List of Christmas television episodes and specials in the United Kingdom

The following is a list of United Kingdom, Christmas television specials, as well as Christmas-themed episodes of regular television series.

Birds of a Feather
(originally aired on BBC One from 1989 to 1998)

Christmas television plays
From the mid-1950s until the mid-1980s, the British Christmas television play was a popular television programming genre:

David Walliams Adaptations
Shown on BBC One, sometimes repeated on CBBC Ratburger was shown on Sky One.

Julia Donaldson Adaptations
Shown on BBC One.

Norman Hunter Adaptations
Shown on BBC One, sometimes repeated on CBBC.

Gerry Anderson productions
Sometimes repeated on BBC One, but was originally shown on ITV.

Raymond Briggs Adaptations
Usual shown on Channel 4.

Specials

 * Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway at Christmas (2005)
 * Ant & Dec's Christmas Show (2009)
 * The Funny Side of Christmas (1982)
 * Greatest Christmas Comedy Moments (2008)
 * Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas (2009)
 * The Real Hustle: The 12 Scams of Christmas (2006)
 * Ruth Jones Christmas Cracker (2009–present)
 * The Gadget Man Guide to Christmas (2014)
 * A Christmas Cracker (2014)

Misc

 * Channel 4's Alternative Christmas message (1993 – present)
 * Midnight Mass (1960 – present) – Every year Christmas morning starts on BBC with Midnight Mass for Catholic faiths.
 * The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (1966 – present). Note: The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have been going since 1825 but started being broadcast in 1966.
 * The Royal Christmas Message (1957–1968, 1970 – present). Note: The Royal Christmas message has been read as far back as King George V in 1932 & 1935 over the radio, and then George VI in 1939, 1941–1942, 1945–1946, 1949 and 1951 up until Queen Elizabeth II read it on the radio from 1952 to 1956. It wasn't until 1957 that the event was televised.
 * Songs of Praise (1961 – present) – Every year songs of Praise celebrates advent Sunday's leading up to Christmas.
 * Text Santa (2011-2015)
 * Star Over Bethlehem (1977, 1979, 1981) - A live satellite transmission that featured Christmas music from around the world. USA contributions included remotes from a shopping mall in Columbia, South Carolina and the CBN studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia.