BBC radio announces its Christmas highlights

Count Arthur Strong and John Shuttleworth are to return to Radio 4 for Christmas specials.

Count Arthur’s show will air at 11.30am on Christmas Day, with his Radio Repertory Company attempting musical festivities.

As always, Steve Delaney stars as Count Arthur, supported by Mel Giedroyc, Alastair Kerr, Dave Mounfield and Terry Kilkelly as Malcolm.

Count Arthur Strong’s Radio Show! ran for  seven series from 2005 to 2012, and has returned for a Christmas special every year since 2014.

Meanwhile, the new episode of The Shuttleworths, which will air at 7.15pm on December 22, is only the second since 2010, following last year’s festive offering 

In it, Graham Fellows’ 'versatile singer-songwriter' is perturbed by the fact his wife, Mary, has cancelled Christmas because their children have decided to spend the big day elsewhere. But ends up making alternative arrangements.

Other festive Radio 4 highlights today include a new episode of Austentatious (December 20), a Christmas special for Museum of Comedy with John Lloyd and Bridget Christie (December 23), a special from John Kearns (December 25) and Ed Byrne starring in a new adaptation of Spike Milligan’s Puckoon (December 28)

Meanwhile, Joe Lycett will be taking over Sara Cox’s weekday afternoon Radio 2 show  from December 26 to January 3, broadcasting from his Birmingham hometown.

The comic said: ‘Normally during the week between Christmas and New Year I’m slumped in a chair in Birmingham, eating, farting and spouting total nonsense. The only difference this year is that it’ll be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2.’

Elis James and John Robins will be broadcasting their Radio 5 Live show lives from a  pub on Friday December 20, while the same channel will broadcast presenter Nihal Arthanayake's interviews with some of the biggest names in comedy – including Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Harry Hill, Ricky Gervais and Billy Connolly – at 10.30pm on Christmas Day.

Published: 25 Nov 2019