What's On TV Tonight: Sunday 14th December 2025

Sunday telly's properly loaded tonight. Alicia Silverstone - yes, Clueless Alicia Silverstone - makes her UK TV drama debut on Sky Witness. Doctor Who gets a spinoff about aquatic reptiles. Ant & Dec have sent Stephen Mulhern to South Korea against his will. And if you'd rather watch Cameron Diaz cry in a cottage, BBC Two has you covered. Quite a lineup.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

• Irish Blood - Alicia Silverstone's UK drama debut as American lawyer uncovering her estranged father's past in Ireland (9pm, Sky Witness) ⭐
• The War Between Land and Sea - Doctor Who spinoff with sea devils and UNIT (8:30pm, BBC One)
• Accidental Tourist - Ant & Dec send Stephen Mulhern to South Korea to broaden his horizons (9pm, ITV1)
• The Holiday - Nancy Meyers' cosy Christmas classic (8:30pm, BBC Two)

Early Evening (4pm - 7pm)

Miracle on 34th Street - Channel 4, 4:45pm

The 1994 remake with Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle - the one where a department store Santa claims to be the real deal. Not as good as the 1947 original, but Attenborough brings such warmth to the role that it works anyway. Proper family Sunday afternoon viewing.

Countryfile - BBC One, 4:55pm

Stonehenge special this week. If you're into ancient monuments and winter landscapes, this is your Sunday afternoon sorted.

Celebrity Race Across the World - BBC Two, 5:40pm

The celebrity edition continues. Famous faces racing without planes or smartphones. If you've been following, you know who's still in the running. If you haven't, probably best to catch up on iPlayer first.

Antiques Roadshow Christmas Special - BBC One, 5:55pm

Toys and childhood memories theme for this festive special. Expect teddy bears, train sets, and hopefully someone discovering their grandmother's doll is worth more than their car. The Roadshow format works especially well for this sentimental stuff.

Kingdom: The Secret Story - BBC One, 6:55pm

Behind-the-scenes look at BBC's stunning wildlife series Kingdom, filmed in South Luangwa, Zambia. Meet the people who made the series possible - the camera crews, conservationists and anti-poaching teams protecting this corner of Africa's extraordinary inhabitants. If you've been watching the lions, leopards and wild dogs all series, this is the payoff that shows how they captured those remarkable moments.

Hotel Chocolat at Christmas - Channel 4, 7pm

Inside the fancy chocolate company during their busiest season. If you enjoyed last week's Four Seasons documentary, this is a similar vibe - watching people who take chocolate extremely seriously prepare for Christmas. Expect velvet boxes and truffles the size of golf balls.

Prime Time (8pm onwards)

Strictly Come Dancing: The Results - BBC One, 7:45pm

After last night's semi-finals, someone's going home tonight. Three couples will make it to next week's grand finale - Claudia and Tess's last regular show before the Christmas special. The tension is real.

Game of Wool: Britain's Best Knitter - Channel 4, 8pm

The competitive knitting show continues. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like, and yes, it's genuinely compelling. Watching people make incredibly complex things with two sticks and some yarn at speed is surprisingly stressful viewing. Sara Pascoe hosts.

The Holiday - BBC Two, 8:30pm

Nancy Meyers' 2006 romantic comedy about two women - Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet - who swap homes for Christmas. One ends up in a Surrey cottage, the other in a Los Angeles mansion. Both find unexpected romance.

It's cosy, it's predictable, and there's that wonderful Hans Zimmer score. Perfect Sunday night comfort viewing. Jude Law doing his floppy-haired thing. Jack Black being surprisingly romantic. The cottage that launched a thousand Pinterest boards.

The War Between Land and Sea - BBC One, 8:30pm

Doctor Who's new spinoff finally arrives. Set within UNIT, the organisation that's been defending Earth since the 1960s. Russell T Davies brings back an ancient species of aquatic reptiles for a five-part drama about a conflict between humanity and creatures from the deep.

Jemma Redgrave returns as Kate Stewart, joined by a cast including Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Tonight's opening episode "The Deep" sees Kate's operative Barclay make a terrifying descent into the underwater world, while Downing Street conspires with the army to escalate the conflict.

Two episodes tonight - second follows at 9:20pm.

Accidental Tourist - ITV1, 9pm

Stephen Mulhern is a man who likes what he knows - and that doesn't include foreign travel, exotic food, or being pushed out of his comfort zone. So naturally, his mates Ant & Dec have decided to fix that by sending him to South Korea.

The Catchphrase and Deal or No Deal host encounters everything he'd normally avoid: exotic cultures, unfamiliar cuisines, incredible people, and activities he'd never choose for himself. Watching Mulhern squirm through experiences most of us would love is surprisingly entertaining. Classic ITV Sunday night fare.

Irish Blood - Sky Witness, 9pm ⭐

Here's the one to watch. Alicia Silverstone - in her first UK TV drama role - plays an American lawyer who receives a strange package from her estranged father. The man who abandoned her as a child has sent a cryptic message, and she heads to Ireland to investigate, becoming entangled in hidden truths about his past.

Silverstone's been off most radars since the Clueless days, but she's excellent here - older, more serious, and completely convincing as someone whose carefully constructed life is about to unravel. Jason O'Mara co-stars. The Irish locations are gorgeous, the mystery is properly twisty.

Five episodes, starting tonight. This could be the sleeper hit of the Christmas season.

24 Hours in Police Custody: Breakout - Channel 4, 9pm

The documentary strand continues with another real case from Bedfordshire Police. "Breakout" suggests someone tried to escape - which usually makes for more dramatic footage. Reliable crime documentary viewing.

Late Night (10pm onwards)

Social Media Monsters - Channel 4, 10pm

Documentary examining true crime cases with social media angles. Not for the faint-hearted, but if you're into the darker side of online culture, this delivers.

Say Nothing - Channel 4, 11pm

The acclaimed drama about the Troubles continues. Based on Patrick Radden Keefe's book about the disappearance of Jean McConville and the IRA's secret history. Properly serious television - not something to put on casually.

Crazy Rich Asians - BBC Two, 10:35pm

Jon M. Chu's 2018 romantic comedy about a woman who discovers her boyfriend's family is Singapore's equivalent of royalty. Constance Wu and Henry Golding charm their way through a ridiculous wedding and family drama. Gorgeous to look at, genuinely funny, and Awkwafina steals every scene she's in.

If You'd Rather Watch Sport

Match of the Day 2 - BBC One, 10:35pm

The Sunday football round-up. Mark Chapman presents highlights from the weekend's remaining Premier League games.

What's on Streaming

Disney+ has new episodes of various Marvel/Star Wars content. Netflix continues pushing its Christmas film slate. ITVX has catch-up on the Saturday shows if you missed Strictly or the Jingle Bell Ball.

The Viewing Schedule Table

Final Verdict

Sunday's got genuine range. Irish Blood is the one to prioritise if you have Sky - Alicia Silverstone's comeback is worth seeing, and the Ireland-set mystery is properly gripping. For Doctor Who fans, The War Between Land and Sea launches Russell T Davies' new UNIT spinoff with aquatic reptiles and proper sci-fi stakes. If you'd rather something lighter, The Holiday on BBC Two delivers cosy romantic comedy, and Accidental Tourist sends Stephen Mulhern to South Korea for fish-out-of-water comedy. Late-night viewers get Crazy Rich Asians and the excellent Say Nothing. Something for everyone, as they say.

Nick Bain writes about television for TVRadar.co.uk