What to Watch on Sky This Christmas: 2025 Must-See Highlights
Christmas is basically prime sofa season and I’m 100% ready. Feet up, brew in hand and a festive TV schedule I fully intend to demolish.
Luckily Sky have dropped one of their best festive line-ups in ages. Big dramas, big laughs and a few films that even the fussiest family member will love.
So, if you’re deciding what to watch first, here’s my festive line-up. And if you’re outside the UK, stick around. I’ll show you how Sky Stream makes the whole thing ridiculously easy.
Amadeus – The One Everyone Will Talk About
Every Christmas you need that show. The prestige pick. The one your mate mentions at the pub and your mum insists you “must watch before New Year”. This year, it’s Amadeus.
Will Sharpe goes full genius-cursed-by-his-own-talent as Mozart, while Paul Bettany gives us the most tortured Salieri imaginable. It’s stylish, sharp and full of the kind of drama that deserves your full attention. No scrolling, no half-watching, no being dragged into the kitchen to “help plate up”.
If you want something big and brilliant to anchor your holidays, this is it.
Rob & Romesh Vs… – Guaranteed Festive Chaos
When the house is full, the snacks are out and everybody wants something fun but not heavy, you stick on Rob & Romesh Vs…. It’s basically chaos in documentary form and Series 8 looks wild.
Bollywood stages in Mumbai. Hip-hop routines in New York. Jungle photography in Sumatra. Shakespeare at The Globe. These two will try anything once, which is excellent news for the rest of us.
It’s exactly the kind of “go on, let’s put something on” TV you need when the family is pretending they’re not competing over who ate the last Roses tin orange crème.
Never Mind the Xmas Buzzcocks – A Proper Festive Ritual
Some shows become Christmas traditions. Never Mind the Xmas Buzzcocks is one of them. Greg Davies, Noel Fielding, Jamali Maddix, Sophie Willan – and a bunch of celebrities who have no idea what madness they’ve agreed to.
The games get sillier. The costumes get weirder. The energy gets more chaotic by the minute. It’s like someone wrapped a Christmas jumper around a music quiz and let it loose.
If you want something guaranteed to make the room laugh (even your grumpy uncle who “doesn’t watch modern telly”), this is your move.
Sky Kids Christmas Specials – The Secret to Household Peace
Parents, here’s your lifeline. Sky Kids is stacked with Christmas specials this year. Mittens & Pants, BooSnoo, a mega Moonbug Christmas Compilation and even Pingu in the City joining the line-up.
These shows are quick, colourful and capable of buying you just enough time to finish something important… like eating a mince pie in peace.
A Minecraft Movie – A Win for Kids, Teens and Secret Gamers
If you’ve got kids in the house, brace yourself: A Minecraft Movie might end up on repeat.
Jason Momoa, Emma Myers and Jack Black get sucked into the Overworld to face piglins, zombies and general cube-based nonsense. It’s colourful, fun and surprisingly heartfelt.
Perfect for the “can we watch something else?” brigade. Also perfect for grown-ups who secretly still love Minecraft. No judgement. I’m in.
The Real Salt Path – One for the Slow Days Between Christmas & New Year
There’s always that moment in the holidays when the room goes quiet, the big meals are out of the way and you want something a bit more grown-up. That’s when The Real Salt Path hits the spot.
It digs into the truth behind the bestselling memoir The Salt Path, following journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou as she uncovers unexpected twists behind the story everyone thought they knew. It’s gripping in a very calm, Boxing-Day-afternoon sort of way.
Tinsel Town – Your Big Christmas Movie Night
Sky Cinema’s big original Christmas film this year is Tinsel Town, and honestly, it sounds like the perfect festive escape.
Kiefer Sutherland plays a washed-up Hollywood action star who ends up starring in a tiny village panto. He’s grumpy, clueless and absolutely not ready for Buttons-level community theatre energy. Naturally, it’s brilliant.
There’s romance, redemption and Rebel Wilson. Everything you want from a Christmas film where the snow falls at exactly the right moment.
Tea with Dame Judi Dench – A Warm Hug in TV Form
There are few humans more universally liked than Judi Dench. Watching her invite Kenneth Branagh to her country home for tea, stories and decades of theatrical chaos is honestly just delightful.
It’s gentle, funny and the exact thing you put on when everyone’s winding down. If TV could give you a hug, this would be it.
Watching from Abroad? Here’s Where Sky Stream Changes the Game
Even if you’re outside the UK this Christmas, you don’t have to miss out on all of Sky’s great content. Whether you’re living abroad, travelling or spending the winter somewhere sunny (lucky you), Sky Stream makes life easy.
Sky Stream pairs the Sky Stream puck with a plug-and-play VPN router that’s pre-configured and ready out of the box. That combination lets you watch Sky abroad exactly as if you were back in the UK. No dish, no faff, no complicated tech setups. Just plug in, connect and start streaming worldwide.
You can build your dream bundle, add Sky Cinema or Sports if you want, and use up to six devices so the whole household can watch whatever they want. Whether you’re in Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean or out at sea, Sky Stream has you covered with smooth, secure, UK-based streaming.
If you want festive telly without hassle, this is the simplest way to get it. Check out the channel list and get started!
So there you go! Amadeus, Rob & Romesh, Tinsel Town, Minecraft, Buzzcocks, Judi Dench, kids’ specials and a cracking documentary to round it all off. Now grab your onesie, claim your spot on the sofa and let the festive viewing begin.
