His Dark Materials, BBC One, tonight (8pm)

Series finale for the acclaimed adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy of novels, which has made a star of newcomer Dafne Keen (playing Lyra Belacqua) and merely underlined the fact that Ruth Wilson (Mrs Coulter) is the go-to actress for all things dark, conflicted and twisted (especially if it involves bright red lipstick). Devotees of the books will already have noticed that writer Jack Thorne has blended elements of second novel The Subtle Knife with Northern Lights, which introduces Lyra and opens the trilogy. So they won’t be surprised to learn that a second series of His Dark Materials has already been commissioned and will further the story of Will Parry (Amir Wilson) as he travels from modern-day Oxford and heads for his fateful meeting with Lyra in one of the many worlds that open up to him. If you’ve missed the series, take time over Christmas to catch up with it on iPlayer. Better still, read the books and then watch it.

The Last Igloo, BBC Four, Christmas Eve (7.30pm)

It’s kind of obvious when you think about it, but as well as being blindingly simple to build (at least for the Inuit, who can knock one up in around 20 minutes) the igloo is a brilliant piece of design and also one of the oldest forms of human dwellings. In this stunningly-shot film, we follow a day in the life of an Inuit hunter in Greenland as he travels across the Arctic landscape in a sled pulled by dogs, hacks through sea ice to catch fish and then builds an igloo in which to shelter. Also kind of obvious, however, is the fact that with the polar ice caps disappearing at a worrying rate due to global warming and climate change, the Inuit way of life and the igloo itself are at risk. They are, quite simply, melting away. Complementing the film’s stunning cinematography and immersive sound is a score by Icelandic composer Biggi Hilmars.

Martin’s Close, BBC Four, Christmas Eve (10pm)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a ghost story or three. BBC1 has three-parter A Christmas Carol and there’s Channel 4’s Susan Hill offering (see above) but if that doesn’t quench your appetite for hauntings here’s an adaptation of a short story by ghostmeister general MR James. Adapted and directed by Mark Gatiss, it’s set in 1684, stars Peter Capaldi and turns on the trial of a squire man charged with the murder of Ann Clark, a tavern girl. Overseeing the case is the infamous “Hanging Judge”, George Jeffreys. Elliot Levey plays Jeffreys and also in the cast are Sara Crowe, Wilf Scolding (as the accused, John Martin), Simon Williams and Fisayo Kinade. Capaldi plays Mr Dolben, the attorney prosecuting the case on behalf of the king. And the ghost? Ann herself, who appears in the court room or haunts Martin as a disembodied voice singing a folk song.

Cinderella: After Ever After, Sky One, Christmas Eve, 10pm

What happens after the fairy tale ending? That’s the question that kicks off this daft, hour-long comedy co-written by and starring David Walliams. Naturally he plays the handsome Prince Charming, and naturally he plays him as a foppish man-child who’s more interested in doing stupid hip-hop dance routines with pals Pongo and Snorter than he is taking the floor with Cinderella (Sian Gibson, from Peter Kay’s Car Share). “Don’t touch the hair”, he tells his bride as she puckers up for a wedding day kiss. In true panto tradition the idiot step-sisters have been re-christened Dumbella and Rubella and Cinders saves the day by keeping the king (Sir Tom Courtenay) out of the clutches of her wicked stepmother aka Madame Blackheart (Celia Imrie). Oh, and there’s a stupid-looking hand puppet character in the form of Cinderella’s friend Buttons who just keeps, well, popping up. Rollicking great fun in a Mel Brooks-Meets-Frozen sort of a way.

John Bercow’s Alternative Christmas Message, Channel 4, Christmas Day (2.25pm)

If there’s a single word which describes the state of the UK as 2019 ends, it’s the one John Bercow bellowed with such relish ahead of those gripping House of Commons Brexit votes: “Division!”. Helped by two other catchphrases drawn from arcane Commons procedure – “Order!” and “Unlock!” – the former Speaker has developed a cult following which will only be further burnished by Channel 4’s decision to ask him to present its Alternative Christmas Message. That’s alternative as is Not The One Queen’s Doing On The Other Channel Where She Avoids Mentioning Prince Andrew. There’s no knowing what Bercow will say, of course, but one of the most flamboyant Parliamentarians of recent years isn’t likely to tiptoe around anything he feels he needs to get off his chest. And he’s in good company: previous deliverers of the Alternative Christmas Message include Edward Snowden, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, The Simpsons and the inimitable Quentin Crisp, God bless his lilac rinse.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, BBC One, Christmas Day (4.40pm)

I know, I know, it’s only just finished and here it is all over again. Not quite though: this Christmas special features six stars from previous series, so this year’s batch don’t have to pull on their Lulu Lemon sweatpants again. Returning here for your delectation and amusement are social media star Joe Sugg (remember him?), Gemma Atkinson and Debbie McGee (how could you forget her?). McGee teams up with Kevin Clifton to dance to Jingle Bells, which should be a blast. Also returning are former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright, morning TV presenter Richard Arnold and Holby City’s Chizzy Akudolu. And as usual there’s the full roster of judges – Motsi, Bruno, Shirley and Craig – and Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will do the presenting. Music comes from Liam Payne (well, they obviously blew the budget on Taylor Swift for last weekend’s final).

Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special, BBC One, Christmas Day (8.30pm)

If you have teenagers in the house they’ll probably think you’re bonkers if you put on a hokey Welsh accent and wander around asking, “What’s occurring?” or saying: “I’m not being funny but …”. Persuade them to settle down with you to watch the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special and hear the phrase from the horse’s mouth, as it were, and perhaps they’ll be a little more tolerant of your idiosyncrasies. And if that doesn’t work, just tell them James Corden’s in it. It has been nearly a decade since the third series of the smash-hit comedy ended but this one-off assumes the Shipmans (Gavin’s family) and the Wests (Stacey’s clan) have been taking it in turns to host Christmas and this year they’re in Barry for the annual get-together. Matthew Horne and Joanna Page return as the titular couple and they’re joined by Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon and Alison Steadman. Co-creator Corden returns as the irrepressible Smithy.

Kylie’s Secret Night, Channel 4, Christmas Day (10.30pm)/Kylie’s Golden Tour, Channel 4, Christmas Day (midnight)/Kylie At Glastonbury, BBC Two, Christmas Day (11.10pm)

You know you’re edging towards National Treasure status when not only are you on two terrestrial channels at the same time, but you’re in three programmes on two channels and on Christmas Day to boot. Not for nothing is Kylie Minogue known as the Queen of Pop. Admittedly two of the three programmes aren’t exactly new: BBC Two is showing Minogue’s performance from the Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival while Kylie’s Golden Tour, although a TV premiere, is concert footage from her 2018 Golden Tour. What is completely box fresh is Kylie’s Secret Night, a 90-minute special in which a specially invited audience of Kylie obsessives gather for what they think is an Alan Carr-fronted homage to all things Minogue-ian (is that a word?) only to find out that it’s something quite different – an audience with the woman herself. I should be so lucky.

Worzel Gummidge, BBC One, Boxing Day (6.20pm)

“Worzel Gummidge goes woke” moaned the Daily Mail at the first sight of Mackenzie Crook’s reboot of the much-loved talking scarecrow, created by Barbara Euphan Todd for a series of 1930s children’s books but better known from the late 1970s TV series starring Jon Pertwee as the titular straw man. The Mail’s “woke” slur was a reference to Crook’s emphasis in this new Worzel Gummidge on the challenges of climate change and its effect on rural life. The chances of any watching farmers being converted to green politics as a result are absolutely zilch, but you have to applaud the Pirates Of The Caribbean star for trying. Featuring alongside Crook in the title role are India Brown and Thierry Wickens as young siblings Susan and John, and the wonderful Vicki Pepperdine as Aunt Sally. Also in the cast are Steve Pemberton, Rosie Cavaliero and Zoe Wanamaker, and in the following day’s concluding part viewers can enjoy the arrival of The Green Man played by none other than Michael Palin.

Paddington 2, BBC One, Boxing Day, 7.20pm/Paddington: The Man Behind The Bear, BBC Two, Boxing Day, 9pm

Arguably better than the first Paddington film, this second in the big screen re-boot sees Paddington convicted of theft and sent to prison, where he makes some interesting friends, while the Brown family set about trying to uncover the real culprit. It’s a piece of amateur sleuthing which soon leads them to the door of their neighbour Phoenix Buchanan, a fading luvvie with an inordinately high opinion of himself. A joy from start to finish, particularly where the role of Buchanan is concerned – Hugh Grant in one of the best performances of his career. That’s followed by a documentary about Paddington creator Michael Bond presented by Hugh Bonneville, who plays Mr Brown in the film series. In it he looks at the background to the Paddington stories – Michael Bond’s parents opened up his childhood home in Reading to take in Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, a direct influence on the theme of the books – and puts them into the sort of context that Mr Brown himself would understand. Did you know Bond sold three times as many books as there are children in the UK?

Susan Hill’s Ghost Story: The Small Hand, Channel 5, Boxing Day (9pm)

Filmed in Scotland and based on Hill’s novel The Small Hand, this chiller stars Douglas Henshall as Adam Snow, a dealer in rare books who finds himself being haunted by the ghost of a young boy. As the spirit intrudes further and further into both his waking life and his nightmares, he begins to realise there’s a connection with his own childhood. Starring alongside Henshall are fellow Scots Neve McIntosh and Cal MacAnich, and the director is Galashiels-born Justin Molotnikov.

Atlantics, streaming on Netflix

If you only watch one film this Christmas, make it this one. Written and directed by Mati Diop, daughter of Senegalese musician Wasis Diop and niece of director and poet Djibril Diop Mambety, it’s a mesmerising meditation on everything from Dakar, the city in which it was filmed, to young love and the desperation that drives migration. Initially it follows the story of construction worker Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré) and his girlfriend Ada (Mame Bineta Sane), but when Souleiman sets out for Europe in an open boat and is presumed lost at sea it pivots towards something more fabulous, elegiac and supernatural. To say anything else would spoil the surprise. The film was produced, shot and scored by an entirely female team and earlier this year Diop became the first black female director to have her film premiere in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It didn’t win but it took the festival’s prestigious Grand Prix instead and rightly so. Atlantics is little short of a masterpiece.