TV Guide 2015-12-26

The week after Christmas is known for The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4, Christmas Saturday), and World's Strongest Man (C5, from Sun), with archive shows on Spike. There's also an 8 Out of 10 Cats End of Year Special (C4, Tue), opposite BBC2's tribute to Stephen Fry.

Shows that were late submitting their Christmas special are left with the dusty slots afterwards: see Big Star's Little Star (ITV, Wed), Celwydd Noeth (S4C, New Year's Eve), and The Big Quiz (2) (ITV, New Year's Day).

Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1) and celebrities doing University Challenge (BBC2) continue all week. Come Dine with Me is all over Channel 4, as ever. The new year begins with Race to Escape (Discovery, New Year's Day), an imported show set in the fashionable escape rooms.

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

Saturday 26 December - Christmas Saturday

Benchmark (C4, 4.10am) What a start to the week.
Fighting Talk (Radio 5, 10am) Repeated from yesterday.
Breaking the News (Radio Scotland, 11am) An hour-long edition.
Bullseye Day (Challenge, from 12 noon) Except between 7pm and 8pm, when it's You Can't Beat a Bit of Bully.
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.35).
The Great Irish Bake Off Christmas Special (TV3, 3.45) Pantomime vs Presenters.
Sam and Mark's Christmas Sport Showdown (CBBC, 3.45) Repeated from 2013.
The Slammer Returns (CBBC, 4.10) From 2012.
The Dog Ate My Homework Christmas Special (CBBC, 4.40) From ten days ago.
Sam and Mark's Big Christmas Wind Up (CBBC, 5.10) From last week.
One Chance (C5, 5.15) A biopic about Paul Potts from Britain's Got Talent.
Come Dine With Me (More4, 5.15) Five from North Kent.
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4, 9pm) Joining Jimmy are Rob Brydon, Richard Ayoade, David Mitchell, Claudia Winkleman, Greg Davies, and Jo Brand.
21.5 Rupaul's Drag Race Moments That Made Us Gag (TruTV, 10pm) Highlights from five series.

Sunday 27 December

Big Star's Little Star (ITV, 9.25)
Celebrity Squares (ITV, 10.25am; not STV).
Winter Wipeout Day (Challenge, from 10.20am) To 9pm.
Bargain Hunt (BBC1, 12 noon).
World's Strongest Man 2015 (Spike, 2pm) Five qualifying episodes shown on C5 last week.
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.45) Five episodes.
Come Dine with Me (More 4, 5.25) Merseyside.
Fifteen-to-One The Celebrity Edition (C4, 6pm) Repeated from last year.
World's Strongest Man 2015 (C5, 7pm) Heat one.
Play It By Year (RTE1, 7pm) Archive quizzery with Mike Murphy.
Dragons' Den (BBC2, 8pm).
World's Strongest Man Classic Moments (Spike, 8pm).
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (C4, 10.10) Repeat.
Through the Christmas Keyhole (ITV, 10.45) Repeated from Christmas Eve.

Monday 28 December - Boxing Day (observed)

Benchmark (C4, 4.35am) Box clever, it's not.
Pointless Day (Challenge, from 6.15am) Country definitions all day, apart from some Bullseye between 9pm and 12 midnight.
Swashbuckle (Cbeebies, 9am and 1pm).
Quote... Unquote (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm) From 2011.
Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV, 9.25).
The Great Pottery Throw Down (BBC2, 11.30) Episode 4.
Who's Doing the Dishes (ITV, 11.30) Alexander O'Neal.
Catchphrase (ITV, 12.30).
Bargain Hunt (BBC1, 12.30).
A Game of Two Halves (RTE Radio 1, 1.30).
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.35) Five episodes.
Round Britain Quiz (Radio 4, 4pm) North v South.
The Great Irish Bake Off Christmas Special (TV3, 4pm) Biddy White Lennon vs Paul Kelly. Repeated from last year.
Pyramid (S4C, 5pm).
Come Dine with Me (More4, 5.15) Five episodes.
Pointless (BBC1, 5.45).
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (Radio 4, 6.30) From Blackpool. With Rob Brydon, but guest host Jack Dee.
Play It By Year (RTE1, 6.30).
World's Strongest Man 2015 (C5, 6.55) Heat two.
Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1, 7pm) Tom Kerridge, Steph Houghton, Rob Delaney, Dominic Wood.
University Challenge (BBC2, 8pm) Aberdeen (Nicky Campbell, Kezia Dugdale) v Sheffield (Adam Hart, Nicci French).
World's Strongest Man Classic Moments (Spike, 8pm).
Only Connect (BBC2, 8.30) Wayfarers v Bookworms in the last quarter-final.
The Really Welsh Quiz (BBC1 Wales, 8.30) Chris Corcoran continues a festive quiz about Wales, for Wales.
Rupaul's Drag Race (TruTV, 10pm) Queens of talk; Drag my wedding. Two episodes
Dragons' Den (BBC2, 11.50; not NI).

