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The best movies to watch on TV over Christmas 2021

Tom Butler
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment UK
·3-min read
The best films on TV over Christmas (Disney/Universal)
The best films on TV over Christmas (Disney/Universal)

Television networks know that Christmas is the perfect time for some guilt-free sofa time, hence why the programmers stack the schedules with crowd pleasing movies of all shapes and sizes.

We've taken the liberty of choosing the best films airing on the main UK channels (and some streaming services) over the Christmas period, so sit back, relax and enjoy some incredible movies at home.

Wednesday, 22 December

ET looking out window with Henry Thomas in a scene from the film 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', 1982. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
ET looking out window with Henry Thomas in a scene from the film 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', 1982. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)

11:30am: E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial (ITV)

3:05pm: Pete's Dragon (2016) (BBC One)

10:35pm: Crazy Rich Asians (BBC One)

Thursday, 23 December

Emilia Clarke with Henry Golding in Last Christmas (Credit: Universal)
Emilia Clarke with Henry Golding in Last Christmas (Credit: Universal)

1:50pm: Sing (ITV)

3:15pm: Cinderella (BBC One)

9:00pm: Last Christmas (BBC Two)

Christmas Eve, Friday, 24 December

American actors James Stewart (1908 - 1997) as George Bailey, and Donna Reed (1921 - 1986) as Mary Hatch Bailey in a promotional still from 'It's A Wonderful Life', directed by Frank Capra, 1946. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
American actors James Stewart (1908 - 1997) as George Bailey, and Donna Reed (1921 - 1986) as Mary Hatch Bailey in a promotional still from 'It's A Wonderful Life', directed by Frank Capra, 1946. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Anytime: Encanto (Disney+)

1:35pm: To Catch A Thief (BBC Two)

2:00pm: It's a Wonderful Life (Channel 4)

3:20pm: North By Northwest (BBC Two)

Christmas Day, Saturday, 25 December

Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen and children pose for picture in a scene from the film 'White Christmas', 1954. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)
Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen and children pose for picture in a scene from the film 'White Christmas', 1954. (Paramount/Getty Images)

11:10am: Casablanca (BBC Two)

12:55pm: White Christmas (Channel 4)

3:10pm: Mary Poppins Returns (BBC One)

9:35pm: Their Finest (BBC Four)

Boxing Day, Sunday, 26 December

LOS ANGELES - 1958: Actors Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis on the set of the film
Actors Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis on the set of the film "Some Like it Hot" in Los Angeles, California. (Richard C. Miller/Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

Anytime: The Suicide Squad (Sky Cinema)

10:10am: Shaun The Sheep Movies (BBC One)

2:20pm: Some Like It Hot (BBC Two)

4:20pm: Paddington (BBC One)

Monday, 27 December

The sexual politics of Blade Runner 2049: progressive or problematic?
Ana De Armas and Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros)

1:30pm: Finding Dory (BBC One)

4:35pm: West Side Story (1961) (BBC Two)

9:00pm: Blade Runner 2049 (BBC Two)

Tuesday, 28 December

James Caan in a wheelchair in a scene from the film 'Misery', 1990. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
James Caan in a wheelchair in a scene from the film 'Misery', 1990. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

1:55pm: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (BBC One)

3:25pm: The BFG (2016) (BBC One)

11:15pm: Misery (Channel 4)

Wednesday, 29 December

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born (Warner Bros)
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born (Warner Bros)

8:40am: Bringing Up Baby (BBC Two)

1:40pm: Inside Out (BBC One)

9:00pm: A Star Is Born (2018) (BBC One)

Thursday, 30 December

Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland (Credit: Pathe)
Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland (Credit: Pathe)

10:45am: Missing Link (BBC One)

6:45pm: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Channel 4)

9:00pm: Judy (BBC Two)

New year's eve, Friday, 31 December

Spectre (MGM/Eon/Sony Pictures)
Spectre (MGM/Eon/Sony Pictures)

Anytime: The Lost Daughter (Netflix)

2:20pm: Beauty and the Beast (BBC One)

9:00pm: Spectre (ITV)

10:40pm: When Harry Met Sally (Channel 4)

New year's day, Saturday, 1 January

'Downton Abbey' made its way to the big screen, making a tonne of cash in the process. (Credit: Universal)
'Downton Abbey' made its way to the big screen, making a tonne of cash in the process. (Credit: Universal)

2:00pm: How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World (BBC One)

8:40pm: Downton Abbey (ITV)

10:55pm: Guardians of the Galaxy (BBC One)

Watch: Renée Zellweger talks to Yahoo about Judy