As a cinephile with over three decades of film-watching under my belt, I must say that this lineup is nothing short of a cinematic feast! From the classics like Brief Encounter and Gosford Park to modern masterpieces such as King Richard and The Untouchables, there’s something for every taste.
As Christmas approaches, you might find yourself in the habit of re-watching beloved holiday movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Love Actually. However, don’t forget that during the Christmas week, various other films are broadcast on television as well.
Year after year, leading land-based television networks go all-out by airing a diverse range of movies – classics from the past, contemporary ones, as well as family favorites, romantic comedies, action films, musicals, and many other genres. These selections ensure there’s something for everyone in their programming lineup.
This year, it’s just the same as other years: you can find a plethora of fantastic viewing choices, ranging from contemporary favorites such as Paddington to timeless classics like Some Like It Hot, which are sure to provide an added boost to your leisurely days.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best movies to watch for free on TV this Christmas and New Year, separated by genre – take a look below to find out what’s on at no cost.
Best free family films on TV this Christmas and New Year
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Animated comedy adventure featuring the voices of Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter. As the annual Giant Vegetable Competition approaches, enterprising Wallace and Gromit cash in with their humane pest-control outfit, “Anti-Pesto”. But business turns sour when a huge, mysterious beast begins destroying every garden in the area.
Saturday 21st December, BBC One, 3pm
Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon
In a scenario where an extraterrestrial lands nearby, it’s up to Shaun to aid this visitor in getting back home, as the Ministry for Extraterrestrial Surveillance is yet to find out about her presence.
Sunday 22nd December, BBC One, 9:55am
Detective Pikachu
Part-animated fantasy adventure starring Justice Smith and featuring the voice of Ryan Reynolds. Tim teams up with an unlikely partner to solve the mystery of his father’s death. But there’s a slight complication: this partner is a talking Pokémon creature who only Tim can hear.
Monday 23rd December, BBC One, 9:55am
Coco
Animated adventure featuring the voices of Anthony Gonzalez and Gael García Bernal. A young boy wants nothing more than to become a musician, but his family forbids him from pursuing his dreams. When he plays a guitar hanging in the crypt of a famous singer, the boy is transported to the magical Land of the Dead, where he embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about his roots.
Monday 23rd December, BBC One, 3:15pm
Chicken Run
Animated comedy adventure, with the voices of Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks, Miranda Richardson and Mel Gibson. A clutch of hens, led by head chick Ginger, suffers life on a grim 1950s egg farm. When the avaricious owners decide to move into the meat-pie business, the chickens fear the worst. With the help of American rooster Rocky, the birds start to plan a prisoner-of-war-style escape.
Christmas Eve, BBC One, 10am
Home Alone
Comedy starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister’s wish to be free of his family is realised when they accidentally set off without him for a Christmas break in Paris. Suddenly finding himself home alone, Kevin’s efforts to cope with the household chores are hindered by two inept criminals attempting a robbery.
Christmas Eve, Channel 4, 6:05pm
Toy Story 3
Animated comedy adventure sequel, with the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The toys are put away when Andy goes to college, but Woody is set apart, and it’s up to him to rescue the others when they’re accidentally donated to a day-care centre.
Christmas Day, BBC One, 11:20am
Inside Out
Animated comedy adventure from Pixar, featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Mindy Kaling. 11-year-old Riley is having a tough time adjusting to moving from the Midwest to San Francisco. Maybe that has something to do with her inner emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – who guide Riley in her everyday life. As her emotions literally begin to run wild, the effects on Riley have worrying consequences.
Boxing Day, BBC One, 9:55am
Paddington
Comedy starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Nicole Kidman, and featuring the voice of Ben Whishaw. A young bear from Peru with a love of all things British travels to London, but he soon finds himself lost and alone. He’s taken in by the kind Brown family; however, not everyone in the big city is quite so welcoming.
Boxing Day, BBC One, 1:50pm
The Incredibles
Animated comedy adventure from Pixar, featuring the voices of Craig T Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L Jackson. A family of superheroes struggles to fit in to normal suburban life after its amazing powers are outlawed. But the temptation to fight crime proves too strong for Mr Incredible.
Saturday 28th December, 1:40pm, BBC One
Shrek 2
Saturday 28th December, 6:05pm, BBC One
The Railway Children
Classic period drama based on the novel by E Nesbit, starring Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett and Gary Warren. When a government official is arrested on suspicion of treason, his wife and three children are forced to leave their London home and move to a small cottage in Yorkshire. While their mother fights for her husband’s release, the children have marvellous adventures.
New Year’s Eve, 1:05pm, BBC One
Finding Dory
Pixar’s animated sequel to Finding Nemo, featuring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. Dory, a friendly blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, embarks on an epic quest to find her long-absent parents. Friends Nemo and Marlin join Dory on a perilous mission that ultimately teaches everyone the true meaning of family.
