{"id":2167083,"date":"2025-11-19T19:14:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2167083"},"modified":"2025-11-19T19:14:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:14:17","slug":"7-unmissable-christmas-tv-specials-with-surprise-celebrity-guest-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/7-unmissable-christmas-tv-specials-with-surprise-celebrity-guest-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"7 \u201cunmissable\u201d Christmas TV specials with \u201csurprise\u201d celebrity guest stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While Christmas might be about spending time with loved ones and a roast with all the trimmings, we all know that what we’re actually looking forward to is the TV specials (we\u2019re still not over the tear-jerking Gavin & Stacey<\/a> finale). This year, the TV angels have outdone themselves with some extra special stocking fillers in the shape of surprise celebrity guest stars, including both Doctor Who\u2019s Pearl Mackie and Ted Lasso\u2019s<\/a> Billy Harris appearing like shiny baubles in the upcoming Death in Paradise<\/a> Christmas special.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty more where that came from too, including an Ab Fab reunion in the festive edition of Amandaland<\/a>, a Grantchester<\/a> star delving into the world of antique crime in The Madame Blanc Mysteries<\/a> and a Strictly winner swapping the ballroom for the Taskmaster House in Taskmaster\u2019s New Year Treat. Frankly, we can\u2019t wait to be glued to our sofas! So, without further ado, these are the 7 unmissable festive TV specials to watch this Christmas – and all the celebrity surprises in store. <\/p>\n

Death in Paradise Christmas Special <\/h2>\n
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BBC\/Red Planet Pictures\/Philippe Virapin<\/span>\/\/<\/span>BBC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Death in Paradise Christmas special is always an event \u2013 and this year is no exception. Joining DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) for Christmas in the Caribbean are a whole host of special guests, including Doctor Who\u2019s Pearl Mackie, Ted Lasso\u2019s Billy Harris and Waterloo Road\u2019s James Baxter. But, sadly for them, they aren\u2019t going to be able to enjoy the sunshine or the Christmas spirit as a party takes a dark turn when a body is found at the bottom of a villa\u2019s pool. The case becomes even more perplexing when DI Wilson discovers the murder weapon was locked in a drawer thousands of miles away in Swindon as the murder took place. The Death in Paradise Christmas Special is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this December. <\/p>\n

Beyond Paradise Christmas Special<\/h2>\n
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BBC \/Red Planet Pictures Joss Barratt<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Beyond Paradise isn\u2019t going to let Death in Paradise take all the Christmas glory as it has its own unmissable festive special with some very exciting faces making an appearance. In Shipton Abbott, the guest arrivals docking into the Devon seaside town for holidays include Adrian Edmondson (Alien: Earth), James Lance (Ted Lasso) and Jonny Weldon (One Day). This means our dependable Detective Inspector, Humphry Goodman (Kris Marshall), is exactly having a restful Christmas break, particularly when a mysterious man shows up at the police station, claiming to know him. The Beyond Paradise Christmas Special is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this December. <\/p>\n

Richard Osman\u2019s Festive House of Games<\/h2>\n
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BBC\/Remarkable Television\/Graeme Hunter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Eight excitable celebrity guests will be going (mistle)toe to (mistle)toe in Richard Osman\u2019s Festive House of Games. Richard has pulled out his rolodex of celebrity contacts, securing the likes of Gavin & Stacey\u2019s Joanna Page, former Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc, Ghosts\u2019 Mathew Baynton and Last One Laughing\u2019s Harriet Kemsley. Also taking on a series of festive-themed quiz rounds will be Strictly\u2019s Molly Rainford, Flight of the Conchords\u2019 Rhys Darby and EastEnders\u2019 Charles Venn. The perfect cosy watch while curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a mince pie! Richard Osman\u2019s Festive House of Games is coming to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this December. <\/p>\n

