Going out: Cinema
Mufasa: The Lion King
Out now
How did Scar become Scar? These and other mysteries are set to be uncovered in this Lion King prequel about the early life of Mufasa, the orphaned lion cub whose death as the leonine monarch in the 1994 animation traumatised an entire generation.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Out now
The greatest villain in British animation – hell, British film – is back. Feathers McGraw, the nefarious penguin from Wallace and Gromit’s finest adventure, The Wrong Trousers, returns to confound Aardman’s dynamic duo once more. It’s hard to conceive of a better Christmas present – except perhaps a nice bit of wensleydale.
Baby John
Out Christmas Day
This Indian Hindi-language action thriller film, directed by the mononymic Kalees, sees a police officer (Varun Dhawan) fake his death and go into hiding in order to safely raise his daughter. Naturally, he has a nemesis (Jackie Shroff) who has other ideas.
Spirited Away
Out Boxing Day
The enchanting Studio Ghibli classic returns to the big screen for Christmas, at which time the sequence where some family members transform into enthusiastically gluttonous pigs may prove particularly topical. Screenings at Imax cinemas in January comes with a live intro from the delightful popular podcast Ghibliotheque. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
RnB Xmas Ball
The O2, London, 22 December
Now with a tweaked lineup – original headliners Jodeci pulled out – this celebration of 90s R&B is back for its second year. A returning SWV are joined by Tell Me It’s Me You Want hitmaker Keith Sweat, alongside supergroup TGT, AKA Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank. Michael Cragg
The Lottery Winners
Manchester Academy, 27 to 29 December
Ahead of next February’s fourth album, Koko, the follow-up to last year’s surprising UK chart topper Anxiety Replacement Therapy, the indie pop quartet pay a trio of shows in their home city. The perfect setting for a post-Christmas pogo session before getting back to the cold meats. MC
An Italian Christmas
Wigmore Hall, London, 23 December
In the midst of a programme of music from the Italian baroque that includes two works by Alessandro Stradella and Arcangelo Corelli’s famous Christmas Concerto, the Dunedin Consort and a quintet of vocalists give the first performance of the latest work the group has commissioned from Caroline Shaw. Andrew Clements
Down for the Count Orchestra
Turner Sims, Southampton, 22 December
Sharp-end contemporary-improv seekers might pass on the two decade-old Down for the Count Orchestra’s lovingly authentic covers of the great 1930s and 40s songs of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and more – but their jubilant Christmas show catches the freewheeling swing of jazz when it was the pop music of its era. John Fordham
Going out: Art
Dürer to Van Dyck
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, to 23 February
The wonders of North European art are unleashed in a show of drawings that include a stag with coral-like horns and a mask in the shape of a lion’s face. There are slices of reality, too, like Rembrandt’s portrait of an actor learning lines. A Christmas gift of great art.
Silk Roads
British Museum, London, to 23 February
The journey of the Magi, the legendary procession of gift-laden travellers that’s so much part of the Christmas story, becomes reality in this survey of the merchant routes that connected east and west in ancient and medieval times. All the spices and gold give this epic show a seasonal twist.
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
Natural History Museum, London, to 5 January
This show is ideal for the holidays, an enjoyable education in evolution for all ages. It reveals that today’s birds are actually living dinosaurs and explores how they have adapted with a stunning range of skills and behaviours. Hummingbirds dance, owls hunt, and interactive exhibits bring avian existence to life.
The Traumatic Surreal
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, to 16 March
As the centenary year of surrealism approaches its end, this exhibition offers a sideways look at the movement founded in 1924 Paris. It shows how, after the second world war, female artists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland took up its belief in the psyche. With Méret Oppenheim and Pipilotti Rist. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
Live at Christmas
Cambridge Corn Exchange, 21 December
Each year a crack team of comics assemble for a show that may not be explicitly festive but is definitely unbeatably jolly. This instalment features the cerebral Sara Pascoe, Aussie comic Steen Raskopoulos, self-lacerating Old Etonian Ivo Graham and the reliably brilliant Rhys James and Suzie Ruffell. Rachel Aroesti
Circa: Duck Pond
Royal Festival Hall, London, to 30 December
Australian company Circa is one of the best bets when it comes to contemporary circus with theatrical nous. This show skews towards comedy – the title’s a spoof of Swan Lake – and should be a crowd-pleaser, strong on stagecraft, spectacle and some very impressive tricks. Lindsey Winship
St Nicholas
Omnibus theatre, London, to Christmas Eve
Looking for an escape from all the Christmas cheer? This dark tale from Conor McPherson (The Weir) offers an alternative festive fable. Nick Danan stars in this supernatural story of a jaded theatre critic, a badly made bargain and a coven of modern day vampires. Kate Wyver
Alice in Wonderland
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot, to 11 January
Dive down the rabbit hole for whimsical adventure as Alice is welcomed back into Wonderland. A sequel to the classic, Nick Lane’s high-energy adaptation sees Alice gather her old friends to fight the evil forces and memory wiping jam tarts. KW
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Staying in: Streaming
Outnumbered Christmas Special
iPlayer & BBC One, Boxing Day, 9.15pm
More 00s comedy nostalgia courtesy of this reunion episode of Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner’s superlative family sitcom. Eight years on from the last festive edition (and 17 since the series began), the cute kids are all grown up – but still proving a headache for their overstretched parents.
