Catch up TV

Episode 18 December 2023

Grace Dent looks at the television shows that Britain’s viewers were watching over the Christmas period of 1988, focusing on that week’s TV schedules to explore how TV offerings change over the festive season, and how the nation’s viewing expectations have changed over three decades.\n\nIt’s an experience that sees Grace reviewing the all the top drama, comedy and music programmes that we slumped down to watch after the turkey and trimmings - whilst wondering why that year’s issue of Christmas Radio Times remains the UK’s biggest-selling magazine and marvelling at how many of the big names from 30 years ago remain familiar faces today.\n\nAmongst the shows and moments coming under scrutiny is the year’s biggest comedy, Bread, in which the Boswell family take a riotous trip to Rome; Dirty Den’s prison experiences in a typically cheery Christmas EastEnders, Noel Edmonds making TV history with a live link up in space, Philip Schofield amidst Christmas chaos on Going Live!, Bruce Forsyth and Ronnie Corbett teaming up for a dream double act, and that year’s other dream couple – Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, fresh from Neighbours and over here for a battle with Cliff Richard for that year’s Christmas number one spot. Other musical highlights include Bros’ take on Silent Night and Elaine Paige’s unmissable Christmassy version of Queen’s Radio Ga Ga.

Source: BBC 4