time to settle down in front of the TV and see what time you pass out in your food coma this year
1020 - ITV3
Every year, for some reason, it seems like the schedulers at ITV3 look at Christmas Day and go "Screw it, just put Carry On films on, all day" which they then do. So, if you really wanted to, you could spend the entirety of your Christmas Day watching Carry On films. They're not even broadcast in date order though so prepare for some big jumps in both fashions and amount of face wrinkles
1100 - BBC2
Or you could turn off the Carry On marathon and watch two genuinely brilliant films instead; start off with a big of Gene Kelly talking about how awesome he is then watch how awesome he is in one of his best films (An American In Paris takes the top slot) before one of the great comedies of all time. Just chef's kiss good
1510 - BBC1
Another stellar Pixar film with a great look based on the Mexican Day of The Dead celebrations. But, it all honesty, if you've recently lost an elderly relative just don't. Pixar has a record of sneaking up and ripping your heart of your chest when you least suspect it, a tradition which this film follows in
1510 - Channel 5
One of my favorite things about this film is the opening credits; a huge sequence set around a race track with hundreds of extras and practical special effects, all of which is there to show how Chitty ended up smashed up on the road side. There's no real need for it but they've got the budget so why not spend it? I'd gladly have dumped that and had more dance sequences from Dick Van Dyke but it's part of the charm of the film, this big bloated Hollywood film that at times has more money than sense. But it does have Dick Van Dyke, so you can forgive it an awful lot
1600 - Horror Channel
More Harryhausen! Which, despite the title, is the first of his run of Sinbad films unless there's a Star Wars style 6 movie prequel series to be made
1615 - BBC2
Don't care if its the same Morecambe and Wise from yesterday, it's still one to watch. And more 70s festive fun this time from To the Manor Born, which apparently got it's popularity thanks to an ITV strike at the time of its first series which meant it was one of the only things to watch on TV. So there you go
1730 - Channel 4
Is this better than the first film? It depends on your mood as this is essentially a remake of the first film hitting all the same beats and everything. It'll come down to how your want your criminals battered to within an inch of their lives as in the sequel the pain level is ratcheted up a couple of notches
1825 - 5Star
A great film to watch in 2020, for obvious reasons. If only we had Dustin Hoffman in helicopter ready to save the day in real life
2130 - Talking Pictures TV
As previously mentioned, Michael Caine's movie picks in the 80s were far from consistent but this was one of the better ones, one of those comedic takes on the Holmes/Watson relationship that comes around every now and then. It's certainly better than the recent Will Ferrell/John C Reilly attempt