New Year’s Day, 10:30am, BBC One
Mary Poppins
Classic musical fantasy starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. London banker George Banks’s search for a no-nonsense nanny to take care of his two naughty and unhappy children comes unstuck when the practically perfect Mary Poppins and her magic umbrella glide into their lives. Featuring the classic songs Chim Chim Cheree, A Spoonful of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
New Year’s Day, 3:15pm, BBC One
Best free action films on TV this Christmas and New Year
Tenet
Sci-fi adventure starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh. A former CIA operative is recruited to help save the world from a dangerous arms dealer who has access to a device that can reverse time. In order to foil this threat, our hero must master the act of chronological “inversion” – but is it already too late?
Sunday 22nd December, BBC One, 11:50pm
The Equalizer
Crime thriller based on the hit US TV series, starring Denzel Washington. On the face of it, Robert McCall is just an ordinary guy who works at a DIY store and leads a quiet life. But when McCall befriends a young girl controlled by ruthless Russian gangsters, he’s unable to stand idly by and resorts to using skills from his shady former career.
Sunday 23rd December, ITV1, 10:25pm
Raiders of the Lost Ark
As a movie enthusiast, I’d say this action-packed, globe-trotting adventure follows the thrilling escapades of none other than the legendary Indiana Jones, portrayed by Harrison Ford. In this heart-pounding tale, Indy embarks on a quest to unearth the fabled Ark of the Covenant, an ancient artifact rumored to possess extraordinary power. Pursued relentlessly by the ruthless Nazis, he finds himself relying on the aid of an old flame as they race against time and danger in a breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat showdown that will test their limits to the maximum.
Christmas Day, Channel 4, 8:20pm
Gladiator
Historical epic featuring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. In the second century AD, Rome: as the ailing Emperor Marcus Aurelius designates his trusted general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, as his successor, it triggers a fierce power struggle with Marcus’s son Commodus, who condemns Maximus and his family to death. However, Maximus manages an escape, setting the stage for a future confrontation between him and Commodus.
Boxing Day, BBC Two, 9pm
Live Free or Die Hard
Action thriller starring Bruce Willis. When a rogue former government agent threatens to bring the United States computer infrastructure to its knees, it falls to cop John McClane and a young hacker to prevent potential disaster. But can the mix of old-school, tough-guy policing and modern computer expertise foil a group that will stop at nothing?
Boxing Day, ITV1, 10:15pm
Point Break
Action thriller set among California’s surfing community, starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Novice FBI agent Johnny Utah is assigned with partner Angelo Pappas to track down a gang of four bank robbers, who carry out their raids wearing masks of former American presidents. In the belief that the gang are surfers, Utah goes under cover to learn surfing skills and encounters the mysterious Bodhi.
Boxing Day, BBC One, 12:10am
Best free romcoms on TV this Christmas and New Year
What’s Up Doc?
Screwball comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. When four identical suitcases get mixed up in a San Francisco hotel, it produces a series of crazy events which revolve around a zany girl and a shy music professor and his fiancée.
Saturday 21st December, BBC Two, 3:20pm
Notting Hill
Romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. An American film star bumps into a humble bookshop owner and they begin an unlikely affair. But their relationship is put under strain when the press finds out.
Christmas Day, 10:35pm, Channel 4
Pretty Woman
Romantic comedy starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. A chance encounter on the streets of Hollywood leads wealthy corporate raider Edward Lewis into hiring beautiful prostitute Vivian Ward to be his companion for a week. As Edward introduces Vivian to the privileged world of the rich and powerful, romance begins to blossom.
Saturday 28th December, 10:20pm, BBC One
When Harry Met Sally
Romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. “Men and women can’t be friends. The sex part always gets in the way.” This is Harry’s philosophy on life. Sally doesn’t agree with him about this or anything else. But as the mismatched couple repeatedly encounter one another over the next few years, each has occasion to change their views. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
Monday 30th December, 11pm, BBC One
Best free musicals on TV this Christmas and New Year
Funny Girl
A Musical Biography focusing on Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif. It chronicles the life of vocal sensation Fanny Brice, born and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City, who eventually rose to fame as a Broadway darling and headliner for the Ziegfeld Follies.
Saturday 21st December, BBC Two, 1pm
Meet Me in St Louis
Classic musical starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien that charts the everyday adventures and romantic entanglements of the Smith family in early 20th-century St Louis. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Trolley Song and Skip to My Lou are just a few of the memorable numbers belted out by Garland and the cast.
