Comedy, action, drama and of course the essential Christmas classics – Event gives you the top must-see films of the festive season
Miracle On 34th Street
December 17, Channel 4, 5.50pm
Richard Attenborough tries to convince the world that he’s Santa Claus in this colourful remake of the 1947 classic.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
December 20, BBC1, 1.45pm
Harrison Ford’s first outing as the whip-wielding archaeologist is still the best – a timeless old-school adventure movie.
Daniel Craig’s 007 fights an enemy from his past in the 24th film in the franchise, Spectre
John Wick: Chapter Two
December 22, Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
More bullet-splattered thriller action as Keanu Reeves’s reluctant hitman attempts to clear an old debt.
Hidden Figures
December 23, Sky Cinema Premiere, 5.50pm
Uplifting drama about the forgotten African-American women who helped Nasa journey into space.
Marvel’s superhero team battles an evil robot in this thrilling sequel starring Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson
The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
December 23, ITV, 8pm
Martin Freeman stars as the diminutive hero in the final part of the epic trilogy.
CHRISTMAS EVE
The Lego Batman Movie
Sky Cinema Premiere, 7pm
The plasticky Dark Knight returns in this exuberant spin-off from The Lego Movie.
The Great Gatsby
BBC2, 9.30pm
Leonardo DiCaprio plays the mystery man in Baz Luhrmann’s stunning adaptation of the novel.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Sky Cinema Premiere, 6am, 8.05am, 12.30pm, 7.30pm
The cute living snowman from Frozen returns in a festive short. Anna and Elsa are back too, searching for festive secrets.
More bullet-splattered thriller action as Keanu Reeves’s reluctant hitman attempts to clear an old debt
Scrooged
Channel 4, 2.35pm
Bill Murray’s miserly TV executive learns the error of his mean-spirited ways in a heartwarmingly hilarious Eighties update of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Cinderella
BBC1, 3.10pm
Lily James is the scullery maid who falls for a handsome prince in Kenneth Branagh’s live-action version of the fairy tale.
Beauty And The Beast
Sky Cinema Premiere, 3.10pm, 8pm
Emma Watson is Belle to Dan Stevens’s Beast in this live-action update of the Disney cartoon, guest-starring Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.
BOXING DAY
Shaun The Sheep Movie
BBC1, 2.10pm
The farmyard animals head to the big city in a cheery stop-motion adventure.
A Royal Night Out
Channel 5, 5.15pm
The young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret (Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley) sneak out to join in the VE Day celebrations in 1945 in a gentle comedy drama.
A rollicking, animated high-seas adventure for all the family from the team behind Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run
Jurassic World
ITV, 6.40pm
The prehistoric theme park’s attractions run wild in a dino-packed action adventure.
Guardians Of the Galaxy Vo l 2
Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and co reunite as Marvel’s sci-fi saviours face a new outer-space threat.
Big Hero 6
December 27, BBC1, 3.50pm
Fresh and innovative superhero cartoon about a young boy who befriends a robot after the death of his big brother.
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists!
December 28, BBC1, 9am
A rollicking, animated high-seas adventure for all the family from the team behind Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run.
Brave
December 29, BBC1, 4.20pm
Scottish princess Merida fights against the idea of just what a princess should be like in a lively animated adventure.
Hidden Figures, an uplifting drama about the forgotten African-American women who helped Nasa journey into space
Gone Girl
December 29, BBC1, 9.15pm
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star in a twisty thriller based on Gillian Flynn’s novel.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
December 30, BBC1, 8pm
Marvel’s superhero team battles an evil robot in this thrilling sequel starring Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson.
NEW YEAR’S EVE
We Bought A Zoo
Channel 4, 1.55pm
Matt Damon is the widowed dad who buys a run-down zoo for his family.
The young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret (Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley) sneak out to join in the VE Day celebrations in 1945 in a gentle comedy drama
The Zoo keeper’s Wife
Sky Cinema Premiere, 5.50pm
Moving World War II drama starring Jessica Chastain as a Warsaw woman who hid Jewish refugees from the Nazis.
Into The Woods
BBC2, 8pm
Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, James Corden and Anna Kendrick belt out the songs in Stephen Sondheim’s musical fairy tale.
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Maleficent
BBC1, 8pm
Angelina Jolie channels her dark side in this live-action retelling of the story behind the evil fairy from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, James Corden and Anna Kendrick belt out the songs in Stephen Sondheim’s musical fairy tale, Into The Woods
Spectre
ITV, 8pm
Daniel Craig’s 007 fights an enemy from his past in the 24th film in the franchise.
Kong: Skull Is land
Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson encounter the giant ape.
Pitch Perfect 2
Channel 4, 9pm
The second outing for the madcap college a cappella group led by Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson.
Noah
BBC2, 10pm
Russell Crowe is the legendary ark-builder in Darren Aronofsky’s epic Biblical drama.