Christmas Radio Times - Festive TV

It’s that time of the year when Christmas fever over takes me and my heart is all a flutter because on Wednesday 9 Dec the Christmas Radio Times hits the news shelves.

Buying this magazine is part of my Christmas since I was a child with mum putting it on order around the shop with the now defunct TV Times. I could probably get a cheaper TV schedule magazine for Christmas and in this age of the internet crammed with information why the need for a TV magazine. Because I am old fashioned, I still like reading newspapers when I could read them on the internet.

Steptoe and Son classic Christmas TV

When I was a kid and growing up I would create my own TV schedule although I had no control over the TV buttons. My choices were mostly based around TV Christmas specials like Morecambe and Wise possibly the kings of Christmas Day, The Two Ronnie’s, and Mike Yarwood. There was always comedy specials like Steptoe and Son, Terry and June while today the TV Christmas schedules is bloated with soap operas.

There are still your Christmas specials but little to excite me like in my childhood. I suppose with so many channels these days the big variety shows like Morecambe and Wise don't fit into the schedule even if they were made.

Black and white TV, three channels an innocent time of TV when watching the big Christmas film was probably the first time you saw it unless you had seen it in the cinema. Today there are hundreds of channels and you are more than likely to have seen your Christmas film in the cinema, on a DVD or Sky movies before a terrestrial television channel. It takes some of the spice out of Christmas for me.

In today’s world of Multi-channel TV the Radio Times has moved along from publishing BBC programming to a wide range of TV channels from rivals ITV to Sky TV and more making it a one-stop publication. Before all the new channels, the Radio Times would review and rate around 30 films in the Christmas and New Year edition but this year a staggering 4,500 will be on over the fourteen days festive period. That will be on all channels according to stats from the Radio Times.

This year's double edition features 292 pages packed with 14 festive days of the best TV, film and radio, from Doctor Who to Mrs Browns Boys, Carols at Kings to the Queen's Speech, plus films rated, and interviews with the brightest stars. It's the biggest and best guide to Christmas I my book.