What to watch
Whether they’re films, comedy, drama or entertainment, we’ve chosen this year’s highlights for you –and they certainly don’t disappoint…
That ’s entertainment
That ’s entertainment
VERA
DCI Vera Stanhope, played by Brenda Blethyn, returns to our screens this Boxing Day with the first ever Vera Christmas special. In the thrilling episode entitled The Rising Tide, based on a best-selling Anne Cleeves novel, Vera finds herself drawn to the enchanting tidal island of Lindisfarne, where a group of lifelong friends reunites every five years to commemorate their enduring bond. What begins as a joyous tradition turns to tragedy when one of the friends is discovered dead.
■ Boxing Day, ITV1
5 MINUTES WITH… BRENDA BLETHYN
I’ve always wanted to have a Vera Christmas special. This adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ book The Rising Tide is set against the backdrop to the run up to Christmas. There are quite a lot of Christmas trees in this film and it was nice to shoot scenes with all of the festive decorations in the background.
Vera’s childhood Christmases would have been pretty sparse. When her mum was there, she would have made the best of things. But after she died, Vera would have had to do most of the cooking and cleaning. Her dad wasn’t always nurturing. She sort of brought herself up. Christmas is a time for family, which Vera hasn’t got. Her team at work are her family now, her colleagues.
What was it like filming on Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne?
It was lovely. It’s such a special place and everyone is so friendly. But we filmed this in November and December of 2022 and it was very cold. You see Vera walking up the Holy Island harbour steps from the boat with her mac flapping around in a strong wind. We couldn’t risk losing Vera’s hat at sea so it was kept firmly in place at all times. The hat was pulled down securely on my head with some elastic pushed inside the hat and then under my chin!
Christmas is a time to reflect on how lucky we are compared to others in the world, especially at the moment. You also never know how people in the same street as you are coping. It’s a time for thinking about others, if nothing else.
MURDER IS EASY
If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you’ll want to tune for the BBC’s adaption of the famous crime writer’s novel Murder Is Easy. On a train to London, Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) meets Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton), who tells him a murderer is on the loose in her village. When she's later found dead, Fitzwilliam feels he must hunt down the killer – amongst an all-star cast.
■ Christmas Day, BBC1
STRICTLY COME DANCING CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Bringing the festivities to the dance floor, six new
