While the BBC might have a truly brilliant line-up of shows over Christmas, it's nothing compared to the latest treats that have come to BBC iPlayer! Speaking about the whole host of new shows on the streaming site, Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content, said: "We've packed BBC iPlayer with more box sets than ever this Christmas. From previous series of Gavin and Stacey, Miranda, Call the Midwife and Doctor Who to get you ready for their return this festive period, to recent and classic dramas, comedy, docs, natural history and programmes for the little ones, iPlayer is full-to-the-brim with great content." Need proof? Check out our top picks below…
Gavin and Stacey
OH! Since Gavin and Stacey will be back on our screens for Christmas Day, it makes a whole lot of sense that the BBC is introducing the first three seasons to iPlayer. Have a catch-up on everything that went down with the Shipman and West families ahead of their ten-year reunion, and have plenty of laughs along the way.
Call the Midwife
We can't think of anything we could love to do more than settle into the Christmas break with a big cup of tea, a blanket and all of the Call the Midwife we could ever want to watch! Of course, the show's Christmas special is also the perfect excuse to rewatch your favourite episodes. Helen George has opened up about the Christmas special on This Morning, explaining: "It was beautiful because we got to film [in the Outer Hebrides] for four weeks and it's such a stunning place. It becomes a character in itself, it's so cinematic, and it was really cold. Because the surroundings are just so beautiful that you don't want to ignore it."
Doctor Who
If you want to step back in time to catch every episode of Doctor Who since 2005 before the show comes back in the New Year, you can certainly give it a go! That being said, we're not sure there are enough hours left to catch up on it in the month of December. It's almost like you'd need a… time travel machine… However, just wanting to revisit some of your favourite episodes with Christopher Ecclestone, David Tennant, Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi is a good enough excuse to settle down with Doctor Who!
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Fleabag
No one can ever have enough of the Hot Priest in their lives, and that is why Fleabag's availability on iPlayer is a gift, a gift we say! The series follows Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the titular 'Fleabag', a young women navigating love, family and work struggles while narrating her insight into life to the camera. Season two introduces the 'Hot Priest', AKA Andrew Scott, and made the already brilliant show absolute must-watch telly.
This Country
A mockumentary following the everyday lives of two young people living in the Cotswolds, This Country is an uniquely hilarious show that made Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper rising stars. We think that the first episode, which revolves around a village scarecrow-making competition, is already a modern classic!
Killing Eve
Seasons one and two of Killing Eve are absolutely worth the watch ahead of season three. The show follows Eve, a bored MI5 office worker whose life unravels after she slowly becomes obsessed with Villanelle, a beautiful yet terrifying psychopathic assassin. The show has received widespread praise, so it's finally time that you get involved with all of those office chats!
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What We Do in the Shadows
The TV series adaptation of the popular film aired earlier this year, and follows a group of vampire housemates in the modern day after they let a film crew into their home for a documentary on their lives. Yep, it's a vampire mockumentary, and it is brilliant. Catch up before season two comes out!
Mrs Wilson
Need more of Ruth Wilson after watching His Dark Materials? In Mrs Wilson, Ruth actually plays her real-life grandmother, Alison, who discovers that her husband had an entire second family following his death. Shielding her two sons from the truth, Alison has to learn more about her husband's mysterious life as a foreign intelligence officer.
Inside Number 9
This genius anthology series is always based on or around the number nine; be it a flat number where the action is taking place, a street number of an old, creepy house, or the size of a lost shoe that becomes the point of obsession. Each episode is better than the last, and we'd recommend the Christmas episode, 12 Days of Christine, starring Sheridan Smith for the festive period!
