Going out: Cinema
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Out now
James Cameron comes down with a case of the Christmas blues, so to speak, as the director’s record-breaking franchise epic returns once more to planet Pandora for more internecine strife and respecting of the splendour of the natural world, rendered in dazzling motion-capture glory.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Out now
Actor Rohan Campbell graduates from Michael Myers wannabe in the fairly dire Halloween Ends, to main bogeyman Billy Chapman in the latest instalment of the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise (second remake, seventh film overall, fact fans). Per franchise lore, he witnessed his parents’ murder-by-Santa aged five, and the rest is grisly history.
Fackham Hall
Out now
Jimmy Carr turns his hand to screenwriting with this parody of Downton Abbey-type films. Given the actual Downton Abbey films already play as a parody of Downtown Abbey-type films, there may not be much to add, but a cast including Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston, Damian Lewis and Anna Maxwell Martin are here to give it their best shot.
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
Out now
Which actor has played Sherlock Holmes the most times on the big screen? It’s great pub trivia, and the answer is Eille Norwood, who depicted the great detective in 45 two-reelers. Watch three of them – A Scandal in Bohemia, The Golden Pince-Nez, The Final Problem – in this restored collection. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
God rest ye mackem gentlemen … the Futureheads. Photograph: Amelia Read
The Futureheads
Sunderland, 20 December; London, 22 December
What better way to get into the festive spirit than spending a couple of nights with Sunderland pop-punkers the Futureheads. It’s perfect timing really, as they’ve just released Christmas, a 10-track collection of originals and festive favourites, including an a cappella version of Wonderful Christmastime. Michael Cragg
Solomon’s Knot
Wigmore Hall, London, 22 December
Each December British concert halls seem to be given over earlier and earlier to celebrating Christmas. Only the Wigmore Hall seems immune to this tendency, and this year it closes for just three days over the holidays. The highlight leading up to the break is the latest appearance by the hall’s resident ensemble; the vocalists of Solomon’s Knot give a distinctly unseasonal performance of Handel’s oratorio, Israel in Egypt. Andrew Clements
Nick Costley-White
Vortex Jazz Club, London, 21 December
The prize-winning UK guitarist hosts a regular jam at the Vortex, and his grasp of the jazz tradition and deep affection for Latin-American music make him an ideally openminded host. Exciting drummer Jas Kayser and a variety of cutting-edge young horn players help him stir the pot. John Fordham
Miki Berenyi Trio
Glasgow, 20 December; Newcastle upon Tyne, 21 December
Since releasing debut album, Tripla, in April, former Lush singer-guitarist Miki Berenyi has spent much of the year on tour. Alongside bassist Oliver Cherer and guitarist KJ “Moose” McKillop, she rounds things off with two more chances to gaze at your shoes to their brand of dream pop. MC
Going out: Art
Grace Jones by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1984. Photograph: Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Selves and Stand-ins
Modern One, Edinburgh, to 25 January
Portraits are pictures of individuals. But what is an individual, or a “self”? Modern artists since Cézanne have asked that philosophical question and if you need your brain woken up amid the seasonal fun, here are some provocative and strange meditations by Gillian Wearing, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol and more.
Showtime!
Charles Dickens Museum, London, to 18 January
There isn’t anywhere more Christmassy than the home of Charles Dickens, where you can see how the creator of Scrooge celebrated life. This exhibition surveys the timeless appetite for dramatising his novels, from 1837 when his characters first hit the stage to Oliver! and, of course, the Muppets Christmas Carol.
Powder and Presence
Holburne Museum, Bath, to 4 May
Fairytale frills and romantic fantasy abound in this look at the delicate art of the 18th-century pastel portrait. Working in pastels gave portraits an intimacy that suited the hyper-civilised, yet also passionate, age of the Enlightenment and French Revolution. Anna Tonelli, William Hoare and others capture sensual looks.
