Tv Preview & Festive Films

Remotes at the ready? Videos primed? Then put your feet up and let Robin Buss guide you through the best of Christmas Week television and film, while David Thomson picks the ultimate Christmas movie

Father for Christmas: 'The Santa Clause', Christmas Eve, BBC1

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMES

The Wind in the Willows (Wed & Christmas Day, ITV). All the right voices for this lavish animated version of Kenneth Grahame's story about Mole (Alan Bennett) and Ratty (Michael Palin) lazing around in boats, and trying to keep their friend Toad (Rik Mayall) out of trouble and out of cars.

The Bear (Christmas Eve, C4). A little girl loses her teddy bear in the polar bears' enclosure at the zoo. Then she receives a surprise visit that results in a magical night-time trip to the stars. C4 must be hoping that this lovely, wordless animated tale will be as successful as The Snowman (showing again immediately before it). With pictures by Raymond Briggs and the final song sung by Charlotte Church, there is every reason to expect it will.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (Boxing Day, C4). Kate Beckinsale stars as Alice in a witty adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic story. Sian Phillips, Ian Holm, Ian Richardson, Gary Olsen and Steve Coogan are among those doing the Tweedles, chess pieces and so on. Ideal Boxing Day family viewing.

Brambly Hedge (Boxing Day, BBC1). An animated story about mice in a wood preparing for a midwinter celebration,who run into trouble with the Yule log. The Secret Staircase is the fifth in the Brambly Hedge series. Designed for the very young, this might also please their parents as a cosy evocation of a vanished village world.

FOOD AND DRINK

Smashed (from Mon, C4). C4's contribution to the seasonal spirit is - quite sensibly - a batch of programmes about alcohol abuse. After Drink Drivers (Mon) - self-explanatory - we visit a hospital casualty department (Tues), recall the long-standing relationship between alcohol and comedians (This Bloke Walked into a Bar, Tues) and hear one man's story (The Confrontation, Wed). Sobering.

Two Fat Ladies (Tues, BBC2). Clarissa and Jennifer opt for a Caribbean Christmas: jerk pig, pumpkin soup and rum punch, then a bit of naked bathing. Surprising.

Gary Rhodes (Wed, BBC2). Gary proposes a mainly traditional menu, though he prefers pancakes to plum pudding. Fattening.

Burnt Bits (Christmas Eve, C4). Prize turkeys from TV kitchens: out-takes and disasters, with Ainsley Harriot, Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray, Jane Asher and others whose souffles you always wanted to see collapse. Gratifying.

Christmas Italian Kitchen (Christmas Eve, C4). After suggestions for retrieving disasters (see above), Rogers and Gray offer a menu of panforte, chocolate cake and lemon cake. Sickening.

COMEDY

Rex the Runt (Mon, BBC2). New Plasticine animation from Aardman (who made Creature Comforts) for grown-ups and kids, starting with a story about how Rex goes on a holiday inside his pet dog, Vince.

Birds of a Feather (Christmas Eve, BBC1). This could be the very last episode of the Essex girls sitcom. But is it really goodbye to Sharon and Tracey?

Men Behaving Badly (Christmas Day, BBC1). Dead sitcoms are usually resurrected at Christmas. Here, in a three-part special (continued on Boxing Day and Bank Holiday Monday), Dorothy and Gary are trying for a baby. But is Gary father material?

Bring Me Sunshine (Wed, BBC1). Profile of Eric Morecambe, with plentiful extracts from his shows.

French and Saunders (Boxing Day, BBC1). Another one-off seasonal special, with the familiar mix of sketches and parodies, including an insight into life below stairs at one of the royal palaces, a lesson in Shakespearean acting for Helen Mirren, a boost for the Spice Girls and an invitation to Joanna Lumley to join Dawn and Jennifer on the Titanic.

DOCUMENTARY

The West (Mon, BBC2). Ken Burns (who made the series on The American Civil War) teams up with producer-director Stephen Ives for this fine television history, weaving contemporary records, archive footage and still images into an evocative account of how the West was won. Jason Robards and Derek Jacobi are among those supplying the voices.

Agas and Their Owners (Tues, BBC2). A sidelong glance at the Swedish oven that is an indispensable part of middle-class English life. Owners talk about their precious lumps of iron and why they prize them - for warming the bottom, drying the hair, stewing the dishcloths or comforting the parrot. Very funny, and sometimes revealing.

Close Up: Ted Hughes: Force of Nature (Christmas Day, BBC2). A biography of the late poet laureate, with contributions from his friends (Seamus Heaney, Blake Morrison, Diana Rigg, Tom Paulin, et al); film of Hughes reading his work, and an account of his controversial marriage to Sylvia Plath. Hughes can also be seen reading his poems on Christmas Eve afternoon (Ted Hughes: In His Own Words, C4).