Monday 23rd December, BBC Two, 11:05am
Calamity Jane
Musical comedy western starring Doris Day and Howard Keel. Spirited cowgirl Calamity Jane brings a glamorous singing star to the Deadwood saloon. But her new friend turns into a love rival, and Calamity begins to wonder whether a woman’s touch is more effective than a six-gun.
Monday 23rd December, BBC Two, 3:50pm
White Christmas
Musical starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Old army buddies Phil Davis and Bob Wallace travel with the glamorous Haynes sisters to the Columbia Inn in Vermont. There, Phil and Bob are reunited with their old commanding officer, General Waverly, who is now struggling to keep the hotel going. The visitors decide there’s only one answer – to put on a show.
Christmas Eve, BBC Two, 2:15pm
High Society
Musical comedy starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Time is short if playboy composer CK Dexter-Haven is to reclaim his beautiful ex-wife Tracy Lord before she marries another, especially with cynical reporter Mike Connor caught up in the romantic complications.
Christmas Day, BBC Two, 11:05am
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Musical fantasy based on Roald Dahl’s novel, starring Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch and Emma Thompson. When her oafish and uncaring parents finally let her attend school, young bookworm Matilda Wormwood finds herself in conflict with tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull. But salvation might come in the form of kindly teacher Miss Honey – as well as Matilda’s sudden development of magical powers.
Boxing Day, BBC One, 5:40pm
Grease
Musical based on the hit stage show, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Unexpectedly reunited with summer love Danny at her new high school, Sandy Olsson can’t believe how different he is. Can the new Danny Zuko, the leather-clad, tough-talking leader of the T-birds, really be the boy she met down at the beach? Perhaps Frenchy and Rizzo, both members of the super-cool Pink Ladies gang, can help her develop some street cred to win back his heart.
Boxing Day, ITV1, 3pm
Film version of the classic musical with songs by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is updated to late-1950s New York where two rival gangs, the American “Jets” and the Puerto Rican “Sharks” are preparing for confrontation. The tension is heightened when Maria, the sister of “Sharks” leader Bernardo, falls in love with a former “Jet”, Tony.
A Hard Day’s Night
Musical comedy starring the Beatles in their movie debut. John, Paul, George and Ringo set off for London, where they are due to take part in a live TV show. But the antics of Paul’s mischievous grandfather throw the performance into jeopardy. Includes the classic songs A Hard Day’s Night, Tell Me Why, I Should Have Known Better, She Loves You, This Boy, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Wanna Be Your Man and All My Loving.
Saturday 28th December, BBC Two, 11:25am
The Sound of Music
A well-known musical featuring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. In this story, a young woman named Maria, who is training to be a nun, starts questioning her religious calling. She departs from the convent in Salzburg to serve as governess for Captain Von Trapp’s seven children, a widower and former naval officer. Maria brings joy and music into their lives, but their harmony may be disrupted due to the Nazi takeover of Austria.
Sunday 29th December, BBC One, 3:45pm
Jesus Christ Superstar
Rock-opera style film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s stage musical, starring Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson. The tumultuous final week of Jesus Christ’s life is recounted from the point of view of Judas, who seems determined to have the chosen one put on trial as a false prophet.
New Year’s Eve, BBC Two, 9am
Top Hat
Classic musical comedy starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Jerry Travers spots Dale Tremont and is immediately head-over-heels in love, but their romance is complicated by the fact that Dale thinks he’s married to her best friend, Madge.
New Year’s Day, BBC Two, 8:35am
La La Land
Romantic musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. In Los Angeles, the showbiz capital of the world, pianist Sebastian and actress Mia endure an endless cycle of bar-room gigs and auditions in the hope they can turn their ambitions into a professional career. The pair meet and fall in love, but the path to making all their dreams come true is no simple affair.
New Year’s Day, BBC Two, 11:55pm
Best of the rest on TV this Christmas and New Year
Chariots of Fire
Sports drama based on a true story, starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson and Nigel Havers. Among the British athletes aiming for glory in the 1924 Paris Olympics, two in particular come under the spotlight. Scot Eric Liddell runs for his religion, while Jewish Harold Abrahams races against prejudice. Both men are driven to prove themselves, on and off the track.
Sunday 22nd December, BBC Two, 12:30pm
Catch Me If You Can
Drawing from real-life events, I found myself immersed in the captivating comedy-drama, portraying the escapades of Frank Abagnale Jr, brilliantly played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Faced with the shattering reality of my parents’ separation at the tender age of 16, I fled to New York City. For an astounding six years, I navigated a world of deception, successfully cashing over $2 million in fraudulent checks, assuming various identities such as an airline pilot, a pediatrician, and even a lawyer. All the while, I managed to stay just out of reach from the relentless pursuit of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, a cat-and-mouse game that kept me on my toes.
