I used to love watching those when the Beeb showed them during the long summer holidays

A good few years ago Channel 4 showed one of the two Batman cliffhanger serials from the 40s over one Christmas

Is that why they've scheduled Grantchester on Xmas Eve, Maigret on Xmas Day and the premiere of Captain Phillips on Boxing Day.

Yes definately aimed at The Sun demographic. You make it sound like they've scheduled benefits series over the festive period.

There are weaks points in ITV's schedule, but they are by no means bare.

ITV aired a ghost story last year at Christmas, and it bombed. Less than 2m bothered to watch it. So pointless doing another one.

Less interesting .. to you. You declare your opinions as facts which they clearly aren't. The majority of viewers will once again find the BBC1 day to their liking and Call The Midwife a perfectly decent drama. I don't watch the series but I do take in the Christmas Day episode every year because it feels a good fit. As for sitcoms, I think there's a lot of golden age thinking going on. Were they really that great a fit for Christmas Day?

Great a fit? I don't know what you mean. And I know many people young and old who think CTM is a load of sentimental, fluffy dreck.

Not one single programme off that list!

Is the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol on this year? I can't see it but am worried I might not have spotted it among all the dross.

What's that supposed to prove? The BBC knows 5.8m people who watched it last year despite competition from Downton and will expect that number to be larger this year in the absence of that competition. Why should your 'many people' and their poor opinion take precedence. I can easily find 'many people' to say bad things about the most popular programmes on TV and could have done so with equal ease when those programmes were getting 20m viewers.

The philosophy really hasn't changed for Christmas Day scheduling ... build the day around your most popular programmes. The only thing that has changed is the identity of those popular programmes. If there was a sitcom that commanded the viewing figures then it would no doubt be appearing. But there isn't. There has been massive decline in interest in the sitcom format across the board (irrespective of quality, though that's a discussion for another time) so it's entirely natural that it's slipped out of the Christmas schedule.

Nope. You can have Jim Carrey, Blackadder, Smurfs, Ross Kemp, Muppets*, Kelsey Grammer, or even Vanessa Williams, but you ain't getting no Patrick Stewart. You must be on the naughty list this year!

* my personal favourite

No, that's the Ch5 Xmas Schedule you're thinking of right there!

No PS version again?! Bah humbug but thank you.

Love the Muppets version too. The Blackadder one is very funny (love Blackadder anyway) but I feel so sorry for him when he turns the Queen away thinking she is fibbing.

Bbc Bbc Bbc Bbc

The Muppets Christmas Carol is excellent. I adore that film. I think for me, it is Christmas. There ain't no better Christmas film for me.

BBC. Christmas Day with a glass of bubbly is the one time I find Strictly Come Dancing enjoyable.

As soon as that's over, it's Netflix for me.

The films aren't on during primetime, they're being shown during afternoon slots. That can't be used as an excuse for ITV not bothering with anything decent in their prime time slots.

With the Christmas schedules as terrible as they are people will start to reminisce, maybe communicating with their families and long-lost friends. There's hope for the human race yet, at least in Britain... x.

The films are in primetime during the period between Boxing Day and NYD. That is where less viewers watch TV and ad rates are at their lowest.

Reading through this thread set me thinking, either my tastes have changed or programming has got worse or both. I say this as I remember when we got our first VCR (1983?) and for some years afterwards it was quite busy over Christmas. Moving forwards to the last few years, even with the multiplicity of Freeview channels available, the PVR has hardly been troubled.

I'm particularly miffed at the lack of a decent ghost story, some years we used to get several.

7.30 pm Tuesday 27th to 10.30.
7.30 pm Wednesday 28th, to 10.10.
9.00 pm Thursday 29th, to 12.20 am.
8.00pm Friday 30th to 10.40 then Jaws!
9 pm New Year's Eve.

Even Christmas Day at 3.10 The Lion King, was shown on channel 4 in July, that's prime time Christmas Day.

Information available in all good listings magazines and quality newspapers and the Daily Mail.

Over Christmas BBC1 doesn't have repeated films in primetime.

The major retail shops all will have sales, clothes, furniture, and also for travel agents its typically the busiest time to book summer 17 holidays.

Adverts are in newspapers all over the place, it's simply not true.

It's chicken and egg, ITV give up each year, so advertising is low.

You keep defending ITV, but far about five shows they haven't bothered.

Next Saturday is film, after film, after film, that's a week before Christmas on the busiest retail weekend if the year, but us advertising income low? Or they didn't bother?

Just realised my subscriptions runs out later this week and is not updating beyond that point!

Will have to have a think about whether I wish to renew because the service seems to got worse than it used to be.

Just don't watch them then? Why are you moaning about something you're obviously not going to watch?

I see after X Factor it's Harry Potter repeats that you're going to start spamming the forums about then! How lovely for everybody.

Can't you have Christmas off so we don't have to see your relentless ITV bashing everywhere?

But it's OK for you to start New BBC bashing threads in the Broadcasting forum?

They are relentless, all you want to do is intimidate people into not telling the truth re ITV.

So I " answer" an incorrect post that says No Harry Potter repeated films in prinetime, with evidence, from someone who quoted myself, but according to you I am not allowed to answer, and according to you it's spamming, but you are free to post everywhere and start threads?

Your relentless bashing threads in Broadcasting forum, i.e. BBC Brands are OK, as you posted it, however you take offence there when someone disagrees with you?

Must have been a huge disappointment to you, I went out Christmas shopping all day and you couldn't come back on my posts until I came back tonight. You say " spamming" but I was out all day, 1 Mobile phone post on the ratings thread, a couple here and a few on the Strictly forum, I bet your post count is far higher than that.

Everything I posted is the truth, hence you do not query what I posted re Harry Potter repeated films or the Lion King being a repeat, rather just go for the direct personal attack.

No they won't. They'll sit thre moaning to anyone who'll listen or the cat if that fails. Then they'll come on here and have another moan followed by a moan down the pub. You sure you're British?

ADP you are absolutely hilarious.

My "relentless" BBC bashing threads totalling how many ADP? How many? Just the ONE I think. One thread. Maybe you ought to find out what relentless means!

Going back on topic, The Lion King has been shown once on British TV.

Harry Potter is cheap filler, I agree with you. However, I don't go around posting it in every thread on Digital Spy.

Surely the only bbc1 show on the day that can be classed as comedy is would I lie to you ?

Oh your so modest, just the one this weekend started, by you, I have been out all day Christmas shopping but I am relentless spamming, ( your personal opinions), or just actually answering a post thst quoted me? ( actual truth), But in your book that's not allowed, and wherever I post you relentlessly and unhealthy follow me around and single me out for criticism and personal attacks. You just like to intimidate. As you take such a very person interest in all my posts you know exactly where I have posted and know what you have written is completely untrue.

So " you agree" with me, " on topic" The Lion King is a repeat, shown on channel 4 last July. You " agree" with me Harry Potter is a cheap filler, but even though, I posted, " The truth" which you now confirm, you still continue with a tsunami of personal attacks.

Note- I have never descended to calling you names.

Just in UK TV forums there are 4,662,365 threads but you say I go around posting it on every thread in all forums on DS which as you know is 1/ Untrue 2/ a gross exaggeration, and 3/ Impossible. However posted it on The Ratings thread, the Radio Times thread and Christmas threads where it's on topic, is that 4 or five threads? That's relentless spamming? How many posts have you made this weekend?

So I or is it all posters on the Christmas TV threads are not allowed by your rules to mention 16 hours of primetime Harry Potter Film repeats mist in peaktime at Christmas.

I think even ITV fans will notice it, and soap fans where their soaps are not on!