Harry Potter leads BBC Christmas line-up

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will lead this year's Christmas TV line-up at the BBC.

11:14 24 November 2004

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will lead this year's Christmas TV line-up at the BBC.

The young wizard and his friends will make their first appearance on terrestrial TV and will join films such as Shrek, Bend It Like Beckham, AI and Chocolat.

Other festive highlights include two new episodes of the Vicar of Dibley, the final of Strictly Come Dancing and the last episode of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

A Christmas special of cult comedy series Little Britain and Graham Norton's Sound of Music 40th Anniversary will also be broadcast over the holiday season.

"This Christmas, BBC TV will take viewers on a magical journey to discover a world of heartwarming, funny and spinetingling programmes featuring the homegrown talent they love," said the BBC's director of television, Jana Bennett.

Trinny and Susannah will be back with a special version of What Not To Wear, while Christmas-themed editions of Absolutely Fabulous, My Dad's the Prime Minister, My Family and The Big Impression will also feature.

Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet will provide the voices for family drama Pride, which follows the lives of a group of lions in South Africa, and celebrities will don their skates for Strictly Come Dancing on Ice.

On New Year's Eve, BBC Breakfast presenter Natasha Kaplinsky will host live coverage from the Thames in London and Hogmanay in Edinburgh.

The channel will also look into the origins of Father Christmas in The Real Santa Claus and religious programmes include Midnight Mass from St George's Roman Catholic Church in Southwark and Carols from Kings.

BBC Three's line-up will include a rock version of the Nativity called AD/BC: The Rock Opera starring Little Britain's Matt Lucas, as well as Julia Davis and Julian Barrat.

And on BBC Four, several Dennis Potter plays will be screened alongside The World of Nat King Cole.