Countdown to CHRISTMAS

An emotional All Creatures heads our sparkling round-up of this week’s festive specials…

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL 
Thursday, 9 pm, Channel 5

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that’s certainly the case in the All Creatures Great and Small yuletide special as parents-to-be James and Helen are spending Christmas 1940 apart from each other.

James (Nicholas Ralph) is away training with the RAF and is worried about wife Helen (Rachel Shenton), who is expecting their first child. But when James asks for time off and is turned down, will he be able to get home for Christmas?

‘He feels that separation from his family at Skeldale House, and he misses Helen hugely, especially because she’s pregnant,’ says Ralph, 33. ‘It’s always about the heart versus the mind for James, and he is torn between wanting to be at home with Helen and sacrificing his own needs for the greater good of the country. ’

CAPITAL’S JINGLE BELL BALL
Sunday, 5 pm, ITV1 

Radio stars Roman Kemp, Chris Stark and Sian Welby return to London’s O2 for another sensational show packed with the world’s biggest stars and a sprinkling of disco-ball glamour. This year’s top acts include Rita Ora, Busted, Tom Grennan, Alicia Keys and Take That, who’ll perform their biggest hits.

THE HAIRY BIKERS: COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Tuesday, 9pm, BBC2