Arguably a more breathtaking final figure than that for the Bake Off final. That's just astonishing.

Didn't they already announce Downton as a feature length farewell on Christmas Day? Not sure if EastEnders will be much competition this year for it.

Maybe they did.

Eastenders always does ok on xmas day cant see it being any different this year and of course Mrs Brown will be on as well

Not sure. The special in June managed 3.3m.

No thank you. Love the show but the usual singular two-hour marathon is demanding enough at a time of year when there's so much to pay attention to and think about.


It may air in 2016 yet, we don't know

Downton on Christmas Eve with part 1 and then part 2 on Christmas Day would be perfect for ITV. Clever scheduling on the big day it could start at 830 with the chance of missing Mrs Brown which could be at 930. Corrie on before it at 730 should be enough to see off EE on BBC One who will struggle to fit everything in like last year.

It'll be:

7pm: ED
8pm: CS
9pm: DA

Same old, same old.

I think the bbc will need to move one of the big shows from xmas day to xmas eve or boxing day

CTM needs to be Christmas Eve and they could possibly move the SCD special to Christmas Eve too I guess.

It is getting to the point that the christmas day movie on bbc 1 has to be 90 mins so that everything fits in.

Not sure what the movie will be this year possibly Brave

Just looking at the Disney Studios releases for 2013, as The Avengers movie was 2012 and shown on Boxing Day (I think) last year. There are some possibly big movies.

Planes, Iron Man 3 and of course Frozen were all 2013.

I guess out of those three, if the BBC have the rights to Frozen, that could be on Christmas Day

Frozen would be amazing! Anyone willing to start posting some possible schedules?

EDIT: Do Sky still own the rights to Frozen though? Or were they just first-showing rights?

Did Extreme Railway Journeys go up? If so, that's a good result considering it was under 1m last week.


Iron Man 3 is likely, Frozen I reckon they'll save for either NYD or Christmas Day 2016. They have yet to show Wreck it Ralph and Brave from 2012. I wouldn't rule out Dreamwork's The Croods showing up as well

Oz the Great and Powerful and The Lone Ranger will likely be shown as well and Saving Mr Banks will likely end up on BBC Two.

It's only October - we shouldn't really

The days of sitting down on Xmas Day to watch TV shows when they are broadcast is long gone.

But there's only 2 months left until the big day and so much debating on potential schedules to be done!

And yet people still do, just to spite you it seems!

I wouldn't say that just yet but definitely in the next few years. For us personally we all sat down to watch EE on NYD so event TV isn't dead yet.

I didn't like The Lone Ranger. I'm glad that i didn't pay money for a ticket to see it.

Thinking about Frozen, it could be NYD. If Sky have the rights for a full 12 months it could prevent the BBC from showing it on Christmas Day. So you are probably right there.

Moving away from Christmas just for a second

The BBC have announced some new factual programmes across their channels, which they call ambitious

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...name=corporate

The Storyville programmes on BBC Four look particularly good although only two of them.

BBC One

The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs
The Age of Loneliness

BBC Two

Operation Burma
Cats vs Dogs
Rick Stein's Long Weekends

BBC Three

Reggie Yates' Extreme UK
Rent a Cop

BBC Four

The Cliff
Storyville - The Dreamcatcher
Storyville - Cartel Land

Ambitious? That lot?

I liked The Lone Ranger but it suffered from being far too long and also it really drags in the middle, the final sequence does somewhat make up for it.

I couldn't find the tongue in cheek smiley

With ITV loosing Harry Potter and Bond or was it Star Wars series to Sky, I hope ITV look s=for some Disney titles to air over the Xmas period.

They should have Despicable Me 2 which could do well on Xmas Day, although whatever film they show BBC1 always beat them even if the film is weaker - Puss In Boots.

After last years disaster with Elf animation 1.1m and The Queen's Garden 1.3m they need someting noisy for the 3.20pm slot.

I would move Paul O' Grady FTLOD to Christmas Eve and sanwich it between Corrie and Emmerdale.

Xmas Eve

5pm Animated film/Despicable Me
7pm Emmerdale
7.30pm Paul O' Grady For the Love of Dogs
8.30pm Coronation street
9pm Film Premiere

Xmas Day

3.10pm The Queen
3.20pm Despicable Me 2
5.20pm Ant & Dec's Xmas Takeaway
6.30pm Emmerdale
7.30pm Coronation Street
8.30pm Downton Abbey Part 1
9.30pm Birds of a Feather/or film premiere if MBB is here

Boxing Day

4.20pm Animated film
6.30pm Peter & Wendy
8pm Jekyll & Hyde finale
9pm Coronation Steet (it does support the schedule even if it weaker)
9.30pm Downton Abbey part 2
10.30pm Downton Abbey: Goodbye
11pm News

Does that not look like a much ore intersting schedule? ITV have the progammes, they have the money, but they do not put the effort in.

And NYD against Skerlock

6.40pm Ant & Dec's New Year Takeaway
8pm Beowulf Return to the Shieldlands
9pm Coronation Street
9.30pm Film premiere

I think that we could see Ant and Dec pop up on Christmas Day next year. ITV will have a block to fill and I don't think that Love Actually will work again for them.

I would have Birds of a Feather on Christmas Eve and move Paul O Grady to Christmas Day pre Emmerdale.