Taskmaster\u2019s New Year Treat<\/h2>\n
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Channel 4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We can all be guilty of succumbing to the post-Christmas slump, so thankfully Taskmaster\u2019s New Year Treat is arriving just in time to banish those blues. And what a cast the Channel 4 show has in store for us! Strictly\u2019s Rose Ayling-Ellis, Eurovision\u2019s Sam Ryder, former Lioness Jill Scott, Countdown\u2019sSusie Dent and TV chef and musician Big Zuu\u2019s are all attempting to impress the formidable Taskmaster (Greg Davies) over a series of peculiar but brilliantly fun tasks. And, for the first time ever, Taskmaster\u2019s New Year Treat with double-helping of two episodes. We never say no to seconds! Taskmaster\u2019s New Year Treat is coming to Channel 4 this December. <\/p>\n

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special <\/h2>\n
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\u00a9 5 Broadcasting Limited \/ Clapperboard Productions \/ Photographer: Mark Cassar<\/span>\/\/<\/span>Channel 5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019re always in the mood for a detective drama no matter the time of year, so we were thrilled when The Madame Blanc Mysteries announced it was returning for a Christmas special, outdoing Father Christmas with not one, but two presents. First to unwrap are the exceptional guest stars: Cold Feet\u2019s John Thomson, Grantchester\u2019s Kacey Ainsworth, Hollyoaks\u2019Raji James and Trigger Point\u2019s Manjinder Virk. Secondly, the festive episode is extra-long at 120 minutes! Investigator Jean White (Sally Lindsay) will also be feeling the Christmas glow – though not in the way she hoped, as in the special, she\u2019s invited to authenticate an Ormolu box once owned by Marie Antoinette, only to discover a ticking time bomb hidden inside. The Madame Blanc Mysteries will air on Channel 5 this December.<\/p>\n

Amandaland Christmas Special <\/h2>\n
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BBC\/Merman\/Natalie Seery<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ab Fab fans, you’re in for the ultimate Christmas treat! Dame Joanna Lumley<\/a> is returning as Amanda\u2019s (Lucy Punch) hyper-critical mother, Felicity, and she’s bringing none other than Jennifer Saunders with her. Jennifer is playing Aunt Joan, Felicity\u2019s sister, and is a \u201cball of country-living enthusiastic upper-class bluster \u2013 very, very different from Felicity,\u201d according to the BBC. Though the plot details for the Christmas special are being kept under wraps, we\u2019d put money on Aunt Joan on making more of a sensational entrance than Father Christmas himself. The Amandaland Christmas special is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this December. <\/p>\n

Sara Davies\u2019 Christmas Craft Off<\/h2>\n
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BBC\/Twenty Six 03 Entertainment LTD\/Nicky Johnston<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In need of some Christmas decoration inspiration with a side of celebrity guests? ITV has got you covered with Sara Davies\u2019 Christmas Craft Off,. Stars, including Dani Dyer, Tameka Empson, Lisa Riley and Olly Smith, will help Sara make everything from bespoke baubles to gorgeous garlands in the ultimate Christmas crafting masterclass. At the end of the five-part series, the celebrities\u2019 creations will be showcased in a Christmas room, where Sara will host a festive feast for key workers who won\u2019t get to spend Christmas Day with their loved ones. How lovely! Sara Davies\u2019 Christmas Craft Off arrives on ITV1 and ITVX on Friday 21st<\/sup> November at 2pm. <\/p>\n

READ MORE TV NEWS HERE<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.goodhousekeeping.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Christmas might be about spending time with loved ones and a roast with all the trimmings, we all know that what we’re actually looking forward to is the TV specials (we\u2019re still not over the tear-jerking Gavin & Stacey finale). This year, the TV angels have outdone themselves with some extra special stocking fillers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2167084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[416154,312557,305937],"class_list":["post-2167083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-christmas-tv-specials","tag-doctor-who","tag-ted-lasso"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/7-unmissable-Christmas-TV-specials-with-surprise-celebrity-guest-stars.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2167083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2167085,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167083\/revisions\/2167085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2167084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2167083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2167083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2167083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}