with Frank Bough and Selina Scott and their special guests
Keith Harris and Orville. Plus Glynn Christian has some hints on coping with Christmas lunch; The Green Goddess Diana Moran on how to keep in shape during the festivities; David Wheal has a guide to the best of Christmas viewing on BBC television, while
Steve Blacknell opens his Advent calendar for the last time, to give a run-down on what's on over the holiday. Choose a Carol: dial
[number removed]and the choir will sing your choice. News on the hour and half-hour from Fern Britton. Will it be a 'white Christmas'? The weather with Francis Wilson at 6.34, 6.57, 7.27,
7.57, 8.27 and 8.59.

The first of three episodes
'I told you we should have booked'
Christopher Lillicrap tells how Mary and Joseph get some great news, but are shown the door by the inn-keepers of Bethlehem.

Paddington and the Christmas Shopping

The Blessing
Manuel from Mexico wants a miracle cure for his pet dog in time for Christmas. It comes to him in an unexpected way and it's
Lassie who brings it about.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Read by Cherie Lunghi

Cinderella is probably the best-loved pantomime story of all. The tale of the poor girl who marries a prince is told all over the world in a thousand different ways. Today's version was collected over 160 years ago by the Brothers Grimm.

(Repeat)

Presenter Carol Chell Guest Ben Bazell
Story: Santa's Crash-bang
Christmas by STEPHEN KROLL
Illustrated by TOMIE DE PAOLA

Christmas Dinner

featuring
The Chucklehound Brothers As the hounds get ready for Christmas Day, Big Chuckle starts to throw his weight about, but it is Little Chuckle who has the last laugh. Director MARTIN HUGHES Producer DAVID BROWN BBC Manchester

Non-stop music from
The Montreux Pop Festival
Introduced by Noel Edmonds Adam Ant , The Alarm
Bananarama, Nino Di Angelo Nena, Queen, Cliff Richard Shakin' Stevens
Spandau Ballet, Rod Stewart Tracey Ullman , Ultravox
Production manager MICHAEL LEGGO Production MICHAEL HURLL
(Part 2 on Boxing Day at 11.05 am)

Alice's Dress
A HANNA-BARBERA production

with Moira Stuart Weather BILL GILES

The first of three heats of BBCtv's junior motorcycling competition for the Lombard Tricity Trophy. Twelve hopefuls aged between 8 and 15. from all parts of the UK, tackle natural and man-made obstacles over a difficult course on Lord Hesketh's estate in Northamptonshire. Commentators
Peter Purves and Jack Stites Producer JOHN G. SMITH BBC Pebble Mill

Starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine

Caine is bitten by a scorpion and his battle against the poison calls to mind an incident from his childhood.

A musical cartoon
Narrated by Rich Little with the voices of Rita Coolidge and Rupert Holmes

A Gillis-Wiseman production
(Rpt)

starring Jack Hawkins Donald Sinden
Denholm Elliott
Virginia McKenna
The story of a Royal
Navy corvette and her part in the Battle of the Atlantic, The Cruel Sea ranks among the classic
British war films. Based on Nicholas Monsarrat 's best-selling novel, the film has an all-star cast, with Jack Hawkins in his most famous screen role as / captain of HMS Compass Rose, and Donald Sinden making his film debut.
Screenplay by ERIC AMBLER Produced by LESLIE NORMAN Directed by CHARLES FREND
0 FILMS: page 29

As the family covers the Dansette in tinsel Mike Read hosts a special edition of the musical trivia game.
Noddy Holder of Slade Toyah
Meat Loaf v
Roger Taylor of Queen
Nasher of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Green of Scritti Politti with seasonal goodies from the archives
Director PHILIP CHILVERS Producer JON PLOWMAN
(Pop Quiz Special on Friday at
4.30 pm with Duran Duran v Spandau Ballet)

Jeremy Irons reads Snowflake by Paul Gallico for Jackanory

'It all came about from one moment to the next. At first there was only swollen cloud ... then it began to snow.'

with Simon Groom, Janet Ellis and Michael Sundin
On the last programme before Christmas, catch up with the latest news of the double LifeSaver Appeal, in aid of Ethiopia and the four Blue Peter lifeboats.
There's Christmas Eve magic in the air as the studio is transformed into the Kingdom of the Snow for the stars of the famous Nutcracker ballet, and a carol around the tree with the massed choirs of ALLFARTHING PRIMARY
SCHOOL, WARLINGHAM COUNTY SECONDARY SCHOOL plus the BBC SYMPHONY CHORUS and the BAND OF THE CHALK FARM branch of the Salvation Army.
*CEEFAX SUBTITLES

Moira Stuart ; Weatherman

Dear Jimmy Savile OBE, Please.... can Father
Christmas come in the summer? Say we shall go to the ball? Can we be in a pop video? Let me 'Sing in the rain' with Tommy Steele ?
Jim makes these and other dreams come true.
Sound RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN Lighting PETER WESSON Designer GWEN EVANS
Director MARCUS MORTIMER Producer ROGER ORDISH
(A new series starts on Saturday: see page 86)
• BACK PAGES: 158

A special presentation of the Walt Disney feature film starring Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes, Derek Nimmo with Clive Revill, Bernard Bresslaw, Joan Sims
Having narrowly escaped from China with the top secret 'Lotus X' formula, the daring Lord Southmere is forced to hide the precious microfilm in a dinosaur at the Natural History Museum in London! Hnup Wan, feared head of Chinese Intelligence, and his inscrutable henchmen set about kidnapping the relevant reptile. What they haven't bargained for is that renowned bastion of law and order - Scotland Yard? No, the great British nanny!
A host of well-known British comedy actors feature in this fast and furious comedy adventure set in the 1920s.
Written and produced by BILL WALSH Directed by ROBERT STEVENSON
(First showing on British television)
* FILMS: page 29
*CEEFAX SUBTITLES

by John Sullivan
Starring David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst with Lennard Pearce.

When Del meets Heather he envisages Christmas with a larger family than just Rodney and Grandad.
(Repeat)

Classic sitcom set in south London. When Del meets a new woman he begins to envisage Christmas with a larger family.

Sharon Gless as Chris Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey Heat
While investigating a routine complaint at a railyard the two detectives confront a psychopathic gunman who abducts Mary Beth and holds her hostage in a boxcar.
With the area surrounded by police the heat and the tension build up as the gunman makes increasingly desperate demands and a game of nerves is played out with Mary Beth 's life at stake.
Written by LEO E. ARTHUR Directed by KAREN ARTHUR

with Moira Stuart Weatherman

A Christmas Eve programme with music and fun for all the family starring Val Doonican with his guests Engelbert Humperdinck, Pam Ayres, The Cambridge Buskers and, featuring the BBC Weathermen: Jim Bacon Bill Giles and Ian McCaskill and a special surprise guest.

by JANEY PREGER
Mr Brittain is determined that this year the school will do a really different Christmas show.
Unfortunately Miss Jarvis has always organised the nativity play, and this is her last year before retirement. She is unlikely to change her ways without a battle. and the children of LADYPOOL
PRIMARY SCHOOL, BIRMINGHAM Designer STANLEY MORRIS Producer ROBIN MIDGLEY Director ROB WALKER BBC Pebble Mill