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale
iPlayer & BBC One, Christmas Day, 9pm
Britain’s last great mainstream sitcom returns – and as its subtitle makes clear, this will be the final time the Billericay and Barry contingents cross paths on our screens. That we get a 95-minute signoff is some consolation, as is the promise of some long-awaited details about Uncle Bryn’s fateful fishing trip.
Squid Game
Netflix, Boxing Day
Just over three years ago, this satirical South Korean thriller about a deadly and very lucrative gameshow came from nowhere to dominate the global zeitgeist. Netflix will be hoping it can repeat the trick with season two, which sees previous winner Gi-hun return to the competition in the hope of destroying it.
From Roger Moore With Love
iPlayer & BBC Two, Christmas Day, 9pm
Our suavest ever Bond gets a suitably classy tribute with this feature-length documentary made in collaboration with his family. Moore’s children and celebrity names including Joan Collins and Christopher Walken narrate his rise from humble south London roots to a life gilded with Hollywood glamour via his distinctively wry take on 007. RA
Staying in: Games
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Out now; PSVR, Meta Quest, Steam VR
If you have no qualms strapping on a headset and looking a right wally in your living room as you yelp with terror, this game may be for you. You play as a grunt searching for her friend in a planetary colony that’s suspiciously quiet. Pulse rifles, motion trackers, face-huggers – it’s all here in immersive VR.
Botany Manor
Out now; PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Switch
For something less likely to cause your blood pressure to explode, this gorgeous, laid-back first-person puzzler will see you nurturing plants, wandering the grounds of the titular manor, reading letters, and solving little, low-stress mysteries. Aaaand relax. Luke Holland
Staying in: Albums
Say Lou Lou – Dust
Out now
Twin sisters Anna and Elektra Kilbey-Jansson make the sort of featherlight pop perfect for an LA sunset. So let this third album transport you away from the grey via the disco shimmy of the title track and the gorgeous yearning of Waiting for a Boy.
Saint Etienne – The Night
Out now
Continuing the mellow feel of 2021’s I’ve Been Trying to Tell You, beloved British pop trio Saint Etienne dig deeper into the atmospherics on this follow-up. Framed as that point between awake and sleep, snatches of dialogue and found sounds float in and out, while songs like Nightingale showcase Sarah Cracknell’s gorgeous voice.
Jennifer Hudson – The Gift of Love
Out now
American Idol alumnus turned Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson releases her first Christmas album. While the majority are cover versions – Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah; The Sound of Music’s My Favourite Things, among others – the four originals aren’t too shabby, specifically the Common-assisted slow jam, Almost Christmas.
Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around … Again
Out now
Clarkson’s Underneath the Tree is a modern-day Christmas classic and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees. If you’re a fan, and you should be, then there are even more festive bops on this rerelease of Clarkson’s 2021 album, which now includes You For Christmas, produced by Mark Ronson. MC
Staying in: Brain food
Homing In
Podcast
Design-focused estate agent The Modern House presents this entertaining series going behind the scenes of beautiful homes most of us will never be able to afford. Featuring tales from Nigel Slater’s kitchen and Mary Portas’s wardrobe.
Musicca
Online
With the holiday season upon us, it’s the perfect time to dust off the piano or another long-neglected instrument and hone your skills. This comprehensive music theory app is a great way to learn as you go.
This Is Africa: Magic System
21 December, BBC World Service
Best known for their 2000 hit Premier Gaou, Ivorian band Magic System have since become pioneers in west African dancefloor fusion. This in-depth interview explores the group’s origins and their current charitable work in education. Ammar Kalia
