It's nearly that time of the year again where we vegetate in front of the sofa for close to two weeks.

And so, with that in mind, you'll probably need some great TV to watch at the same time, right? The Virgin Media Christmas schedule has been released this morning, and there are some lovely winter warmers here that you are going to love watching with the whole family.

Here's some of the best picks that will be on the Virgin Media channels and on demand over this busy winter period.

'I’m A Celebrity….Get Me Out of Here! Final', Friday, December 4

Nothing marks December on TV like the final of ‘I’m A Celeb’. After three weeks of facing their fears, coping with hunger and battling the elements, it’s time to find out who will be crowned King or Queen of the Castle.

 

'Ireland Under Lockdown: COVID-19 Stories', Tuesday, December 8

Virgin Media News reporter Zara King explores the impact of coronavirus on life in Ireland in this compelling documentary. Zara meets families who tragically lost loved ones, explores the effect the virus has had on our mental health and interviews the key public health decision-makers including Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, Minister Simon Harris and HSE Director General Paul Reid.

 

'Gogglebox Ireland’s Christmas Cracker', Wednesday, December 9

Virgin Media One will air the first-ever ‘Gogglebox Ireland’ Christmas special featuring three new ‘Irish abroad’ homes. Unable to experience an Irish Christmas due to current restrictions, the nation’s favourite TV critics will be feasting their eyes on some classic Irish Christmas telly as the show goes from Cabra to Berlin, Limerick to London and Cork to Auckland in the name of bringing a little bit of home to those who can’t be here for the usual festive fun.

 

'Gary Barlow’s Night at the Museum', Saturday, December 12

Gary Barlow hosts an hour of musical fun from the Natural History Museum in London. He will perform some of his biggest hits, songs from his new album and some exciting covers. He will be joined by Michael Buble, Jack Whitehall, Beverley Knight, Alfie Boe, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan, Alesha Dixon, Ronan Keating and Sebastian Yatra.

 

'The Green Room with Ivan Yates', Wednesday, December 23

Ivan Yates returns to television screens with a brand new Friday night entertainment show highlighting all the news, issues and fun from the world of sports. Each week Ivan is joined by Paddy Power, impressionist and TV broadcaster Conor Moore and a special guest, with comedy and competitions to help kickstart your weekend. The one off special airs on Wednesday 23rd December and the brand new series starts in late January.

 

'Britain’s Got Talent Christmas Spectacular', Friday, December 25

On Christmas Day, this festive episode special will bring a range of former contestants back to the BGT stage for a night of top class family entertainment.

 

‘Emmerdale’ and 'Coronation Street', Friday, December 25

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without our favourite soaps and on Christmas Day Virgin Media One is bringing you hour-long special episodes of 'Emmerdale' and 'Coronation Street' back to back. Also, Corrrie fans are in for an extra treat as December marks the 60th anniversary of Coronation Street, the world’s longest-running soap with a number of specials airing.

 

'The Masked Singer', Saturday, December 26

The wait is finally over as the highly anticipated Masked Singer finally comes to Irish TV. 12 famous faces attempt to hide their true identities and perform in front of the celebrity judges.

 

'2020: Thank You, Next!', Tuesday, December 29

2020, never has there been a year we’re so ready to say goodbye to but before we socially-distance ourselves from it forever, Neil Delamere wants to rip it apart, eat it up and spit it out. And there’s a lot to digest... Before we had time to break our New Year’s resolutions, we had Brexit and Megxit. Bushfires and killer wasps.  Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, along came lockdowns, Golfgate and Trump’s attempts to cure us all with bleach.  Neil and his celebrity panel will find the funny in the year we can’t wait to forget in this one off special show.

 

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECIAL, Thursday, December 31

Expect plenty of laughs with Graham on New Year's Eve, as he'll be joined by star royalty. Tom Hanks, Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Hugh Fearley, Nish Kumar, and Jessica Chastain will all either be in studio or joining via video link.

 

'The Voice UK', Saturday, January 2

Brand new family entertainment as ‘The Voice UK’ returns for a new series as our celebrity judges begin their search for the best vocalist.

 

Movies

And finally, if it's movies that you are after then Virgin Media has you covered there too. From 'Bad Santa Two’, 'The Commitments', 'Briget Jones: Edge of Reason', 'Jimmy's Hall', 'The Pursuit of Happiness', 'Mr Bean’s Holiday', 'The Italian Job', 'Jack Reacher', and for the kids there's 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Roadchip'. You can also watch 'Elf', 'Home Alone', and 'Miracle on 34th Street' on Virgin Media on demand.

Make the most of your Christmas TV viewing this year and tune in to Virgin Media Television.