Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown on BBC Christmas TV line-up - BBC News
Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown's Boys are among the shows in the festive schedule.
Call the Midwife filmed its Christmas special under coronavirus restrictions

Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown's Boys are among the shows that will be in this year's Christmas TV schedule, the BBC has revealed.

It has been "a real struggle" to make the usual range of festive shows during Covid, the BBC's Charlotte Moore said.

But, she added, the stars and crews "pulled out all the stops".

"Some of the big talent and the production teams have rallied together, and we feel it's really important to have a good Christmas."

The Vicar of Dibley will return in three 10-minute lockdown-inspired episodes

The BBC's Christmas TV line-up includes special episodes The Goes Wrong Show, Ghosts, Not Going Out, King Gary, Motherland and the return of The Vicar of Dibley.

Miranda Hart will host a one-off celebrity game show, and there will be Christmas editions of shows ranging from The Repair Shop and The Great British Sewing Bee to The Hit List, The Wall and Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

The Goes Wrong Show will tackle the nativity story

The vast majority have been filmed under Covid restrictions.

"Trying to work out what we could actually manage to pull off for Christmas... I can't pretend it's been relaxing or without its challenges," said Moore, who is the BBC's chief content officer.

The Doctor Who Christmas episode was filmed before coronavirus struck.

Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks, in which John Barrowman returns as Captain Jack Harkness to help the Doctor battle her age-old enemies, was one of the few to have been filmed before coronavirus struck.

Call the Midwife, another perennial favourite, was among the shows that had to be shot after the first UK lockdown. "We were so relieved when they sent me a picture of them finishing production," Moore said.

"With some shows it's been easier than others to get talent and everyone together, and with some shows it's taken a lot of effort. But I sensed a real camaraderie to make this happen."

The pandemic interrupted filming for two major drama series, requiring "herculean efforts" in the editing room, Moore said.

One was Black Narcissus, which stars Gemma Arterton as a nun in the Himalayas in the 1930s and Dame Diana Rigg in her final role.

The other, The Serpent, stars Jenna Coleman in the real-life story of the unsolved murders of young Western travellers in India, Thailand and Nepal in the 1970s. It completed its filming after the first lockdown.

Jenna Coleman and Tahar Rahim star in The Serpent

But some shows proved impossible in the current conditions. The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will be a compilation of the 25 most memorable dances of all time, rather than the usual dancefloor contest, for example.

Last year's biggest ratings hit was the return of Gavin and Stacey. Moore said a follow-up had never been planned for this Christmas. "That wasn't something that was going to happen this year," she said. "One day."

Danny Dyer will host a celebrity edition of The Wall

Other highlights this year will include:

Moore added: "It's been a real struggle but I think people have really wanted to make sure these shows could get on air."

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