What's On TV Tonight: Tuesday 23rd December 2025

Two days until Christmas, and tonight's telly reflects the mood: festive specials, heartwarming nonsense, and one bloke who accidentally gets an £80,000 bonus instead of £8,000. Guz Khan leads BBC One's new comedy Stuffed, Channel 4 brings back First Dates with mistletoe attached, and there's a 75-year-old retired nurse looking for love after sixteen years. Plus Arsenal host Palace in the League Cup if you need something competitive.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

• Stuffed - Guz Khan discovers money doesn't solve everything (9pm, BBC One) ⭐
• First Dates at Christmas - Linda, 75, breaks a 16-year no-date streak (9pm, Channel 4)
• Dark Winds - Robert Redford's atmospheric Navajo crime drama (9pm, U&Alibi)
• Live at the Apollo Christmas Special - Harriet Kemsley headlines (9:45pm, BBC Two)

Early Evening: Family Viewing (7pm - 8pm)

The Dog House at Christmas - Channel 4, 7pm

It's the festive season at Woodgreen animal charity, which means the dedicated team are working overtime to match abandoned dogs with new families before Christmas. If you've got any resistance to watching hopeful pooches find their forever homes while wearing tiny Santa hats, you're made of stronger stuff than me.

Richard Osman's Festive House of Games - BBC Two, 7pm

Day two of festive week at House of Games. If you've never seen it: celebrities play daft word games, Richard Osman looks slightly smug, everyone has a nice time. It's comfort telly, and that's exactly what you want two days before Christmas.

EastEnders - BBC One, 7:30pm

Once alone in the Vic, Nigel's dementia symptoms intensify as he confuses old memories with the present. Meanwhile, Walford gears up for what promises to be another chaotic Christmas. Not exactly light viewing, but EastEnders rarely is.

Prime Time (8pm onwards)

Inside the Christmas Factory with Paddy and Cherry - BBC One, 8pm

Market Drayton is the home of gingerbread - who knew? The Original Biscuit Bakers factory churns out 100,000 biscuits every week in the run-up to Christmas, and Paddy McGuinness and Cherry Healey get stuck in with spiced dough and "Christmas red" sugar paste.

There's something satisfying about watching industrial-scale baking, and Paddy's enthusiasm is infectious even when he's clearly making a mess of things. Historian Ruth Goodman joins to explain how gingerbread became a Christmas staple. One for the whole family.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special - Channel 5, 8pm

Sally Lindsay's antique dealer sleuth returns for a bumper festive episode. Jean gets invited to an exclusive event at Musée de Sainte Victoire, spots an ormolu box once owned by Marie Antoinette, opens it - and triggers a bomb. Now everyone's trapped inside.

It's Madame Blanc doing what Madame Blanc does: cosy murder mystery in the French countryside with antiques thrown in. If you're a fan, you know what you're getting. If not, it's gentler than most crime drama.

Stuffed - BBC One, 9pm ⭐

Here's your pick of the night. Guz Khan plays family man Arslan, who receives an unexpected £8,000 bonus. The options? "Sit and watch GB News with Uncle Colin" - or head to Lapland? He chooses adventure.

Problem is, someone's added a zero to his bonus by mistake, and his employer wants the £80,000 back. Morgana Robinson co-stars as his wife, and there's a lovely turn from Sue Johnston as Lily, a widow they befriend along the way.

Khan's been brilliant in everything from Man Like Mobeen to Army of Thieves, and this comedy caper sounds like it plays to his strengths: warmth, chaos, and family dynamics that feel real. The Christmas special we didn't know we needed.

First Dates at Christmas - Channel 4, 9pm

Last-minute mistletoe magic at Fred's restaurant. Essex barber Wes hopes to find someone who can match his "banter" level - always a red flag, but we'll see. More interesting is Linda, a 75-year-old retired nurse breaking a 16-year no-date streak.

Sixteen years! That's commitment to avoiding disappointment. Whether Linda finds love or just a nice dinner remains to be seen, but there's something hopeful about someone her age putting herself out there again. First Dates is comfort food telly at its best.

Dark Winds - U&Alibi, 9pm

Robert Redford executive-produced this atmospheric crime drama set on the Navajo Nation in the 1970s. Season three continues with tribal police lieutenant Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) making headway on his murder investigation, while visiting FBI agent Washington (Jenna Elfman) keeps digging into cases he'd rather leave buried.

It's slow-burn stuff - more mood than action - but if you're after something with genuine weight instead of festive fluff, this delivers. McClarnon is excellent, and the desert Southwest landscapes are stunning.

Live at the Apollo Christmas Special - BBC Two, 9:45pm

After her hilarious turn in Last One Laughing and her hit dating podcast, Harriet Kemsley was one of the most exciting comedy voices of 2025. Tonight she takes to the Hammersmith Apollo stage alongside Andrew Mensah, with Josh Widdicombe hosting.

Kemsley's observational stuff about relationships and anxiety is sharp without being cruel. If you haven't caught her yet, this is a decent introduction.

Late Night: For Night Owls (10pm onwards)

Gogglebox Festive Special - Channel 4, 10pm

The armchair critics review 2024's Christmas programming: Strictly Christmas Special, Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, First Dates at Christmas, and more. It's watching people watch telly. Somehow it works.

John Wick: Chapter 4 - ITV1, 10:40pm

Keanu Reeves fights his way through what feels like the entire population of Paris. The staircase sequence alone - where John tumbles down endless flights while assassins keep coming - is exhausting in the best way. Nearly three hours of beautifully choreographed violence.

If you've followed John Wick this far, you know the deal. If you haven't, maybe don't start at chapter four.

Bill Bailey: Tinselworm - Channel 4, 11:35pm

From 2007, but Bill Bailey ages well. Recorded at Wembley Arena, this features his trademark blend of verbal wit and musical interludes. If you need something to fall asleep to that might also make you laugh, worse options exist.

If You're Not Into Comedy

Live Sport

EFL Cup Football: Arsenal v Crystal Palace kicks off at 7:30pm on ITV1. A quarter-final from the Emirates, where Arsenal will be looking to keep their cup run alive. Palace have caused upsets before, mind.

TOTP: Christmas 1992 - BBC Four, 7pm

Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Arrested Development - the 1992 Christmas Top of the Pops was a banger. Mark Franklin and Tony Dortie host an edition first shown on Christmas Day that year. Pure nostalgia for anyone who remembers VHS recordings and tinsel draped over the telly.

What's on Streaming

ITVX - The Arsenal match will be there if you miss kick-off.

BBC iPlayer - Stuffed should land straight after broadcast if you're busy at 9pm.

All 4 - First Dates and Gogglebox available on catch-up.

The Viewing Schedule Table

Final Verdict

Tuesday's a good mix. Stuffed is the clear standout - Guz Khan's charm plus a ridiculous premise sounds like exactly the right kind of Christmas chaos. First Dates brings the warmth, Live at the Apollo brings the laughs, and if you need action, John Wick's waiting for you at 10:40pm. Two sleeps until Christmas. Nearly there.

Nick Bain writes about television for TVRadar.co.uk