Chicken,
Trotters, Bolly and spirits top the menu from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ this Christmas
 Dodgy
deals in Peckham, ghostly goings-on at Baskerville Hall, chickens
on the run and lashings of Bolly are all on the menu as the ´óÏó´«Ã½
serves up a spectacular feast of family favourites this Christmas.
From French
and Saunders, David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst to Alistair McGowan,
Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais and the Kumars - the very best names
in British comedy can be found on ´óÏó´«Ã½ screens this season.
"Whatever
your sense of humour, you can trust the ´óÏó´«Ã½ to deliver something
special this season," said Jana Bennett, Director of Television.
"As
sure as Santa will deliver presents, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will deliver laughs
to living rooms across the UK throughout the holidays.
"But
there's not just top comedy on offer. All of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s channels
are working together to give the audience the widest range of the
best programmes over this important time of year.
"In
addition to the laughter and family fun on ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE, viewers can
get the best in arts, music and entertainment on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO, revel
in an operatic first on ´óÏó´«Ã½ FOUR and, for those who want something
more chilling with their mince pies, the best in horror films on
´óÏó´«Ã½ Choice."
´óÏó´«Ã½
ONE
Peckham's
most popular wheeler-dealers headline the season on ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE as Del
Boy and Rodney burst back onto our screens in Only Fools
and Horses: Strangers on the Shore. In this new special,
the Trotter brothers embark on a trip to France and pick up some
unexpected cargo.
Richard
Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge) leads a star-studded cast as Sherlock Holmes,
opposite Ian Hart as Dr Watson, in a major new version of The
Hound of the Baskervilles (press
pack available).
Using
the latest computer technology to recreate the legendary hell-hound,
and also starring Richard E. Grant and John Nettles, this stunning
film drama sees Holmes and Watson as the young and athletic figures
of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel.
A
'Chick flick' with a difference, Chicken Run premieres
on ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE with its animated homage to the Great Escape.
The
only difference is that the protagonists are feathered, and don't
risk the "cooler" but rather the fatal pie machine should
they fail to escape the Tweedy's farm in 1950s Yorkshire. Julia
Sawalha and Mel Gibson star.
The
outrageous Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are
back for an Absolutely Fabulous special as the
outrageous pair take on New York Fashion Week and attempt to track
down Eddy's long lost son, Serge.
In
addition to the long suffering Saffy, Mother and Bubble, the programme
features special guest stars Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Harry, Graham
Norton and some very familiar faces from the world of fashion.
Impressionists
extraordinaire Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona bring a host of
familiar faces from the worlds of showbiz, sport and soap to The
Big Impression Christmas Special. The show includes Posh
and Becks, Sven and Nancy, and new impressions like Little Mo, Billy
Mitchell and Trevor from EastEnders.
Anne
Robinson and Phillip Schofield are back this Christmas with an end-of-year
interactive extravaganza that will question how much the audience
knows about what has happened in the last 12 months in Test
The Nation: The National 2002 Test.
Robbie
the Reindeer is also back with a new animated special -
and this time he and his motley friends are on a death defying quest
to find a mythical band of warriors in Legend of the Lost Tribe.
A
star studded voice cast featuring David Attenborough, Rob Brydon,
Steve Coogan, Harry Enfield, Ricky Gervais, Jeff Goldblum, Jane
Horrocks, Sean Hughes, Ardal O'Hanlon, Alistair McGowan, Natalie
Imbruglia, Paul Whitehouse and The League of Gentleman all make
Robbie 'must see' family viewing this Christmas.
Other
´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE highlights include:
Film
premieres include the aspirations of a would-be dancer in the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s
Billy Elliot, A Bug's Life, art
theft with Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo in The Thomas
Crown Affair, stunning special effects in The Mummy
and the Oscar-winning American Beauty.
A serial
killer with a penchant for words engages in a dialogue with Dalziel
and Pascoe.
No
one's safe as Dawn and Jennifer knock the stuffing out of Christmas
with a stocking full of sketches. French
and Saunders includes skits on Monarch of the Glen and
Tipping the Velvet.
Hold
on tight for a roller coaster ride of a lifetime, as Earthride
combines computer images and superb wildlife film to track a single
rain drop on its great cycle through space to the deepest ocean.
Zoologist
and adventurer Nigel Marven goes back in time to the lost worlds
of two amazing creatures this Christmas. In The Giant Claw
he goes on a pre-historic safari to find the legendary Therizinosaurus,
one of the most bizarre creatures ever to walk the earth and owner
of the largest claws of all time.
In
Land of Giants: A Walking with Dinosaurs Special Nigel
comes face to face with the biggest dinosaur that ever lived, Argentinosauraus,
and the awesome predator Giganotosaurus in an exhilarating journey.
Ian
Wright hosts a popular favourite with a new twist for the festive
season with Families Like These, while there's
shock news for the Harper family in My Family when
it seems there's not just a turkey in the oven this Christmas.
