Just a few weeks ago, when we said our ‘final’ farewells to the residents of Downton Abbey, we knew it wasn’t the final, final episode – after all we’d still have Christmas together. And as we finished clearing up the turkey and all that was left in the After Eights box was the paper wrappers, … >
BBC One’s new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None airs this Christmas. Based on the best-selling crime novel of all time, the three-part drama has been adapted for TV by Sarah Phelps (The Casual Vacancy, Great Expectations). The all-star ensemble cast includes Aidan Turner (Poldark) as Philip Lombard, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) … >
Bravo, Mr. Fellowes—you got it all right! The episode opens on an idyllic summer afternoon. Henry Talbot is struggling to find his place at Downton. Charlie’s death has put him off racing. Lady Edith announces her decision to live a spinster’s life in London with Marigold. Lady Mary orchestrates a surprise meeting between a remorseful … >
Picking things up after the more heartbreaking and downbeat end to its fourth season, Call the Midwife returns to BBC One for its annual Christmas special. Like last year’s festive instalment, and many other episodes of the show, it juggles a significant number of storylines. There are probably about five separately identifiable intersecting strands to the episode’s plot, … >
Gallifrey may be back, but the last thing The Doctor would want is to be at home for the holidays. So where is he? The planet is Mendorax Dellora. The year is 5343. The Christmas ad on TV is probably an elderly Ice Warrior sitting on the moon of Phobos as a younger member of … >
Hands up who else fully expected that ‘Last Christmas’ was at some point going to feature a certain Wham song? Instead, the Twelfth Doctor’s first seasonal outing reunites him with Clara (in Jenna Coleman’s third consecutive appearance in a Christmas special) as the pair work to extricate themselves from dreams within dreams, and save an … >
Jonathan Ross hosts an hour-long celebration of Downton Abbey that culminates in Julie Walters’ presentation of a BAFTA Special Award to the show that has become a world-wide phenomenon. The prevailing sentiment of every cast member interviewed is surprise at the show’s unprecedented success and profound gratitude to have been part of it. Respect for … >
It was a bittersweet Christmas when we bid farewell to the Eleventh Doctor. Like Ten before him, Eleven chose to make his Doctor Who exit over the holidays in 2013’s ‘The Time of the Doctor’. It’s at times grand and ridiculous and features a Doctor who is at times bald and nude. It’s also the … >
This post is sponsored by The National Lottery. The National Lottery is bringing all generations together this festive season, through the power of… Ping Pong! Yep, a brilliant new short film sees young players from Greenhouse Sports meet their match when they take on a team of over 70s players from the Veterans English Table … >
Alex Kingston returns to Doctor Who as River Song in this year’s Christmas special. It’s Christmas Day on a remote human colony and the Doctor is hiding from Christmas Carols and Comedy Antlers. But when a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor for help, he finds himself recruited into River Song’s squad and hurled into … >