Enjoy Children's BBC's festive fare with Simon Parkin, Andy Crane and their guests - starting with:

The Muppet Babies: Muppetland
(R)

7.25 am Champion the Wonder Horse: Saddle Tramp
Kicky seeks adventure. Rebel and Champion go to help him.
(Black and white) (R)

7.50 am Around the World with Dot
A Yuletide adventure in colourful animation. Starring Drew Forsythe
Dot is sad at Christmas: Baby Joey, the kangaroo, has gone missing. But when
Danny hears her story, he becomes Santa Claus and takes her off around the World in search of her lost friend.
Films: page 24

8.58 am Weather

9.00 am Barney: Barney's Christmas Surprise
Barney surprises Mr Prophet with a very special Christmas present.

9.05 am Tales of the Mouse Hockey League
The Mouse Hockey League look set to win the championship.
(R)

9.40 am Why Don't You...?
Lesley finds an unexpected visitor among the ideas in the mailbag. Jeff cooks up some green Martian blobs and Phil goes in search of an incredible jumping cat.

10.00 am Popeye
(R)

10.20 am Pinny's House: Pinny and the Holly Tree
by Peter Firmin
(R)

10.30 am Playbus
stops today at The Playground Stop where the children play 'What's the Time Mr Wolf?' and Lizzie plays a waiting game.
Storyteller Anthony Lapsley
Story: Sticky Bear and the Mystery of the Lost Watch by Marcia Vaughan, illustrations by Ester Kasepuu

10.50 am Paddington
Christmas (R)

with Frank Thornton followed by Weather

Today: Tweety Pie in Birdy and the Beast, Betty Boop in Betty Boop Lifeguard and Tom and Jerry in Blue Cat Blues.

Snow Special
For the Shell Trophy from Isola 2000, France
Presented by Mike Smith and Murray Walker
Skidoos, ice-driving, piste bashers and snow chains lie in wait for the competitors: Formula One driver
Derek Warwick and goalkeeper Pat Jennings ; World Moto-Cross champion Dave Thorpe with Toyah Willcox ; Top rally driver Louise Aitken-Walker with Peter Howitt , Joey from Bread; Sports car driver John Watson and Lennie Bennett. Televised in collaboration with MG productions
Event producer MARGOT GREEN
Engineering manager JOHN WILSON Television production
PETER HYLTON CLEAVER

with Philip Hayton
Weather JOHN KETTLEY

1.00 Philip Comes Novice Hurdle (2tm)
1.30 Finale Junior Hurdle (2m)
2.05 Coral Welsh National (3 3/4 m)
The battle between Playschool and Rhyme 'n' Reason was one of last year's steeplechasing highlights. Now Run and Skip bids to repeat his success of two years ago. Plus recorded coverage of Leopardstown's featured race, the Findus Handicap Chase (3m).
Introduced by JULIAN WILSON Commentators
PETER O'SULLEVAN , RICHARD PITMAN Guest expert BILL SMITH Producer WENDY SHEPPARD

Presented by Anne Gregg with Kathy Tayler and Bill Buckley
What is the Amber Palace made of, and why do people in Tibet stick their tongues out?
Derek Nimmo , Jan Leeming , Phillip Schofield and Ned Sherrin join the Holiday team in a travel quiz on fact and fiction about people and places.

starring Kirk Douglas Richard Harris
Michael Redgrave Occupied Norway, 1942. A roll of microfilm from the Norsk heavy-water plant reveals that the Germans are terrifyingly close to the secret of nuclear fission. A team of resistance fighters undertakes the vital and dangerous mission to destroy the factory and prevent the Nazis producing an atomic bomb. Kirk Douglas leads a strong cast in this exciting real-life wartime adventure.
Screenplay by IVAN MOFFAT and BEN BARZMAN
Produced by s. BENJAMIN FISZ Directed by ANTHONY MANN
0 FILMS: page 24

with Philip Hayton Weather BILL GILES

starring
Richard Chamberlain Patrick McGoohan Louis Jourdan Jenny Agutter and Ralph Richardson. Alexandre Dumas 's classic story of the mysterious prisoner encased in a mask of iron is brought to the screen with an exciting all-star cast.
Screenplay WILLIAM BAST Based on the book by ALEXANDRE DUMAS
Produced by NORMAN ROSEMOUNT Directed by MIKE NEWELL ● FILMS: page 24
CEEFAX SUBTITLES

starring Les Dennis and featuring George Layton
Mark Walker , Bella Emberg Lisa Maxwell
Martin Daniels
Gary Lovini and the Jeff Richer Dancers Escape from the festive frolics with this special gift-wrapped edition of The Laughter Show.
Join Les and the team for a feast of yuletide fun including a look at the ultimate
X-X-X-Xmas movie.
Written by GEOFF ATKINSON.
PAUL MINETT and BRIAN LEVESON. GARRY CHAMBERS.
COLIN BOSTOCKSMITH.
Script associate GEOFF ATKINSON Musical director RAY MONK Choreographer JEFF RICHER Film cameraman PETER HALL
Sound supervisor SCOTT TALBOTT Lighting director BILL MILLAR Designer JOHN ANDERSON Produced and directed by KEVIN BISHOP
9 FEATURE: page 8

by Charlie Humphreys.
'I wish I could run away and I wish Ricky would come with me'.
(For cast see page 128)
Video: 'EastEnders' BBCV/B 4024, available from retailers.
(Ceefax Subtitles)

Retirement Plan by EDMUND WARD.

with Philip Hayton Weather

Barry Norman introduces a season of cinema greats. Tonight starring
Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Patricia Roc
Lady Barbara Skelton, bored with her marriage to a country squire, turns to highway robbery and murder for excitement.
'Salacious' and 'immoral' was the view of the British press to describe what was the most commercially successful of Gainsborough Pictures' costume melodramas.
FILMS: page 24