TV Guide 2020-12-26

Saturday brings us a new series of The Masked Singer (VM1 and ITV), the start of World's Strongest Man (C5), and our annual The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4). Sewing Bee is done by celebrities (BBC1). There's another special of The Chase, and editions of In for a Penny and Family Fortunes (all ITV). Sunday gives us The Chase The Bloopers (VM1 and ITV), Celebrity Juice review of the year (ITV2), and the best of Dancing with the Stars (RTE1).

Boxing Day Monday Holiday Type Day brings a Celebrity Mastermind champion-of-champions show, and House of Games festive special (both BBC1). On Tuesday, there's the first of four Only Connect specials (BBC2), and documentary TV Gameshows Then and Now (C5). For some viewers, Mastermind Plant Cymru (S4C), and Breaking the News (BBC Scotland).

For New Year's Eve, we've got The Hit List and The Wall celebrity editions (BBC1). New Year's Day brings us Lingo (ITV), Taskmaster's New Year Treat (C4), The Archers Anniversary Quiz (R4), and Hewlfa Drysor (S4C).

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Schedules are accurate at the time of publication; check against EPG for late changes.

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year

Contents

Saturday 26 December - St Stephen's Day

  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 9am to 1am) More episodes than Jenny Ryan has lost.
  • Runaround (Talking Pictures, 9am) The 1979 Christmas special, with a guest appearance from Barbara Dickson.
  • The Crystal Maze Christmas Celebrity Special (E4, 10.30am) Repeat from last year.
  • Fighting Talk (Radio 5, 11am).
  • Breaking the News (Radio Scotland, 11.30am) Also on the telly on Tuesday.
  • The Cube Celebrity Special (ITV, 4.05) Repeat from last Sunday.
  • In for a Christmas Penny (ITV, 5.15) Get your rubber duckies out, Stephen Mulhern's in a bath. No, in Bath.

Primetime

  • The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special (ITV, 6pm) Tim Lovejoy, Kay Burley, Eni Aluko, and Richard Herring go for it. VM1 has the edition shown yesterday at this time.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 6.45) This year's venue is Bradenton, Florida.
  • The Masked Singer (VM1 and ITV, 7pm) Mo Gilligan joins the guessing panel.
  • The Great Christmas Sewing Bee (BBC1, 7.45) Denise Van Outen, Shirley Ballas, Ranj Singh, Sara Pascoe.
  • Famous Family Fortunes (ITV, 8.30; VM1, 8pm Sun) Celebrity families: Shirley Ballas goes up against Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.35) UCLAN play Loughborough.
  • The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2020 (C4, 9.05) Competing are James Acaster, Stacey Solomon, Davit Mitchell, Maya Jama, Richard Ayoade, and Joe Lycett.
  • Who Wants to be a Millionaire Celebrity Special (ITV, 9.30) Piers Click-Change-the-Channel, and later Jordan Banjo.
  • Counterpoint (Radio 4, 11pm) Repeated from Monday.

Celebrity Juice

Sunday 27 December

  • The Chase 23 (Challenge, 7am to 6am) More solid than Anne Hegerty's knickers.
  • Fferm Ffactor (S4C, 9am) From 2017.
  • Runaround (Talking Pictures, 9am) Christmas on Ice, from 1980, with Madness. Or is that a description of the show?
  • I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (Radio 4, 12 noon) Repeat from last Monday.
  • The Masked Singer (ITV, 12.20); In for a Penny (ITV, 1.50) Repeats from last night.
  • The Crystal Maze (E4, 4.15) Repeated from Monday last week.
  • Mastemind Selebs Cymru (S4C, 4.25) Repeat from Friday.
  • 5 Gold Rings (VM1, 5pm); Alan Carr's The Price is Right (VM1, 6pm); Shown on ITV in November and last Thursday, respectively.
  • Junior Bake Off (E4, 5.15) Highlights from the first week of competition.

Primetime

  • Dancing with the Stars Putting on the Glitz (RTE1, 6.30) Nicky and Jennifer have the best bits from the glitterfloor.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 6.40).
  • The Chase The Bloopers (VM1 and ITV, 7pm) The third annual collection of errors, failures, and things that made Bradley Walsh corpse.
  • Who Wants to be a Millionaire Celebrity Special (ITV, 9.15) Prue Leith, Kym Marsh, Ronni Ancona.
  • QI XL (BBC2, 10pm; Wales 11.35) Rejoice! A Christmas Special.
  • Celebrity Juice The Best of the Year (ITV2, 10pm) Keith Lemon talks through the best bits of 2020.