Christmas Eve, Channel 5, 4:35pm
Beetlejuice
Horror comedy starring Michael Keaton, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin. After Barbara and Adam Maitland are killed in a car crash, they find themselves trapped as ghosts in their beautiful home. When their peace is shattered by the arrival of a disagreeable yuppie family, the Maitlands enlist the help of a spiritual “bio-exorcist” known as Betelgeuse.
Christmas Eve, BBC Two, 10:45pm
Some Like It Hot
Classic comedy starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Chicago, 1929, the era of Prohibition and tough racketeers. When two underemployed musicians witness the St Valentine’s Day Massacre, they nearly become victims themselves. Their only escape is a jazz band heading for Florida, but there’s a problem – it’s an all-girl orchestra.
Christmas Day, BBC Two, 3:10pm
North By Northwest
In this rephrased version: A suspenseful spy tale featuring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason unfolds. An advertising executive named Roger Thornhill discovers his life hanging by a thread when he is erroneously identified as the elusive “Mr Kaplan” by relentless agents of a hostile espionage ring. Unable to persuade them of his true identity, Thornhill embarks on a quest to find the individual who can vindicate him, but instead finds himself implicated in a murder case.
Christmas Day, BBC Two, 5:05pm
Donwton Abbey: A New Era
Period drama sequel starring Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Maggie Smith. It’s 1928, and Downton Abbey has been chosen as the setting for a new silent film, much to the excitement of the staff. Meanwhile, the Crawleys set off for the South of France, where the Dowager Countess is set to come into possession of a glamorous villa.
Christmas Day, ITV1, 9pm
The Big Sleep
Howard Hawks’s classic detective drama based on the novel by Raymond Chandler, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Tough private eye Philip Marlowe becomes caught up in a complex blackmail and murder case when he takes on a case to safeguard Carmen, the youngest daughter of General Sternwood, a dying wealthy man who wants to know the reasons why she is being blackmailed. Marlowe soon becomes involved further with the Sternwood family’s affairs when he meets Carmen’s older sister, the sultry Vivian.
Boxing Day, BBC Two, 10:55am
Casablanca
A timeless romantic tale set in war-torn Casablanca, featuring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. Rick’s Café serves as a gathering place for criminals, refugees, resistance fighters, and Nazis during this tumultuous period. The enigmatic expatriate American owner, Rick Blaine, maintains a detached attitude towards everyone, but his indifference is challenged upon the arrival of Ilsa Lund and her husband Victor Lazlo. They seek passage to America, and their predicament stirs something within Rick.
Boxing Day, BBC Two, 12:45pm
The Magnificent Seven
Remake of the classic western starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke. When a ruthless land baron sets about persecuting the residents of a small town, a young widow turns to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm for aid. But he’s going to need a little help if he is to restore order.
Boxing Day, BBC Two, 2:25pm
Brief Encounter
A heartfelt romantic tale featuring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. An unexpected encounter at a suburban train station sets the stage for Laura Jesson, a contentedly married woman, and Dr Alec Harvey, another wedded soul, to cross paths. Their blossoming love is tinged with secrecy as they navigate their relationship, but the joy is overshadowed by the knowledge that tough decisions loom ahead, as one must ultimately choose a path.
Friday 27th December, BBC Two, 12:45pm
King Richard
Biographical sports drama starring Will Smith. In early 1990s Los Angeles, security guard Richard Williams has a dream that his daughters Venus and Serena will become pro tennis players, and spends nearly all his free time coaching them. Over the years, Richard and his family overcome many hurdles – financial, social, physical – but the girls’ biggest obstacle may, in fact, be Richard himself.
Friday 27th December, BBC Two, 9pm
Witness for the Prosecution
Billy Wilder’s screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s courtroom drama, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton. Against the advice of his doctors, ailing barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts starts to take an interest in the case of murder suspect Leonard Vole, who is pursued by the police after the death of a rich widow.
Sunday 29th December, BBC Two, 12:55pm
Gosford Park
Ensemble murder mystery from the writer of Downton Abbey and featuring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren. In 1930s rural England, a battery of well-to-do guests and their servants attend a weekend’s shooting and socialising. But their reverie is shattered by a murder, after which everyone is a suspect.
Sunday 29th December, BBC Two, 10pm
The Searchers
Classic western starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood. John Ford’s masterpiece tells the story of Ethan Edwards and his five-year search for the last surviving member of his murdered family – a young girl captured by Comanches.
New Year’s Day, BBC Two, 1:15pm
The Untouchables
Oscar-winning crime drama starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro. Determined young federal agent Eliot Ness leads a tough team of investigators in a dangerous mission to end Al Capone’s violent reign of terror in Prohibition-era Chicago.
New Year’s Day, BBC Two, 10pm
Read More
2024-12-18 20:34
