Same old story! Half of BBC festive shows are repeats, final schedules reveal

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Christmas is famous for the rituals that take place each year.

But TV viewers may be surprised to learn more than half the shows aired across BBC1 and BBC2 over the festive period will be repeats.

The final schedules released yesterday revealed that on BBC1, 35 per cent of its festive fare will have been seen before (up from 32 per cent last year), while 72 per cent of shows on BBC2 will be repeats (up from 69 per cent).

Combined, nearly 54 per cent of content across the two channels will have been aired before – up from 49 per cent in 2023.

This will include episodes of Dad’s Army, Keeping Up Appearances, Morecambe & Wise and The Two Ronnies, as well as films including Chariots of Fire, Some Like It Hot, Casablanca, Shrek and The Sound of Music. 

BBC1 has shaken up its Christmas Day schedule by bringing back Wallace & Gromit, pictured

Christmas day will also see the airing of the finale to Gavin and Stacey, which will go head-to-head with ITV’s Downton Abbey: A New Era film at 9pm

But BBC1 has shaken up its Christmas Day schedule by bringing back Wallace & Gromit and airing the finale to Gavin and Stacey, which will go head-to-head with ITV’s Downton Abbey: A New Era film at 9pm.

BBC1 will also air new episodes of Doctor Who, Call The Midwife and Mrs Brown’s Boys. Analysis reveals about 35 per cent of ITV’s shows will be repeats. On Christmas Day it will be airing The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

The BBC said it ‘invests more in British content at Christmas than any other broadcaster’, and that 90 per cent of BBC1’s ‘peak’ Christmas week programmes are new.