Penguins: Meet the Family (BBC1, 6.30pm)

DEPENDING on which source you rely on, there are between 17 and 20 living species of penguin. Liz Bonnin narrates as viewers are introduced to them all, meeting penguins living in dense forests, desert burrows and city streets, from the Equator to deepest Antarctica. There is heart-warming footage of an emperor penguin chick stepping away from the safety of it father’s feet and experiencing its first flurry of snow. Plus, majestic king penguins overcome a catastrophic moult, swapping their ragged feathers for a brand new outfit.

Celebrity Snoop Dogs at Christmas (C4, 7pm)

A NEW pack of dogs strap on Go-Pro cameras to snoop around their showbiz homes, which have been lavishly decorated for Christmas. But there’s a festive twist, as this time the celebrity dog owners are watching on and competing against each other to throw the others off the scent of whether it’s their home and four-legged friend. Can Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Gok Wan and Joanna Page identify whose home is whose, and who’s leading them astray?

MasterChef the Professionals: A Festive Knockout (BBC1, 8pm)

THE first of two special seasonal episodes, in which eight finalists from past series return to face tests of their skills. The first episode features Steve Barringer from the 2011 series, 2018’s Oli Martin and two finalists from last year’s series, Exose Grant Lopo-Ndinga and Olivia Burt. Monica Galetti sets them the task of making festive canapes, before they move on to the dreaded skills test and a seasonally themed two-course menu.

Jamie and Jimmy’s Festive Feast (C4, 9pm)

JAMIE Oliver and Jimmy Doherty are joined by two celebrity guests to get the New Year party going. Singer-songwriter Sam Smith and PE-teacher-to-the-nation Joe Wicks assist as they prepare a range of dishes. Jamie kicks things off with Italian-inspired pork and crispy double crackling, laid on a bed of veg and creamy beans. He then takes Sam to Mexico via Scotland, tracking down the singer’s favourite food memory from the Isle of Eriskay and making delicious haggis tacos.