Tuesday 29 December

Benchmark (C4, 4.45am).
The Chase Us Day (Challenge, from 6am) Except between 9pm and 12 midnight, when it's Bullseye.
Swashbuckle (Cbeebies, 9am and 1pm).
Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV, 9.25).
Who's Doing the Dishes (ITV, 10.30) Mark Foster.
The Great Pottery Throw Down (BBC2, 11.30) Semi-final.
Pick Me! (ITV, 11.30) A selected classic episode.
Bargain Hunt (BBC1, 12 noon).
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.35) Five episodes.
Come Dine with Me (More4, 5.15) Five episodes.
Pointless (BBC1, 5.45).
University Challenge (BBC2 Scotland 6.30, elsewhere 7.30) Durham (Tim Wilcox, Tim Smith) play LSE (Martin Lewis (finance), Justin Webb).
Play It By Year (RTE1, 6.30).
World's Strongest Man 2015 (C5, 6.55) Heat three.
Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1, 7pm) Vincent Franklin, Christian Malcolm, Chris Warburton, Graham Fellows.
Sion a Sian - Y Stori (S4C, 7pm) Another chance to see the 2014 documentary about Mr and Mrs.
The Chase With Celebrities (ITV4, 8pm).
World's Strongest Man Greatest Rivalries (Spike, 8pm).
Stephen Fry A Life on Screen (BBC2, 9pm) A night with the retiring host of QI.
8 Out of 10 Cats End of Year Special (C4, 9pm) Isy Suttie, Richard Osman, Joey Essex, Romesh Ranganathan.
QI (BBC2, 10pm) Messing With Your Mind; a new episode. Sarah Millican, Tommy Tiernan, and Josh Widdicombe.
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4, 10pm) Another chance to see the show.

Wednesday 30 December

Benchmark (C4, 4.15am).
Strike It Lucky Day (Challenge, from 6am) Except between 9pm and 12 midnight, when it's Bullseye.
Swashbuckle (Cbeebies, 9am and 1pm).
Counterpoint 1999 (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm).
Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV, 9.25).
The Great Pottery Throw Down (BBC2, 11.30) Final.
Who's Doing the Dishes (ITV, 11.30) Ollie Locke.
Bargain Hunt (BBC1, 11.50).
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.35) Five episodes.
Come Dine with Me (More4, 5.15) Five episodes.
Pointless (BBC1, 5.45).
Play It By Year (RTE1, 6.30).
Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1, 7pm) Liam Fox, Jon-Allan Butterworth, Nick Helm, Kimberley Nixon.
World's Strongest Man 2015 (C5, 7pm) Heat four.
A Question of Sport (BBC1, 7.30) Highlights from recent Christmas specials.
University Challenge (BBC2, 7.30) Semi-final 1.
Big Star's Little Star (ITV, 8pm; UTV Ireland 9pm) Fiona O'Carroll, Robbie Fowler, Michael Vaughan.
World's Strongest Man Classic Finals (Spike, 8pm).
Celebrity Juice (ITV2, 10pm) Even more best bits from the year.
Mock the Week Christmas Special (BBC2, 11pm; Wales 12 midnight, not Scotland).

Thursday 31 December - New Year's Eve

Benchmark (C4, 4.15am) Last in the "present" series.
Family Fortunes Day (Challenge, from 6am) To 7pm.
Swashbuckle (Cbeebies, 7am, 9am and 1pm).
Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV, 9.25).
Who's Doing the Dishes (ITV, 11.30) Chloe Jasmine and Stevi Ritchie.
Bargain Hunt (BBC1, 12.30).
Come Dine with Me (More4, 2.35) Five episodes.
The Chase (ITV, 3.30).
Lip Sync Battle (Spike, 5pm) To 7pm, and more from 12 midnight to 3am.
Four in a Bed (More4, 5.15) Five episodes.
Pointless (BBC1, 5.45).
Sports Quiz of the Year (RTE1, 6.30).
Celebrity Couples Come Dine with Me (C4, 6.35) Jaymi Hensley from Union J, Gail Porter, Ricky Groves.
World's Strongest Man 2015 (C5, 6.50) Heat five.
Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1, 7pm) Lisa Maxwell, Gary Delaney, Simon Greenall, Conor McNamara.
Stars In Their Eyes Night (Challenge, 7pm) To 4.40am.
University Challenge (BBC2, 7.30) Semi-final 2.
World's Strongest Man Toughest Challenges (Spike, 8pm).
Celwedd Noeth (S4C, 8.25) Famous faces try to spot the lie. A new series begins next week.
Bring the Noise (Sky1, 10pm) Series highlights.
8 Out of 10 Cats End of Year (C4, 11.10).
Celebrity Juice (ITV2, 11.15) Four classic episodes.

Friday 1 January - New Year's Day

Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4, 12.10am).
Would I Lie to You at Christmas (BBC1, 2.15am; not Scotland).
Bullseye Day (Challenge, from 6am) Except between 9pm and 12 midnight, when it's Bullseye.
Swashbuckle (Cbeebies, 9am and 1pm).
The 3rd Degree (Radio 4 Extra, 9am and 4pm) The 2012 series drops in.
Dickinson's Real Deal (ITV, 9.25).
Who's Doing the Dishes (ITV, 11.30) Vicki Michelle.
Celebrity Squares (ITV, 12.25).
Four in a Bed (More4, 2.35) Five episodes.
Come Dine with Me (More4, 5.15) Five episodes.
World's Strongest Man Final 2015 (C5, 6.50).
Taskmaster (Dave, 7pm) Three episodes.
University Challenge (BBC2, 8pm) The final.
Race to Escape (Discovery, 8pm) Two teams of Americans are stuck in a barbershop. How can they get out?
The Big Quiz (2) (ITV, 9pm) Coronation Street v Emmerdale: the rematch.
The Bachelor (ITVBe, 9pm) The final.

Sign language interpretation

Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge (ITV, 6am Sat and Sun).
Show Me the Telly (STV, 2am Sun and 1.30am Wed).
The Apprentice (BBC2, 12.50am Tue).
Great British Menu (BBC2, 8.15am Thu).