On the Box: The Christmas TV Specials not to miss

The Toy Shop (RTE 1, Wednesday 22nd, 9.30pm)

Featuring sixteen independent toy shops across the country, The Toy Shop sits down with the people and places that spark the imagination of their youngest customers and the memories of their eldest. Owners discuss the power of toys and the role they play in making imaginings of our wildest dreams come true.

Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After (Sky Max, Thursday 23rd, 8pm)

David Walliams presents the third of his festive fairy tale specials, this time continuing the Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel. Walliams, along with Sheridan Smith and Mark Addy pick up the story after the eponymous siblings have escaped the witch’s gingerbread house – only to be dismayed to learn that their village – their family included - is being enchanted by a mysterious stranger plying them with sweet treats.

And Just Like That (Sky Comedy, Thursday 23rd & 30th, 9pm)

The new chapter of Sex and the City follows Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.

Adam Saves Christmas (RTE 1, Friday 24th, 5.35pm)

Adam discovers Christmas is in peril when Santa reports the Northern Lights aren’t working and it’s so dark, he can’t find his reindeer. Unless Adam can figure out what’s happening to the Aurora, Christmas will be ruined! And so, the adventure begins for Adam and his crew to save Christmas! With 150 million children living with additional needs worldwide, the show will introduce much-needed on-screen representation.

The Amazing Mr Blunden (Sky Max, Friday 24th, 7pm)

Christmas adventure arrives for London teenagers Jamie and Lucy Allen in the form of a mysterious old man, Mr Blunden, who offers their mum the opportunity to become the caretaker of a ruined country house – one that’s said to be haunted. Within its neglected, overgrown grounds, the kids have an encounter with what appears to be a pair of ghost children, Sara and Georgie, who aren’t actually ghosts.

Christmas Carols In St Patrick’s (RTE 1, Friday 24th, 8.15pm)

Dáithí Ó Sé hosts this sumptuous, festive show in St Patrick’s Cathedral, newly restored in time for its 800th anniversary. Performers and guests include Andrea Corr, Tolü Makay, Declan O’Rourke, Lisa O’Neill, Ultan O’Brien David Brophy’s Frontline Choir, the Choir of St Patrick’s Cathedral and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (BBC1, Saturday 25th, 5.10pm & 6.25pm)

Returning to the Ballroom for an all-star Christmas special, as six Strictly stars take to the floor in a bid to be crowned Christmas Champions 2021.

Hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, the show wouldn't be complete without the festive foursome on the judging panel. The Christmas special will start with a sensational group routine featuring the celebrities and their professional partners, alongside the Strictly pros.

Mrs Brown’s Boys: Mammy’s Mechanical Merriment (RTE 1, Saturday 25th, 9.35pm)

It’s Christmas in Finglas and Agnes has been recruited to the church choir, but she’s under strict instructions from Father McBride that there’s to be no singing and certainly no dancing. Meanwhile Dermot and Buster have organised this year’s festivities at Foleys and are holding a Murder Mystery night in aid of alcoholic greyhounds. What could possibly go wrong?

Ireland’s Fittest Family - Celebrity Special (RTE 1, Monday 27th, 8pm)

All in the name of charity, we are going to find out how 4 celebs, and their families, react in the pressure of competition. Model and former Dancing with the Stars star, Grainne Gallanagh, will team up with the Happy Pear’s Flynn twins for the challenge.

The Tommy Tiernan Show Special (RTE 1, Monday 27th, 9.25pm)

Tommy Tiernan is back with a one off special that’s full of surprises for him, and his viewers! A master of improvisation, Tommy thrives on the adrenaline of surprises. The result is conversations full of adventure and surprise, with people from all walks of life, some well-known personalities, some lesser so.

How Ireland Rocked the 70s (RTE 1, Tuesday 28th, 6.30pm)

This documentary looks at the evolution of the festival circuit in Ireland during the 1970s, a decade in which rock music – national and international – began to take real root here. Against a back-drop of political instability, the greater penetration of popular culture into Ireland saw, by the end of the 1970s, the development of an nascent national scene and the emergence of a golden generation of local bands primed for export.

Daniel At Sixty (RTE 1, Tuesday 28th, 9.25pm)

A fascinating and revealing insight into the man himself with exclusive access during his recent UK and US tour. Plenty of contributions from friends, colleagues and fans who have played an important role in his private and professional life over the years.

Rachael Blackmore: A Grand Year (RTE 1, Wednesday 29th, 9.35pm)

Rachael Blackmore couldn’t even dream of achieving the success that came her way this year. She reached truly historic heights claiming the leading jockey crown at the Cheltenham Festival and becoming the first ever female jockey to win the Aintree Grand National. ‘I don’t feel male or female right now. I don’t even feel human,” she said.

Attenborough & The Mammoth Graveyard (BBC 1, Thursday 30th, 8pm)

Sir David Attenborough joins Ben Garrod and a team of investigators at a mammoth graveyard near Swindon, to explore whether Neanderthals might have killed the ice age beasts after a huge fossilised leg bone was discovered.

Mrs Browns Boys Mammies Mickey (RTE 1, Friday 31st, 10.10pm)

A second helping of Agnes - it’s New Year in the Brown household but not everyone seems to have got the message. Grandad’s brother, Micky, is fresh out of prison and stops by for a visit.

NYE Countdown Show With The 2 Johnnies (RTE 1, Friday 31st, 10.45pm)

The 2 Johnnies present RTÉs New Year’s Eve Countdown Show live from Dublin Castle with guests from the world of sport and entertainment. Picture This will ring in the New Year in front of a crowd of 5,000 people.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (Sky Max, Saturday 1st, 8pm)

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson join filmmaker Chris Columbus and other esteemed cast members across all eight Harry Potter films as they travel back to Hogwarts for the first time to celebrate the anniversary of the franchise’s first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which premiered 20 years ago.