I'm told that the new 'privatised' Radio Times only goes up to New Years Eve, or is this just vicious rumour?

It's got its knockers, but I've seen the Xmas one and it's a corker.

Other than that, most of what you mentioned really. The retro stuff. Don't bother with the Royal Bodyguard,. God bless David Jason but it's total tosh.

Off the Xmas Doctor Who screening tonight, and by all accounts its rather good.

Always like a bit of Dickens at Chrimbo. Great Expectorations with Ray Winstone if memory serves. I also love a ghost story in that 'dead' time between Christmas and new year. I don't know if anything is scheduled but an adaptation of something by MR James would be good.

...on '80s comedy will be an hour-long apology?

Loved it.

I would lie on the floor with the double issue Radio Times and a red biro and circle my viewing for two glorious chocolate filled weeks of laziness.
I would make sure I had enough blank VHS cassettes to cover any clashes and also mark down where I would most likely need to run upstairs to watch the black and white as my parents may want to watch something else.
Now I barely switch the thing on and this year I will be in Prague so I won't catch any of it. Amen to that.

Christmas TV at Christmas. Much Sky+ing this year I suspect as we'll be flying around the country as well as hosting family for part of the Christmas week.

If there's Dickens it'll be recorded. I won't need to worry about the films so much.

It would be nice to watch something that is:

a) funny
b) new
c) for all the family to enjoy

but that combination seems ever less present on the box these days.

is when the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka is on. Gonna watch that with Vorgonito...a little family tradition to be passed on...

I wonder when it will be that TV scheduling is geared solely towards live events, ie when we will all be calling up programmes on demand as and when we want.

Meanwhile, I do love the Xmas edition of the RT.

That's yer lot, apart from Carols From King's. A cathedral-centred childhood means I need a good dose of High Church C of E choral singing, cassocks, smells and bells at Christmas, and seeing as we're with the (nonconformist/atheist) in laws this year, I have to have it televised.

Telly's not a massive part of my Christmas, but Doctor Who is a must. I thought that the Gambon one last year was amazing, and there's been a Doc-shaped hole in my life since the series ended. I can't wait.

...never mind the cassocks.

I'm sorry, I just had to say it.

Anyway... I'll probably follow Fice-Centres' advice and watch the Christmas Downton - though I avoided the second series as it was apparently plumbing the depths of self-parody.

I haven't seen Dr Who in ages cos I just got fed up with the absurd, look-how-clever-this-is narrative arcs and - the deal breaker for me - the fact that the banging and crashing and 'background' music bombast was drowning out most of the dialogue. I just can't be doing with that.

Isn't there meant to be a 'Mystery Of Edwin Drood' adaptation on at some point?

Must see at 6.30pm on Christmas Day for the kids and then Downton Abbey at 9pm.

Nothing else is pencilled in yet.

Are "It's a wonderful life" and/or "White Christmas" on?

that deserves an up arrow

A G McDonnell's jovial novel about the English is being dramatised on Radio 4. I think on Christmas Eve.

Ian Hislop takes the part of Hodge. His first acting role.

The novel is a favourite of his and he championed it in a BBC Hundred best books mullarkey a few years ago.

Might be worth a listen.

I have mixed views on this.

It's another stunning Pixar creation. Witty and visually elegant.

But it's about a rat. And other rats. A Rat. Rats. Vermin.

I hate rats. Therefore I didn't give two hoots about the main character despite all his travails.

EDIT: It would appear I don't have mixed views at all then.

and 'Dr Who' Xmas Special.

That's about it.

I hope one of the main channels has got 'World's Strongest Man' this year, it used to be the TV highlight of the post-Boxing pre-New Years Day week.

Remember you had to buy both Radio Times AND TV Times in those days? Only time of the year my parents would buy those things. There was something very simple and straightforward about the RT back then. No colour, apart from the cover, newspaper style paper stock, 2 (that's TWO) TV channels to worry about, and a magical radio section that threw up those ghost stories and terrific Christmas programming we just don't seem to get now.

I am that rare beast that HATES having the telly on on Christmas Day. Telly can be watched 364 other days of the year, why can't we have ONE day when the telly is not bloody on?

We never had it on when I was a kid, except for Christmas TOTP, but as I got older, the telly went on earlier and earlier. I realise that I am in the minority, so have given up & expect the telly to be put on.

I spent a bit of this AM "doing" the Christmas Radio Times, and my plans boil down to Dr Who (although the Christmas ones have all been rubbish, I think), Carols from Kings Downton, Great Expectations and some the Cukor version of David Copperfield, although I'm, sure I'll watch much more.

I'm really unimpressed by the telly this year.

.....but bl***in' hell, there is nothing on over Xmas!

I'm doing 'Downton Abbey' and (with no Mark Lamarr on Radio 2) a load of Radio 4 Extra Plays and Comedies.
Oh, and I've Sky+ed about ten episodes of 'Top Cat'.

(That Ben Elton thing.....that's a joke, right?)