TV tonight: who will win Strictly Come Dancing 2022?

Fleur, Hamza, Helen and Molly battle it out on the dancefloor. Plus: it’s been 40 years since The Snowman first aired. Here’s everything to watch this evening

Strictly Come Dancing: The Final

7.05pm, BBC One

From Tony Adams’s pulse-racing Full Monty to Fleur East’s full-throttle Beyoncé megamix and Helen Skelton’s ultimate revenge dance, it’s been another excellent series of Strictly. The four finalists (East and Skelton, along with Molly Rainford and Hamza Yassin) will perform a trio of dances: a routine of their choosing, one picked by the judges and a final show dance. It’s then up to the audience at home to get their votes in to decide the winner, who will be named by the end of the night. Hollie Richardson

The Snowman: The Film That Changed Christmas

5pm, Channel 4

It has become as much a fixture of a modern Christmas as Whamageddon. And on the 40th anniversary of The Snowman’s original broadcast on Channel 4, here’s the story of how Raymond Briggs’s classic was brought to the screen, spawning a hit single (which composer Howard Blake impressively bashed out while sitting on a beach) and giving children in more than 29 countries an important lesson in entropy. Ali Catterall

The Weakest Link

6.20pm, BBC One

It’s a Strictly special, which means professional dancers Karen Hauer, Kai Widdrington, Joanne Clifton and Amy Dowden join former celebrity partners broadcaster Dan Walker, comedian Jayde Adams, presenter Rhys Stephenson and singer Max George in swapping sequins for serious(ish) questions in a bid to win cash for charity. As usual, Romesh Ranganathan hosts. HR

That’s My Jam

9.35pm, BBC One

Mo Gilligan hosts That’s My Jam.
Mo Gilligan hosts That’s My Jam. Photograph: Monkey Kingdom/BBC

Bafta winner Mo Gilligan gets his first primetime slot with this fresh dancing and singing celebrity challenge show. First up, singer Alesha Dixon and Drag Race judge Michelle Visage go head to head with Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz. One of them must sing Rocket Man in the voice of Kermit the Frog, while another needs to catch a catapulted microphone. HR

Cliff at Christmas

9.35pm, BBC Two

There’s a Richard celebration across the BBC this week, with a Radio 2 special on Wednesday and this festive show from Hackney Church. Both feature the 82-year-old chatting to Sara Cox at Abbey Road, but tonight’s gig will see him joined by Andrea Corr and more to revisit some classic Cliff hits. Graeme Virtue

The Jonathan Ross Christmas Show

10.05pm, ITV1

Michael McIntyre might not be the present anyone particularly wants this year, but he’s joining Wossy for this festive special anyway. Minnie Driver, Big Zuu and Gordon Ramsay round off an eclectic lineup, while Adam Lambert of Queen provides the live music. Hollie Richardson

Film choice

Meet Me in Saint Louis, 2.20pm, BBC Two

Judy Garland in Meet Me in Saint Louis.
Judy Garland in Meet Me in Saint Louis. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy

Vincente Minnelli’s chocolate box of a musical is a sweet treat, with cracking songs – The Trolley Song, The Boy Next Door and the surprisingly melancholic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Various romantic ups and downs weave their way through a year in the life of the St Louis-based Smith family, in particular Judy Garland’s all-singing Esther, while the shadow of the family relocating to New York hangs over the build-up to the 1904 World’s Fair. Despite an array of production difficulties, on screen all is gaiety and big-budget splendour. Simon Wardell

Film choice

Test Cricket: Pakistan v England, Sky Sports Main Event Day one of the third and final Test in Karachi, in a series already won by Ben Stokes and his England team.

Champions Cup Rugby Union: Exeter Chiefs v Bulls 12.40pm, ITV1 England takes on South Africa in the Pool A match at Sandy Park.

Snooker: English Open,12.45pm, Eurosport 1 The first semi-final in Brentwood.

Contributors

Ali Catterall, , Graeme Virtue. Hollie Richardson and Simon Wardell

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
TV tonight: prepare for a very emotional Strictly climax
AJ Odudu, Rose Ayling-Ellis and John Whaite battle it out on the dancefloor in the Strictly Come Dancing final. Plus: Dame Joan Collins joins Paul O’Grady’s celebrity hurrah. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Alexi Duggins, Henry Wong, Paul Harrison and Simon Wardell

18, Dec, 2021 @9:54 AM

Article image
TV tonight: who will win the 2022 Mercury prize?
The hottest musical stars are out in force at the event that was postponed because of the Queen’s death, plus Greta Thunberg is interviewed. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Ali Catterall, Hannah Verdier and Simon Wardell

18, Oct, 2022 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Strictly is rescheduled this week – so take note
The results show airs tonight because of the World Cup. Plus: Christmas TV gets into full swing! Here’s everything to watch today

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Graeme Virtue, Ellen E Jones and Simon Wardell

03, Dec, 2022 @6:00 AM

Article image
Strictly Come Dancing 2022: the contestants – ranked!
Fifteen celebrity hopefuls will be spray-tanned, Spanx-clad and sequin-spangled in time for autumn – but who are they? And what are their chances of getting hold of that glitter ball trophy?

Michael Hogan

15, Aug, 2022 @11:21 AM

Article image
TV tonight: a foxtrot to the EastEnders theme tune? It can only be a Strictly special
Celebrate the BBC centenary with this dancing extravaganza. Plus: love him or loathe him, Michael McIntyre is back with his big wheel. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Jack Seale and Simon Wardell

22, Oct, 2022 @5:00 AM

Article image
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special 2022 – open thread
Happy Christmas glitterati! Who will win the silver star – and who is the ghost of Strictly past? Join us to find out

Heidi Stephens

25, Dec, 2022 @4:40 PM

Article image
TV tonight: could this teatime reality show be the next Come Dine With Me?
Five strangers need to show each other a good time on holiday. Plus, the finale of Unforgotten. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Micha Frazer-Carroll, Ellen E Jones, Graeme Virtue and Simon Wardell

03, Apr, 2023 @5:20 AM

Article image
Friday’s best TV: Keith Richards’ Lost Weekend; Strictly Come Dancing
Stay up all night with the legendary Stone, or watch the new Strictly contestants get sparkly and strut their stuff for the first time

Ali Catterall, Ben Arnold, Jonathan Wright, Hannah Verdier, David Stubbs, Hannah J Davies and Phil Harrison

23, Sep, 2016 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Succession’s devastating finale
Prepare for a revelatory ending to the masterful third series. Plus: David Baddiel takes on the world of toxic social media. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hannah J Davies, Phil Harrison and Hannah Verdier

13, Dec, 2021 @6:00 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Bake Off is back!
A dozen more baking hopefuls arrive in the tent. Plus: Never Mind the Buzzcocks returns. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Ali Catterall, Hannah Verdier, Ellen E Jones and Paul Howlett

21, Sep, 2021 @5:20 AM