Souls
12.10am, Sky Atlantic
This intense German drama, which won best screenplay at Canneseries TV festival, continues its mind-twisting story about a boy called Jacob who claims to have lived a previous life as a pilot who died in a plane crash in 2006. In an intense late-night triple bill, rehearsals for the commemoration for the crash are under way, while Jacob speaks to a psychologist and Linn says goodbye to her mother. Hollie Richardson
Inside No 9
9pm, BBC Two
Simon Callow and Shobna Gulati join Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith for this year’s beautifully crafted chiller. Dr Jasper Parkway has booked an overnight stay in a “haunted” church but is joined by irritating unwanted guests. As we come to see, Parkway has very specific reasons for wanting to be left alone in this ancient building … Phil Harrison
Live at the Moth Club
10pm, Dave
Backstage skits meet standup with more awkward moments from Hackney’s Moth Club in this hit-and-miss show. This week, George (Mark Heap) has double-booked the venue, but can’t shift the bingo players in time for the show. Performers include Tim Renkow, Katy Wix and Michael Odewale, whose sets are far better than the green room japes. Hannah Verdier
The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special
8pm, BBC One
Will Strictly’s Johannes Radebe be able to resist the sequins box? Did EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy learn a thing or two about fabrics in Walford’s launderette? Might Penny Lancaster be inspired by husband Rod Stewart’s stage outfits? Host Sara Pascoe tasks the trio with making a festive apron, turning a hand-me-down into a novelty outfit and creating a pop star-inspired fancy dress costume. HR
The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Carols
9pm, Sky Arts
All together now … The English National Opera’s choir and orchestra put on a concert at the London Coliseum, performing the Christmas carols voted for by the public. With a few celebrity faces promised in the mix, expect festive bangers such as We Three Kings, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger. Perfect for sticking on while making a start on wrapping those presents. HR
Luke Evans: Showtime!
8pm, BBC Two
Watch out Bublé, there’s a new smooth crooner steadily taking over Christmas … Welsh actor Luke Evans – best known for his parts in The Hobbit and Beauty and the Beast – shows off his singing talents with this evening of musical entertainment. Joining him onstage: LeAnn Rimes, Olly Murs, Nicole Scherzinger, Beverley Knight, Josh Gad and the Treorchy Male Voice Choir. HR
Film choices
Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski, 2022) Paramount+
Thirty-six years after his last dogfight, Tom Cruise returns to the skies as flyboy Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in this exhilarating action sequel. The ever-rebellious Maverick returns to San Diego’s Fighter Weapons School to train graduates for a dangerous mission, including Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his dead friend Goose. There are callbacks aplenty to the first film, from Cruise on his motorbike to the rock soundtrack to a broad-brush romance (here with Jennifer Connelly’s bar owner) and the flying sequences are razor-sharp. Simon Wardell
Paddington (Paul King, 2014) 3.15pm, BBC One
His jubilee audience with the Queen brought him unexpected prominence after her death, but Michael Bond’s accident-prone Peruvian immigrant has already become a Christmas fixture. In this masterful 2014 comedy, the CGI bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) charms his adopted family – led by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins – after coming to London to track down the explorer who met his family in the rainforest. Mild menace comes in the shape of chilly taxidermist Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman). The sequel can be found on Friday on BBC One at 3.35pm. SW
Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012) 8pm, ITV1
The highest-grossing James Bond film ever, Sam Mendes’s cyber thriller features Judi Dench’s final flourish as M, a luscious theme tune from Adele, and one of the most entertainingly preposterous villains in Javier Bardem’s ex-MI6 operative Raoul Silva. Istanbul, Shanghai and Macau are the main stopovers for Daniel Craig’s embattled agent, while Bond’s Scottish ancestral home provides another window into the personal life of the spy – an angle that has defined Craig’s time as 007. SW
