Festive TV for 1986, thirty years ago, was quite strong. This was the year that 'Dumbo' premeired on ITV on Christmas Day, as did 'Annie' on BBC1.

Comedy this year came in the form of Only Fools and Horses 'A Royal Flush' and the last episode of 'Just Good Friends' where Penny and Vince finally tied the knot. as well as the old favorite of the 80s 'Hi de Hi.

Drama for Christmas night was delivered by the excellent Joan Hickson as Miss Marple in 'The Murder at the Vicarage' which co-starred Paul Eddington.

Of course many will recall Den serving Angie divorce papers as a Christmas gift on Xmas night.

The BBC also repeated it's popular kids series from two years earlier, 'The Box of Delights,' on Children's BBC.

It was the year that the Xmas BBC ident was designed by CBBC veiwers as part of a special competition. It was the animation of the Christmas tree dancing to oil drum music.

What are your recollections of TV from this year 30 years ago? was TV strong that Xmas?

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules...don/1986-12-25

Nothing really I was away on holiday with family and down a local pub at lunchtime. Big Christmas dinner in the afternoon.

Watched Educating Rita as BBC's main evening film ( I think that was on )

Then Peelies festive 50 on the radio followed by the ashes cricket from australia.

1956 looks good.

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1956-12-25

The line up for Antmas Eve was pretty damn good...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkS3IMiIJV8

On Christmas Eve 1986, my then wife said 'I am pregnant'.

So I have no memory at all about the two weeks after that, never mind what was on TV.

I wonder what David Attenborough's role in the pantomime was ?

It does, rather

Oh, hell. A year before I was born, and I would prefer that to the Christmas 2016 schedule. (see other thread)

Jim'll fix it and Rolf Carrtoon Time both on xmas eve in '86.

I watched the premiere of never say never again followed by a duty free Christmas on itv. I must have been in a minority as 30 million viewers were watching eastenders! I recorded eastenders and fools and horses on my video recorder and watched them on Boxing Day.

What I would love if someone recorded the entire day of BBC Xmas 86 and shared the entire thing on youtube.

Interesting that the 1956 schedule includes the day's football results - in those days there were football matches and buses and trains to serve them. Now it is the only day without football!

royal flush was not a good ofah episode though,del boy was at his most nasty he had ever been.

Yeah, the meal at the end of the show ruined it.

Hes nasty in every episode.

Television's first Christmas - 1936

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1936-12-25

1986 was IMHO the year the Christmas schedules changed forever- That year was the "cliffhanger" Eastenders Den and Angie divorce story- since then Soaps have the main schedule for xmas day-

a sad say

I don't think there was a CBBC in 1986.

loved the theme to 'box of delights' - 'the first noel' .

remember watching ben kingsley , jenny agutter and patsy kensit in a superb adoptation of 'silas marner, the weaver of raveloe' .

our daughter (nearly 2) was poorly, had the doctor out.

Live coverage of the second half of a match on the Light Programme at noon.

Christmas Day matches stopped in the Football League after 1958.

They almost vanished after that year but the last ever Football League match played on Christmas Day in England was in 1965 between Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers (probably not coincidence that it was a Saturday). Good article about the history of football on Christmas Day here.

Does anyone but me remember the competition on Children's BBC to design the Christmas ident?? I was 8 at the time and recall Philip Schofeild telling us that the viewers had the chance to design it that year. Anyone else a kid at the time who remembers this?

I got a speak and spell this year i remember watching Dumbo in the afternoon, and OFAH and my whole family was glued to 'Murder at the Vicarage'

1985 was a cracker - feature length Minder on the Orient Express