Leonie Elliott, Jennifer Kirby, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Miriam Margolyes, Laura Main, Helen George, Linda Bassett, Jenny Agutter, many sheepPhoto: Courtesy of Neal Street Productions
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, December 25. All times are Eastern.
“Good old PBS looked down On an empty schedule Not even Doctor Who’s around To time-travel and meddle Brightly shone the TV sets Tuned to logs of Yu-le So PBS called the midwives and Asked them to be coo-oo-ol.
“Then Call The Midlife did its thing Nuns and sheep and babies Jaunty caps and choirs that sing And occasional-episodes-that-tap-into-very-real-issues-that-affected-women-then-and-affect-them-still-today-like-access-to-safe-and-legal-abortion and also maybe scabies The special’s 90 minutes long Nonnatus House will travel Along a road with all those sheep And lots of dusty gra-aaaa-vel”
Regular coverage
Wild card
Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days Of Tudor Christmas (PBS, 8 p.m.): Seriously, bless the Public Broadcasting Service. Other than sports, precious little is on today, but flip to your local PBS affiliate and there’s everyone’s favorite costumed historian, digging into a bunch of Christmas Tudor traditions and being very charming. If you’ve never experienced a Lucy Worsley special, imagine the dramatic recreations from shows like Unsolved Mysteries, but in a castle, and with a narrator who is part of the recreation but is also dropping historical information right to the camera like she’s Fleabag.
It’s a delight. But if you’d prefer a log of Yu-uuuu-le, you’ve got options there, too. Disney+ has released the Arendelle Castle Yule Log (Disney+, now streaming) if you or a loved one just can’t get enough of Anna, Elsa, and that goddamn talking snowman. There’s also this Who-vian Yule log from BBC America:
