British Telly

Dispatches investigates this growing crimewave. Plus: it’s getting very hot in the kitchen for the MasterChef final. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4There are some real grinches out there: a parcel is stolen in Britain every seven seconds. Reporter Tir Dhondy is on a mission to get to the bottom of the crimewave by hiding tracking devices in parcels and following stolen ones to challenge who took them. He also learns how gangs target delivery vans as part of their business model and gets access to a major police operation. Hollie Richardson

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The Olympic cyclist puts together an inspirational plan to raise funds for cancer sufferers. Plus: Monica Dolan reads Jane Austen. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC OneThis inspiring film follows Chris Hoy as he formulates a constructive and defiant response to his terminal cancer diagnosis. Glasgow: the Tour de Four is a bike ride that smashed its fundraising target of £1m for charity and proves that a medical prognosis doesn’t need to be the end. Famous friends, including Andy Murray and Jason Kenny, are around to lend a hand. Phil Harrison

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Zoe Ball and Alison Steadman help the TV cook in the kitchen. Plus: what happened to Mozart’s musical prodigy sister Maria Anna? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One Mary Berry celebrated her 90th birthday this year but she shows no sign of slowing down in the kitchen this Christmas. Pigs in blankets cassoulet, cherry and lemon millefeuille, and a pear and ginger steamed pudding are all on her menu, as she is joined by Alison Steadman, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Zoe Ball. Berry also needs to pick a Christmas tree – and so she sets off for Windsor Great Park. Hollie Richardson

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Colin the Caterpillar gets a tasty revamp. Plus: Romesh Ranganathan raps in New York City’s Union Square. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, ITV1Marks & Spencer’s product development team are nothing short of miraculous, especially when it comes to party food. This year’s festive treats include fish-and-chip-inspired canapes and a “Christmas cracker” Colin the Caterpillar (think the classic Colin, just jazzier). Plus, the bestselling classic panettone gets a fresh update. Hollie Richardson

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Chloe Hadjimatheou, who broke the story about the bestselling memoir, continues her investigation. Plus: a silly thriller romp with a fun cast. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky DocumentariesIt was the literary scandal of the year: the Observer alleged that the author of the bestselling memoir The Salt Path, Raynor Winn, hadn’t been entirely truthful in telling the tale – which was made into a film – of financial ruin, her husband, Moth’s, terminal illness and natural healing. Since then, more people have come forward with their version of events. Reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou continues to piece together the exposé that shocked and saddened a nation. Hollie Richardson

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The Clueless icon plays an aggressive lawyer in sinister series Irish Blood. Plus: Ant and Dec’s ridiculous new challenge show. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Witness

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Amber, George, Balvinder and Karen battle it out for a chance at the glitterball trophy. Plus: get in the spirit with some festive bangers. Here’s what to watch this evening

6.35pm, BBC One

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Stand Up to Cancer kicks off with unexpected Hollywood stars … and the beloved ‘hundys’ from The Celebrity Traitors. Plus: all-out luxury (and the best cheeses) at a Mayfair hotel. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, Channel 4Davina McCall launches a run of programmes with the fight against cancer at their heart – including a Gogglebox special at 9.10pm with Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton, Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton, and Nick Mohammed and Joe Marler. Before that, there’s a documentary at 8pm from inside a cancer clinic at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge, following patients and their families on their journeys through testing, diagnosis and treatment. It aims to offer an insight into the clinical and emotional experience of this disease. Phil Harrison

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Harry and six other public figures will have their day in court in January. Plus: Celia Imrie investigates Hitchcock’s Psycho. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4Expect legal fireworks in January as the case launched by Prince Harry (along with six other public figures including Doreen Lawrence and Elton John) against Associated Newspapers gets under way. This documentary presented by Cathy Newman offers a primer to the case – which involves accusations of phone hacking and bugging. Phil Harrison

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A documentary about the cover-up of barrister John Smyth, who subjected more than 100 boys to abuse. Plus: Ellie Taylor’s standup special. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4This devastating two-part documentary details the crimes of John Smyth, a barrister involved in conservative evangelical Christian camps. Over the course of four decades, Smyth subjected more than 100 boys to horrific sexual and physical abuse. Why wasn’t he stopped? Witnesses, including his victims and his own children, speak about life in close proximity to this monstrous man – and about the cover-up that meant he never faced justice. Phil Harrison

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This overwhelmingly sad documentary focuses on the girls as they were during their short lives. Plus, What’s the Monarchy For? Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, BBC One“We sent her there as a treat,” says the mother of Elsie Dot Stancombe, remembering the day in July 2024 when her daughter went to a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and didn’t come home. This documentary sees the families of the three murdered children (the other two were Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King) remembering their girls as they were in life rather than lingering on the unthinkable cruelty of their deaths. The sadness is overwhelming. Phil Harrison

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Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that caused Perry’s death. Plus: Christmas cooking with Jamie Oliver. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC ThreeThe story of the last, troubled years of Matthew Perry’s life is told in this documentary, via his relationship with Jasveen Sangha, a ketamine dealer who pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that caused the actor’s death in 2023 (a sentencing hearing has been set for 10 December in LA). What emerges is a sad portrait of a vulnerable man and a look at the dark underbelly of bottom-feeders surrounding the lower reaches of Hollywood. Phil Harrison

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The Sea Devils emerge from the ocean in this Earth invasion epic starring Russell Tovey. Plus: the tragic space story of Apollo 1. Here’s what to watch this evening

8.30pm, BBC One

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Irvine Welsh, Bella Freud and Florence Welch explore Cave’s intoxicating work. Plus: a charming Aardman animation about a little bird. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Arts

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TL;DR: Prior filming commitments

Suzanne Mulholland and Joe Swash help a family to prepare a fuss-free festive spread. Plus: Kate Winslet on directing her first film. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4Would you make your Christmas dinner three months before the big day? Suzanne Mulholland – AKA The Batch Lady – swears by a frozen turkey and prepared trimmings in this heavily Lidl-sponsored programme. She and Joe Swash join a family hosting Christmas for the first time to show them how it’s possible to whip up a festive feast in just half an hour, as well as lobster mac and cheese and a tiramisu that the kids can make. Hollie Richardson

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How festive favourites The Muppet Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life were made. Plus: are Bunny Munro and son nearing the end of the road? Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Sky Arts“No cheeses for us meeces.” The Muppet Christmas Carol, in which Michael Caine starred with a straight face opposite Kermit the Frog, and It’s a Wonderful Life, which bombed at the box office when it was first released in 1946, are the two greatest festive films of all time (no arguments, please). Author Ian Nathan delves into the stories of how they were created, to kickstart a seasonal series about perennial holiday classics. Hollie Richardson

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She recounts the shocking experience in this excellent documentary. Plus: the investigation into the Sycamore Gap tree. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two“My child was not even two when I left her … She was nearly eight when I came back.” Following the excellent BBC drama about her six-year detention in Iran, Prisoner 951, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe tells her own remarkable story in this feature-length documentary. As well as her personal accounts, and footage filmed during her arrest and imprisonment, the film examines the wider context for what happened and speaks to former hostages and political decision-makers. Hollie Richardson

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The broadcaster speaks to David Cameron, Ash Sarkar and more about the future of the monarchy. Plus: Mary Berry’s best dinner party tips. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One“Are you pro-monarchy?” David Dimbleby, who has reported on countless royal occasions, was once asked. “I’m pro television shows about the monarchy,” he replied. In this epic three-parter, he examines the role the royals have played – and predicts what will happen next. The opening episode asks how politically impartial the monarchy is and how much power its members really have, looking at, among other things, letters written by King Charles III, when Prince of Wales, to Tony Blair, and Queen Elizabeth II’s approval of the suspension of parliament in 2019. He speaks to insiders, including David Cameron, and critics such as journalist Ash Sarkar. One thing most can agree on, as Ian Hislop says: “It’s the ultimate soap, isn’t it?” Hollie Richardson

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Violence erupts in series based on Patrick Radden-Keefe’s award-winning book. Plus: poignant memories are evoked in The Marvellous Miniature Workshop. Here’s what to watch today

9pm, Channel 4First shown on Disney+, this brutal, gripping drama tells the story of IRA volunteer Dolours Price. Based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s award-winning book, it begins with the abduction of Belfast mother of 10 Jean McConville in 1972. Meanwhile, as violence erupts, Dolours swears she isn’t getting involved … It stars Maxine Peake as the older Dolours, and Lola Petticrew, who recently crushed hearts in Trespasses, as the younger. Hollie Richardson

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The angling buddies get intimate as their journey reaches the Scottish Highlands. Plus: Boris Johnson lands Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in danger as Prisoner 951 continues. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two“I had a dream about you,” Paul Whitehouse tells Bob Mortimer. “We were getting married and you had a really thick head of hair – which of those is more likely?” This friends-gone-fishing series never fails to raise smiles. But as well as joking around while trying to catch Bob’s first salmon on a fly in the Scottish Highlands this week, the pair have a more serious moment as they talk about health and Paul’s recent skin biopsy. Hollie Richardson

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Along the French Riviera with Sandi, following generations of artists, writers and freethinkers. Plus: Strictly tries to shrug off its troubles with a new, time-pressurised challenge. Here’s what to watch this evening

8.05pm, Channel 4Lovely Sandi Toksvig is travelling along the French Riviera, following in the footsteps of artists, writers and freethinkers who made the glamorous holiday destination “the beating heart of intellectual life” in the 20th century. After the shock of the first train actually arriving on time in Marseille, Toksvig heads to Sanary-sur-Mer, where Brave New World author Aldous Huxley and German writers Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht spent time. Hollie Richardson

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Luna the labradoodle and Chico the bulldog need new owners for life, not just for Christmas. Plus: trippy tea sparks upset in Return to Paradise. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4Teenager Kyra has spent eight years trying to convince her dad to get a dog – surely he’ll cave in to lovely Luna the labradoodle? Chico the American bulldog is looking for love – but is he too much for Queen? And after an accident left Rick paralysed, his mood is a little Scroogey – will Jenny the terrier melt his heart? It’s a festive special of the wonderful dog matchmaking show. Hollie Richardson

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