Christmas is here, and you know what that means: good company, good food, and good TV. Christmas Day soap specials have become a Christmas staple in the UK over the years, and considering the drama that tends to unfold in these extended specials, they’re well worth watching. be watched. Who else still remembers the explosive revelation of Max and Stacey’s affair in EastEnders in 2007? Exactly, we all do.

That’s especially true in 2022, with plenty of soap action to help you out after you’ve stuffed your face with turkey, roast potatoes and your grandma’s homemade trifle. Here we outline when and where to watch the biggest Christmas Day soap specials.

Special Emmerdale Christmas

December 25 at 6 p.m. GMT on ITV1

Emmerdale’s one-hour Christmas Day special is said to focus on the arrival of Cain Dingle’s long-lost brother Caleb, played by Waterloo Road star Will Ash.

Discussing the Christmas special, Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw teased that “Arriving on screen on Christmas Day, Caleb must without a doubt be the most unexpected and shocking Christmas present Cain and Chas have ever received! Caleb and in control, rich and successful, at first glance Caleb is everything his brother isn’t, but will the couple discover they have more in common than they do? were thinking?

“What secrets from the past will come back to haunt them and how will the rest of the family react when Caleb walks around town?” His arrival certainly promises to shake things up for the Dingles and kick off 2023 with a bang!

Emmerdale’s full festive schedule on ITV1 is as follows, including a few hour-long episodes and another special on New Year’s Eve:

• Friday, December 23 – 7 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Sunday December 25 – 6 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Monday, December 26 – 7 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Tuesday, December 27 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Thursday, December 29 – 7:00 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Friday, December 30 – 7 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Saturday December 31 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)

Coronation Street Christmas Special

December 25 at 7 p.m. GMT on ITV1

While we don’t know the details of what will happen on Corrie’s Christmas Day special, ITV has confirmed that it will primarily focus on Tyrone Dobbs and Fiz Stape’s wedding day. A soap wedding on Christmas Day? Surely nothing can go wrong there…

Coronation Street producer Ian MacLeod teased that “the episodes are fun, warm and family oriented. Corrie has historically always done this” and that he even cried twice during the viewing, saying it was “really moving and lovely” but “not sad”.

Coronation Street’s full festive schedule on ITV1 is as follows, including many hour-long episodes throughout the festive season and another special on New Year’s Eve:

• Friday, December 23 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Sunday December 25 – 7 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Monday, December 26 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Wednesday, December 28 – 7 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Thursday, December 29 – 8 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Friday, December 30 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Saturday December 31 – 8 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)

Eastenders Christmas Day Special

December 25 at 21:25 GMT on BBC1

EastEnders is also set to premiere an hour-long episode on Christmas Day, but slightly later than usual at 21:25 GMT. As usual, Christmas is a tough time for those in Albert Square, with this year’s storyline focusing on Mick Carter’s relationship with Janine Butcher, with Eastenders executive producer Chris Clenshaw teasing that it will be “the Mick’s last Christmas – and it’s pretty epic” and that “it’s a tragic love story”.

It’s not just about Mick – what about The Queen Vic? With Mick out of the question, who will take over the reins of most of Walford’s life and make sure the residents don’t go thirsty?

We will have to wait and find out.

Eastenders’ full festive program on BBC One is as follows, including a one-hour episode on Christmas Day and a 30-minute special on New Year’s Day:

• Friday, December 23 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Sunday, December 25 – 9:25 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Monday, December 26 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Tuesday, December 27 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Wednesday, December 28 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Thursday, December 29 – 7:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Sunday January 1 – 6:30 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)

Hollywood Christmas Special

Unlike other big soaps, there’s no episode of Hollyoaks airing on Christmas Day itself – and if we’re being honest, the festive lineup seems a bit thin compared to the big three – but expect the Hollywood’s usual chaos as the events of Prince and Olivia’s wedding unfold.

The return of Hunter McQueen in particular should shake things up, with actor Theo Graham teasing that after a four-year absence from the soap, Hunter “got dumped by Asha and he’s coming back strong, that’s all.” what am I going to say!”.

The full festive program for Hollyoaks on Channel 4 is as follows, including back-to-back episodes on December 29 and January 3:

• Friday, December 23 – 6 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Wednesday, December 28 – 6 p.m. GMT (30 minutes)
• Thursday, December 29 – 5:30 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)
• Tuesday, January 3 – 6 p.m. GMT (60 minutes)

What if I miss the Christmas Day specials?

While it’s always nice to get cozy after a nice big Christmas dinner and watch soap operas with the family, there’s every chance you’ll miss one or two, especially with a Christmas calendar too. charged.

The good news is that the EastEnders Christmas special will be available via BBC iPlayer shortly after it airs, and the same goes for Emmerdale and Coronation Street with ITVX, the renamed ITV hub. Those who want to catch up on all those episodes of Hollyoaks should head over to All4.

This is also how you’ll be able to watch specials if you’re abroad and using a VPN like ExpressVPN. We describe how to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad separately, as well as how to watch ITV Hub (ITVX) from abroad and how to watch All4 from abroad as well.