Arena: Brian Epstein (Christmas Day & Boxing Day, BBC2). A two-part biography by Anthony Wall which follows Epstein's career from his early years in the family business in Liverpool to his mysterious death, exploring the personality of a man who never came to terms with his sexual orientation or his success.

Bernstein (Christmas Day & Boxing Day, C4). A two-part profile of Leonard Bernstein, the creator of West Side Story and, according to Andre Previn, "the biggest influence in American music". But behind the public persona is another history of troubled personal relationships and confused sexuality. CULTURE, MUSIC AND DRAMA

Canterbury Tales (Mon & Tues, BBC2). Six of Chaucer's tales, linked by Aida Zyablikova's jolly puppet play of the tellers on their pilgrimage. Most of the tales are in two-dimensional drawings, done with much imagination and charm. Middle English versions (subtitled) will be shown on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Beowulf (Wed, BBC2). Russian animator Yuri Kulakov's visualisation of an Old English classic, more fun than its reputation (as a dull university text) would lead you to think.

Frenchman's Creek (today, ITV). Daphne du Maurier's yarn of love and piracy stars Tara Fitzgerald as Lady Dona and Anthony Delon as the French privateer who offers a choice between duty and love. Gadzooks!

Hansel and Gretel (Christmas Day, C4). Engelbert Humperdinck's opera is performed by the Welsh National Opera and sung in English, with Imelda Drumm and Linda Kitchen, plus Nigel Robson as the Witch.

The American (Boxing Day, BBC2). Lavish, co-produced adaptation of Henry James's novel, with Matthew Modine in the title role as the rich young Yank, falling for French aristo Aisling O'Sullivan, much to the chagrin of her snooty mother (Diana Rigg). High production values, performances to match.

AND IT WOULDN'T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT...

Carols from King's (Christmas Eve, BBC1). The traditional service of nine lessons and carols from King's.

The Queen (Christmas Day, BBC & ITV). A look back over the year in her address to the Commonwealth.

Coronation Street/EastEnders (Christmas Day, ITV/BBC1). And all those other Christmas specials of soaps, game shows, variety shows, chat shows and Auntie's Spanking New

Christmas Bloomers. NOT ONLY FOR CHILDREN

The Neverending Story II (Tues, ITV). A film telling children that they really should read a book - and so they might, if films didn't have such good special effects. (George Miller 1991)

All Dogs Go to Heaven (Wed, C4). Animation about a dog who dies, but still gets revenge on the vicious pooch who had him killed. Not as grim as it sounds. (Don Bluth 1989)

The Santa Clause (Christmas Eve, BBC1). Another variation on a Scrooge theme, as divorced father Tim Allen learns to be Santa. (John Pasquin 1994)

Miracle on 34th Street (Christmas Day, BBC1). Richard Attenborough is the department store Santa convinced he is the real thing, in a remake of a 1947 classic. (Les Mayfield 1994)

Scrooge (Christmas Day, C5). The best version of Dickens's Christmas Carol, with Alastair Sim on top form in the title role. (Brian Desmond Hurst 1951)

Babe (Christmas Day, BBC1). A talking pig who thinks he's a dog? The least you can say about this gem is that it's better than it sounds. (Chris Noonan 1995)

Casper (Boxing Day, BBC1). Ghost feature. (Brad Siberling 1995)

Gremlins (Boxing Day, ITV). Anarchy invades suburbia in this good-natured creature movie. (Joe Dante 1984)

HEROES AND COWARDS

The Mark of Zorro (today, C4). Tyrone Power plays the Spanish nobleman in California who becomes a masked avenger in order to fight tyranny. Robin Hood meets the Scarlet Pimpernel. (Rouben Mamoulian 1940)

The Four Feathers (today, C4). Terrific version of AEW Mason's novel, starring John Clements as the young man who is sent the white feathers and branded a coward until he proves his courage in the field.With Ralph Richardson. (Zoltan Korda 1939)

Don Juan DeMarco (Mon, C4). Inspired by Byron's Don Juan, Jeremy Leven's film stars Johnny Depp as a descendent of the cynical lover, and Marlon Brando as his shrink. (1995)

The Thief of Baghdad (Tues, C4). Classic Arabian Nights adventure with pioneering special effects. (Michael Powell, et al 1940)

MUSICALS AND COMEDIES

The Sound of Music (today, BBC1). Number 1 for nuns. (Robert Wise 1965)

Modern Times (Christmas Eve, BBC2). Silent satire on production line work, which owes a good deal to Rene Clair's A nous la liberte. One of Chaplin's best. (Charles Chaplin 1936).

Calamity Jane (Christmas Day, C5). Comedy, musical and western, with Doris Day at her bounciest as the surefire heroine. (David Butler 1953).