Bonus feature

  • Back to the Decades (C4, 9pm Sun-Mon, 10pm Tue-Wed) Stars look back on Channel 4 programmes from the 1980s to the 2010s. That's Lenny Henry, Vic Reeves, Davina McCall, but Jimmy Carr.

Mastermind

Monday 28 December - Boxing Day Holiday

  • A Question of Sport (BBC1, 2.10am; not Scot) Repeat from last Friday.
  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 7am to 11pm).
  • Race Across the World (BBC2, 7.55am) Repeat from earlier in the year.
  • Hidden Treasures (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm) Antiques quiz from 1998.
  • Junior Bake Off (C4, 11.30) Finals week in the 2019 series.
  • Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.15) More 20th birthday celebrations.
  • Beat the Chasers Down Under (VM3, 2.30) The Aussie version of our show, available on Ireland only.
  • Counterpoint (Radio 4, 3pm) Heat 4.
  • Tenable (ITV, 3.30), Tipping Point (ITV, 4.35), The Chase (ITV, 5.35) Classic episodes (ie repeats).
  • Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.10) A classic episode (ie repeat) from last year.

Primetime

  • Celebrity Mastermind Champion of Champions (BBC1, 6.30) Miles Jupp, Zoe Lyons, Neil Hannon, and Lucy Porter are back for more. Subjects are David Gower, Jacques Cousteau, Merchant Ivory films, Victoria Wood.
  • I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (Radio 4, 6.30) Remote recording 3: Tony Hawks, Pippa Evans, Harry Hill, Dame Sandi Toksvig, Lord Cryer of Leeds, Baron Graeme of the Garden.
  • Ho-Ho-House of Games Night (3) (BBC1, 7pm) Sarah Hadland, Alex Horne, Craig Revel Horwood, and Charlene White play festive games.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm).
  • Mastermind (BBC2, 7.30) A civilian edition: specialist subjects are Kenneth Williams, hit singles 2000-04, Ada Lovelace, rugby world cup.
  • Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Qualifying round, match 3.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) 6: Durham v Downing Cambridge.

Bonus features

  • Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show (RTE1, 9.25) A full performance of the Eurovision 1994 winning entry, from The Point in Dublin. Filmed on 9 February, a quarter-century after the stage show began.
  • Gloria My Life on TV (BBC1 Northern Ireland, 10.30) The life and career of Gloria Hunniford.

Bob Monkhouse

Tuesday 29 December

  • Have I Got a Bit More 2019 News for You (BBC1 England, 1.15am) A historical episode.
  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 7am to 11pm).
  • Race Across the World (BBC2, 8.30am).
  • Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (ITV, 10am).
  • Junior Bake Off (C4, 10.40).
  • Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.15) An expert relay: newbies versus veterans.
  • Tenable (ITV, 3.30), Tipping Point (ITV, 4.30), The Chase (ITV, 5.30) Classic episodes (ie repeats).
  • Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.10) A classic episode (ie repeat) with musicians.
  • Un Cwestiwn (S4C, 5.10) A classic episode.

Primetime

  • Mastermind Plant Cymru (S4C, 7pm) Children take to the chair: subjects include Malory Towers, Second World War, Matt Smith as Doctor Who, Liverpool FC, King Arthur.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm).
  • Masterchef The Professionals (BBC1, 8pm) The first of two challenge matches.
  • Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Special 1: families. Edwards play Wrights.
  • TV Gameshows (sic) Then and Now (C5, 8pm) How the quiz went from schedule filler to a staple of primetime.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) 7: New Oxford v Reading.
  • Breaking the News (BBC Scotland, 10pm) A review of 2020 with Jim Smith, Janey Godley, Jay Lafferty, and Mark Nelson.

Bonus features

  • Celebrity A 21st Century Story (BBC2, 9pm Tue-Fri) A four-hour docuseries about the rise of celebrity, and plenty of reality show clippage.
  • Bob Monkhouse Master of Laughter (C5, 9pm) A celebration of the comedian and host.

Wednesday 30 December

  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 7am to 11pm).
  • Race Across the World (BBC2, 8.30am).
  • All the Way from Memphis (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm).
  • Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (ITV, 10am).
  • Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.15) A classic episode in Epsom.
  • Junior Bake Off (C4, 12.55).
  • Tenable (ITV, 3.30), Tipping Point (ITV, 4.30), The Chase (ITV, 5.30) Classic episodes.
  • Prosiect Z (S4C, 5.10) A classic episode.
  • Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.10) A classic episode with sportsfolk. Cancelled for another address from Whitehall.

