Even Better Than the Real Thing – Christmas Special (BBC One, 7.10pm)
PADDY McGuinness returns with a festive edition of his tribute act showcase, pitting five of the world’s greatest professional cover artists against each other. This time, singers who specialise in belting out the hits of Michael Buble, Kylie Minogue, John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen are put to the test, as McGuinness challenges them to tackle Christmas hits made famous by their musical idols. The audience is given a chance to decide their favourite three performers, who will advance to a round of duets featuring a “very special collaboration” with another act. The audience will then be given a final vote, with one singer ultimately being named as Even Better Than the Real Thing.
The World’s Best Christmas Lights: From Liverpool to Bethlehem (Channel 4, 8pm)
THIS documentary explores the work of a Christmas decorating company from Liverpool, which for the past five years has dispatched a team to Bethlehem in Palestine to put up trimmings in Manger Square. Christmas festivities in the city in which Jesus is said to have been born reach their climax on Christmas Eve, when thousands of residents and pilgrims gather at Manger Square ahead of Midnight Mass. As such, the team’s job has been of particular importance to the West Bank city. This programme follows the Liverpudlians to the Middle East, as budget cuts, strained working relationships with the locals, and a delay in the delivery of their much-needed lights threaten to derail their efforts. The team will need to use all of their vast experience to save the Christmas celebrations.
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