´óÏó´«Ã½
ONE travels the country to bring viewers a flavour of Christmas
celebrations in churches nationwide, with special editions of Songs
of Praise, Midnight Mass from Wells Cathedral and a family
celebration on Christmas morning from the Salvation Army Citadel
in Croydon.
And
EastEnders, Casualty and Holby
City each offer plenty of festive action.
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO offers an alternative to the sound of jingle bells with a truly
musical Christmas.
Swan
Lake, performed by the Swedish Royal Ballet at Stockholm's
Royal Opera House, headlines the season, which also includes The
Kirov Celebrates Nijinsky at the Châtelet Theatre
in Paris, Tosca - The Film by director Benoit Jacquot
and one of the nation's best loved sopranos performing some of the
best loved Christmas tunes in Lesley Garrett At Christmas.
 The
musical theme is continued in the screening of the critically acclaimed,
Little Voice, starring Jane Horrocks.
Bing
Crosby, Mae West and Billie Holiday tell their stories in their
own words in three classic documentary specials (Bing Crosby
On Bing Crosby, Mae West On Mae West and Billie
Holiday On Billie Holiday), while friends and contemporaries
provide a unique insight into the real Peter Cook in At
A Slight Angle To The Universe, and pay tribute to him
in an hilarious but touching stage show, Peter Cook - A
Posthumous Tribute.
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO also steps back in time to recreate festivities at the front
line during World War II in Christmas Under Fire,
the journey of three mysterious men in The Real Three Kings
and historical gifts to make Adam Hart-Davis' eyes water this Christmas
in Ancestors: Our Top Ten Treasures.
But
´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO would not be complete without some outstanding comedy and
viewers will not be disappointed with the trimmings on offer.
Rob
Brydon stars as the former hero of a cult 80s futuristic TV show,
alongside Steve Coogan, in Cruise Of The Gods,
while Ricky Gervais and Grant Bovey prepare to knock the Christmas
stuffing out of each other in The Fight.
The
Kumars, The Entertainers, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and
Shooting Stars are all serving up Christmas specials,
while ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO has three very good reasons to stay up late - repeats
of The Office, Coupling and
I Love The 1980s.
Other
´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO highlights include:
Drama,
intrigue and mystery abound this Christmas in a strong line up of
film premieres on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO, including the 1950s noir-thriller LA
Confidential, Fight Club, Mike Leigh's Topsy Turvy
and An Ideal Husband.
This
Christmas Arena enters the magical world of radio comedy with a
two part special, Arena At Christmas - Radio Ha!,
examining the all-time classic Just A Minute, now in its 35th year,
and the instant hit Dead Ringers.
The
Hidden World of PG Wodehouse celebrates the extraordinary
life and work of one of Britain's best-loved writers, while there's
a chance to see again Peter Ackroyd's acclaimed series on novelist
Dickens.
Menotti's
opera, Amahl And The Night Visitors, is a popular
Christmas classic for all the family and there's a special concert
from The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
and including dance performances by the Kirov Ballet and Vienna's
State Opera Ballet.
Six
choirs battle it out for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Choir Of The Year
at London's Royal Albert Hall and Jools' 10th Annual Hootenanny
completes the festive musical offerings with a live music party
performed by some of the world’s top artists.
One
programme not to 'pass' on this Christmas is the Mastermind
Celebrity Special, in which Magnus Magnusson will interrogate
brave celebrities to celebrate the anniversary of the first ever
Mastermind final.
´óÏó´«Ã½
FOUR
Celebrating
its first Christmas, ´óÏó´«Ã½ FOUR is offering music lovers an exclusive
recording of Nicholas Maw's new opera Sophie's Choice
at the Royal Opera House and Richard Eyre interviews Dame
Judi Dench to launch a season of plays and films starring
the award-winning actress.
Other
´óÏó´«Ã½ FOUR highlights include:
The
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
celebrates New Year's Day with its traditional concert of polkas,
waltzes and marches by members of the Strauss family.
The
concert comes live from the magnificent Golden Hall of the Vienna
Musikverein and also includes dance performances by the Kirov Ballet
and Vienna's State Opera Ballet.
New
documentaries include a profile on Welsh boxing hero Johnny Owen.
A
unique opportunity to see some of the greatest rock documentaries
ever made including DA Pennebaker's definitive portrait of Bob Dylan,
Don't Look Back, and his acclaimed documentary
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Alex
Keshishian's In Bed with Madonna.
´óÏó´«Ã½
CHOICE
Screams
and terror will be dominating the schedule on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Choice this Christmas.
There
won't be a fluffy, feel-good movie in sight as top horror films
such as Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby and Damien
– Omen 11, the sequel to the cult movie The Omen
make up the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Choice Christmas Horror Season.
Classics
such as Event Horizon staring Joely Richardson,
Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis and Stigmata
starring Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne will make sure that
those looking for an alternative Christmas won't be disappointed.
Notes
to Editors
Special
issue photographs from the Christmas schedules are available, for
media use only, on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ digital picture service Programme and
Publicity Specials folder.
Please
note that this news release highlights only some of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Television's
Christmas schedules. Work is still continuing on the final schedule,
which will be announced fully in early December.
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