Primetime

  • Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1, 6.30) Scarlett Moffatt, Matt Everitt, Lucrezia Millarini, Stephen K Amos discuss Bottom, Glastonbury festival, Die Hard, Fela Kuti.
  • Mastermind Plant Cymru (S4C, 7pm) Tonight's subjects include the English premier league and the solar system.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm).
  • Masterchef The Professionals (BBC1, 8pm) The second of two challenge matches.
  • Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Scunthorpe Scholars play Oxonians.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.30) 8: semi-final 1.

The Hit List

Thursday 31 December - New Year's Eve

  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 7am to 11pm).
  • Race Across the World (BBC2, 8.30am).
  • Genius (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm).
  • Celebrity Supermarket Sweep (ITV, 10am).
  • Junior Bake Off (C4, 10.50).
  • Bargain Hunt (BBC2, 12.15) A classic episode in Lincoln.
  • Tenable (ITV, 3.30), Tipping Point (ITV, 4.30), The Chase (ITV, 6pm) Classic episodes.
  • Pointless Celebrities (BBC1, 5.10) A classic episode with sportsfolk.

Primetime

  • Pointless Celebrities (BBC1 Scotland, 5.50) Might as well be the St Andrews' Day edition, as it's Scotland only.
  • The Hit List Celebrity Special (BBC1, 5.50; Scot 6.40) Hannah Cockroft and Nathan Maguire, Martin and Roman Kemp, Fleur and Keshia East.
  • The Wall Versus Celebrities (BBC1, 6.40; Scot 8pm) Alex Brooker and Sally Lindsay.
  • Mastermind Plant Cymru (S4C, 7pm) Tonight's subjects include Murder Most Unlikely, the Trojan War, Euro 2016, mountains, and Tudors. By which we presume "Tudor monarchs" and not "S4C presenters called Tudor".
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 7pm).
  • The Great New Year Sewing Bee (BBC1, 8pm; Scotland must wait for the BBC2 repeat on Saturday).The Vivienne, Lesley Joseph, Sabrina Grant, Sally Phillips.
  • The Crystal Maze Celebrity Edition (C4, 8pm) Fleur East from The Hit List, Georgia Toffolo, John Thomson, Nina Wadia, Natalie Cassidy.
  • Only Connect (BBC2, 8.15) Medics v Gallifreyans.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.45) 9: semi-final 2.
  • Mock the Week (BBC2, 10.45) Highlights from 2020. What will they show at 10.46?

Hewlfa Drysor

Friday 1 January 2021 - New Year's Day

  • The Chase Marathon (Challenge, 7am to 11pm).
  • Antiques Road Trip Day (Really, 8am to 6pm).
  • The Obnoxious Maroon Test (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm) Andrew Neil.
  • Supermarket Sweep (ITV, 9.25).
  • Junior Bake Off (C4, 11.50) The final.
  • Breaking the News (R Scotland, 1pm) The best bits of the year.
  • Tipping Point (ITV, 3.30) New episode.
  • Lingo (ITV, 4.35) Adil Ray hosts a new show: work out the words in the Lingo grids, complete the puzzlewords, and avoid the fireball. May not contain enough Ball 35.
  • TV3 This Territory's Got Talent (VM1, 5.05) Highlights from the first series.

Primetime

  • The Chase (ITV, 5.35) New episode.
  • The News Quiz (Radio 4, 6.30) Best of 2020. What are they going to air at 6.31?
  • The Archers Anniversary Quiz (Radio 4, 7.15) Seventy years of The Archers is marked by a special quiz. Hosted in character by Kenton (Richard Attlee) and Jolene (Buffy Davis). Contestants include Radio 4 regulars Jane Garvey, Martha Kearney, and Chris Aldridge; and listeners from London, Kent, and Glasgow.
  • World's Strongest Man (C5, 7.30).
  • Only Connect (BBC2, 8pm) Festival goers v Singers.
  • Christmas University Challenge (BBC2, 8.45) 10: final.
  • Hewlfa Drysor (S4C, 9pm) Croeso, cars! The treasure hunt with overtones of The Button finally gets its full series. This week, we're in and around Llangernyw.
  • Taskmaster New Year Treat (C4, 9pm) John Hannah, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Nicola Coughlan, Rylan Clark-Neal, and Shirley Ballas are given silly things to do.
  • Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4, 10pm) Repeat from Saturday.

Sign language interpretation

  • Brightest Family (ITV, 3am Sun) The grand final from 2018.
  • Great Local Christmas Menu (BBC2, 3.05am and 4.05am Mon, 3.15am Tue)
  • Masterchef The Professionals (BBC2, 4.15am Tue, 3.30am Wed, 2.45am Thu).
  • Tipping Point (ITV, 5.05am Tue-Fri).
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