The best Specials over Christmas

Modern Times

(BBC 2, 9 p.m., Christmas Eve) Most of us grow out of our toys, or find adult ones, but tonight's documentary, broadcast as Santa slips the harness onto his reindeer, looks at the consequences of toy obsession. One woman never sat on her Spacehopper as a child, but slept with it, took it with her to university and divorced her husband partly because he deflated the damn thing.

Black Velvet Band

(ITV, 9 p.m., Christmas Eve) Sometime EastEnders stars Nick Berry, Todd Carty and Chris McHallem play Victorian convicts sentenced to deportation after trying to steal the crown jewels. En route to Tasmania, they jump ship in Cape Town and find themselves on a South African adventure.

The Last Resort With Jonathan Ross (Channel 4, 9.40 p.m., Christmas Eve) Poor old Jonathan's halcyon days seem to be behind him, but he gets a chance to revive his 1980s chat show for one night as part of Channel 4's birthday festivities. In its heyday, the show attracted a queue of A-list stars - ominously, tonight's guest list is unavailable at time of going to press.

Christmas Mass From London (RTE 1, 11 p.m., Christmas Eve) This year's emigre service comes from the Church of the Sacred Heart in Kilburn, where Aonghus McAnally will be talking to some of the congregation.

Diana: A Tribute (Channel 4, Christmas Day, 12.40 p.m., Christmas Day) At the time of her death, people wept for Diana as if she had been a member of their own families. Theoretically (but not necessarily), this should mean that they'll be missing her this Christmas. This re-vamped version of the obituary programme broadcast on the day of her death includes footage of the mourning and funeral.

Cardigans At Christmas (BBC 2, 7.40 p.m., Christmas Day) Television's way of dealing with Christmas has changed dramatically in the last few years, particularly in the demise of the light entertainment spectacular, with all that fake snow and MOR music. E, bless 'em, don't seem to have noticed). This compilation of the golden years of Yule TV shows us what we're missing.

A Splice Of Life: 15 Years Of Film On Four (Channel 4, 10.15 p.m., Christmas Day) Channel 4's huge contribution to the British (and Irish) film industries is marked in this programme, which looks back at successes like Four Weddings And A Funeral, The Crying Game and Trainspotting, with contributions from directors Peter Greenaway and Ken Loach, actor Stephen Rea, author Nick Hornby and writer Richard Curtis.

The Boyz Are Back (Christmas Day, 8.20 p.m., Christmas Day) Brian Kennedy, the Carter Twins, Phil Coulter and Leo Sayer join Boyzone in perpetuating RTE's long tradition of Christmas entertainment. What about an Irish version of Cardigans For Christmas next year?

Ealu O Antarctica (TnaG, 8.30 p.m., Christmas Day) Amidst all the blockbusters and sitcoms, TnaG provides something for the less festive viewer - a re-enactment of Ernest Shackleton's journey across the Antarctic in 1914/15. At least we can be sure of seeing some snow.

Spre Rosy Ryan (TnaG, 8 p.m., St Stephen's Day) When David Lean came to the Dingle peninsula in the 1960s to make Ryan's Daughter, his choice of location was to have a long-lasting impact on the west Kerry region, stimulating tourism and encouraging thousands of people to come see the area. This documentary looks at the legacy of Ryan's Daughter (which is also showing this evening on TnaG).

Blankety Blank (BBC 1, St Stephen's Day, 8.10 p.m.) Birkenhead bombshell Lily Savage takes over the mike previously held by Terry Wogan and Les Dawson as the celebrity quiz show is revived after seven years in the BBC dungeons (Savage will host a full new season of the show early in the New Year).