Sufi Life and Art
British Museum, London, to 26 July
The mystic traditions of Sufi culture have generated some of the Islamic world’s most ecstatic art and music. This exhibition ranges from a portrait of a dervish with a trumpet and begging bowl to paintings of saints and ascetics, a reed flute and modern abstract art with a Sufi twist. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
What the Dickens? … A Christmas Carol comes to Leeds Playhouse theatre. Photograph: /Helen Murray
A Christmas Carol
Leeds Playhouse, to 17 January
Director Amy Leach’s new version of Dickens’s classic is set in the wool industry and promises to be a joyful, community-focused affair. Reece Dinsdale stars as Scrooge alongside a diverse cast of actor-musicians, young dancers and even a few tap-dancing baubles. Miriam Gillinson
Christmas Day
Almeida theatre, London, to 8 January
Sam Grabiner’s breakthrough play was set entirely in a men’s public toilet. His latest show – festive fare with bite – unfolds in an abandoned building where a Jewish family gathers for Christmas Day. The cast includes Nigel Lindsay and Bel Powley. MG
A Night With the Stars
Moth Club, London, 20 December
Their moron-podcaster sketches have made comedians Paddy Young and Ed Night two of the funniest people on Instagram. Now experience their deadpan idiocy in the flesh with this Christmas edition of their live extravaganza, featuring fellow standup Dan Tiernan and other guests. Rachel Aroesti
The Nutcracker
Leeds Grand theatre, to 4 January
David Nixon stepped down as artistic director of Northern Ballet in 2021 – succeeded by former Royal Ballet dancer Federico Bonelli – but the company still has many of his ballets in the rep, including this classic Christmassy Nutcracker with all the favourite festive ingredients. Lyndsey Winship
Staying in: Streaming
Ethan Hawke in The Lowdown. Photograph: FX
The Lowdown
Disney+, Boxing Day
This riotous noir from Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo has gone down a storm in the US thanks to Ethan Hawke’s cracking central performance as a scrappy journalist – or, in his words, “truthstorian” – intent on rooting out corruption in his home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Amadeus
Now & Sky Atlantic, 21 December, 9pm
The rivalry between Mozart and Salieri may be 300-year-old news, but Joe Barton (Black Doves, Giri/Haji) has transformed it into a strikingly fresh drama. Will Sharpe is the titular child prodigy turned musical genius whose arrival in Vienna rocks the elder composer’s world. Paul Bettany co-stars as his nemesis.
Finding Father Christmas
Channel 4, Christmas Eve, 7.30pm
Stephen Fry, Greg Davies, Asim Chaudhry and James Buckley are among this festive feature-length comedy-drama’s impressive cast. But they will all pale in comparison to the luminous Bafta-winner Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?) who stars as a 16-year-old with an enduring faith in Santa.
Stuffed
iPlayer & BBC One, Christmas Eve, 9pm
Guz Khan and his Man Like Mobeen co-creator Andy Milligan trade the West Midlands for Lapland in this one-off Christmas comedy about a family whose bonus-funded yuletide trip descends into complete chaos. Morgana Robinson and Sue Johnston co-star. RA
Staying in: Games
You need hands … All Hands on Deck. Photograph: Wikkl Works
All Hands on Deck
PC, Switch 1/2; out now
As there’s nothing new out in December, it’s time to turn to the best co-op and multiplayer games of 2025 to play with whoever’s next to you on the couch over the holidays. This cute and colourful puzzle game stars two disembodied hands …
Lego Voyagers
All platforms; out now
… and this is an unexpectedly touching two-player story about two anthropomorphised blocks that can be completed in a lazy afternoon. A game about building things with a lovely undertone about building relationships, a poignant theme over Christmas for most families. Keza MacDonald
Staying in: Albums
Remake remodel … Nate Amos of This is Lorelei. Photograph: OK McCausland
This Is Lorelei – Holo Boy
Out now
Nate Amos of alt-pop weirdos Water from Your Eyes returns to his solo moniker for an album that sits somewhere between ramshackle retrospective and reinvention. Featuring re-recorded versions of his back catalogue, highlights include the two-minute jangle Name the Band.
Nas and DJ Premier – Light-Years
Out now
Having originally mooted a collaboration in 2006, Nas and longtime producer DJ Premier finally make good on their promise. Light-Years is also the final instalment in the Mass Appeal label’s Legend Has It … series of new albums by hip-hop legends.
Jade – That’s Showbiz Baby! The Encore
Out now
Three months after its original release, Jade’s debut solo album gets a refresh, complete with seven new songs. There’s also room for her recent cover of Madonna’s Frozen, which blossoms from electronic subtlety into a big 90s rave-up.
Kylie Minogue – Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped)
Out now
Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her festive opus, Kylie both gives and takes away. Streamlined to showcase the original’s best bits – there’s no space for that album’s James Corden duet, thank goodness – she also chucks in four new songs, including ludicrous single, Xmas. MC
Staying in: Brain food
No Tags
Podcast
Culture writers Chal Ravens and Tom Lea’s audio series and Substack explore developments in underground music, from the legacy of hardcore rave to the 90s trends experiencing a resurgence.
How to Fix Your Attention Span (Before It’s Too Late)
YouTube
Writer Daniel Pink’s video on how to stay focused may have a slight lecturing tone but the insights are genuinely useful, including setting a baseline for your attention span and creating “focus rituals”.
The Origin of Famous Gifts
BBC World Service, Monday to Boxing Day, 8.50am
To mark the holiday season of gift-giving, this five-part series examines the origins of the gifts most likely found in every family’s attic. The first episode recounts the surprisingly recent invention of Jenga. Ammar Kalia