Noises Off (Christmas Day, C5). Worthy attempt to adapt a very stagy Michael Frayn sex comedy about a troupe of actors. With Michael Caine. (Peter Bogdanovich 1992)

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (Boxing Day, ITV). Scientist (Rick Moranis) zaps his children with a miniaturising ray - and suddenly we know what it's like to be small. Great idea, well done; rotten sequel. (Joe Johnston 1989)

KUROSAWA SEASON

Throne of Blood (Mon, BBC2). BBC2's season of films by Akira Kurosawa starts with his miraculous transposition of Macbeth to feudal Japan. (1957)

Hidden Fortress (Tues, BBC2). Another (if less well-known) masterpiece by Kurosawa, also starring Mifune, which George Lucas claimed was his chief inspiration for Star Wars. See if you can spot why. (1958)

Seven Samurai (Wed, BBC2). One of the 10 best movies ever made. Takashi Shimura gets together a band of warriors to defend a village from bandits. (1954)

BOGART SEASON

Key Largo (Christmas Eve, BBC2). In the first film in this season, Bogart is a war veteran who finds himself in a hotel with gangster Edward G Robinson and widow Lauren Bacall; and a hurricane is on the way. (John Huston 1948)

To Have and Have Not (Christmas Eve, BBC2). Bogart agrees to help Bacall (her debut) escape from war-torn Martinique. Off-screen, romance blossomed. (Howard Hawks 1944)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Christmas Day, BBC2). Huston's masterpeice about the corrupting effect of gold, with Bogart and Walter Huston falling out over their "goods". A classic. (John Huston 1948)

Casablanca (Christmas Day, BBC2). Needs no introduction. (Michael Curtiz 1942)

The Maltese Falcon (Boxing Day, BBC2). Bogart and Huston again, in the archetypal private eye film noir, with glorious supporting performances from Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. (John Huston 1941)

NOT FORGETTING ...

Woman in the Window (Mon, C4). Fritz Lang's thriller about a mild-mannered professor (Edward G Robinson) caught up in murder. (1944)

Major Barbara (Christmas Day, C5). George Bernard Shaw co-scripted this adaptation of his comedy about the clash of values between an arms magnate and his idealistic daughter. With Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison and Robert Morley. (Gabriel Pascal, Harold French, David Lean 1941)

Brief Encounter (Christmas Eve, ITV). Not brief enough for some. Middle- class drama with Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard just right for the couple torn between love and duty. Nice trains, though. (David Lean 1945)

Twelfth Night (Christmas Day, BBC2). Well-made version of Shakespeare's comedy played with polish - but too cool for pleasure. (Trevor Nunn 1996)

The Godfather Part II (Christmas Day, ITV). Francis Ford Coppola's marvellous sequel to The Godfather - and a "prequel" since it takes us back to the early years of the Godfather's career. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro head a superlative cast. (1974)

City Lights (Boxing Day, BBC2). The Tramp meets a blind flower-girl. Cinema as popular art. (Charles Chaplin 1931).

DAVID THOMSON'S CHRISTMAS MOVIE

It's Christmas Eve. Order in pizza, and sit back with the kids for It's a Wonderful Life (BBC2). It's black and white, and over 50 years old, so you may have to rope them to the chairs. Then you must explain that this is 1946, when America wasn't sure whether it was running a brave new world or trying to keep the abyss from widening. Frank Capra and James Stewart had been to the real war: Capra made documentaries and Stewart flew 20 bomber missions. He was a nervous wreck when he came back, and Capra was nowhere near as optimistic as people recalled from the 1930s. So they turned together to the Americana they had dreamed of in uniform: small towns, family values, the urge to do dull good deeds. They found a story, plainly inspired by Dickens's Christmas Carol, and guided it through many rewrites. Together they created George Bailey, the brother who sacrificed ambitions and stayed at home, who ran the small family bank, and married his perfect Mary (Donna Reed). Then they took him to a brink of disaster - the failure of the bank - so grave that George is ready to kill himself. Until an apprentice angel, Clarence, shows him what Bedford Falls might be like without him. The film did poorly in 1946. Then, over the years, America rediscovered it, and ran it on TV every Christmas. The kids may forget they are tied up. You may slip your own invisible bonds. And you can marvel at how this celebration of Christmas and renewal is also a bridge over a dark river filled with dread, noir and the ordinary mean-spiritedness that we can now find round any corner.

Captions: Alice goes forth: Boxing Day, C4

Morecambe without Wise: Wed, BBC1

Leonard Bernstein: Christmas Day, C4

Yule winner: 'The American', BBC2

It's a miracle: Christmas Day, BBC1

'Noises Off': Christmas Day, C5

Then there were seven: Wed, BBC2