Vera
8pm, ITV1
Just as she starts organising Secret Santa, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) is called to investigate the apparent suicide of a shamed TV star during a school reunion weekend away on a tiny island. But when she spots some suspicious muddy footprints near his body, her attention turns to the victim’s four old friends staying with him. Hopefully, she’ll solve it in time for the office mince pies. Hollie Richardson
Charles III: The Coronation Year
6.50pm, BBC One
Some BBC bunting to go with the festive tinsel, this documentary, narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, takes a forelock-tugging look at King Charles’s first full year on the throne. The centrepiece of the film is the coronation: how did the royal family persuade the surviving members of the Monty Python team to reunite and choreograph that surreal and comical ceremony? Also, expect to hear some words from at least one, but probably not both, of Charles’s sons. Phil Harrison
Only Connect Specials: Boxing
8pm, BBC Two
Lateral thinking is prized on Victoria Coren Mitchell’s quiz. No doubt that’s how they came up with the pugilistic theme for tonight’s Boxing Day special. Two sporting teams from previous series return but the real question is this: will Victoria persist in wearing those unwieldy boxing gloves? Ellen E Jones
Ronnie Corbett: My 30 Funniest Moments
8pm, Channel 5
A two-hour special tallies up the late comic actor’s best bits, starting with his early film roles and cabaret career before moving on to Corbett’s work with David Frost and the future Pythons in the late 1960s. His fame peaks with The Two Ronnies and Sorry! in the 70s and 80s; then he’s a respected elder statesman with Extras among his guest roles. Jack Seale
Death in Paradise
9pm, BBC One
Patsy Kensit guest stars in this feature-length episode of the sunny crime drama, playing the wife of an entrepreneur whose body is found at the bottom of a ravine. As DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) and DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) get on the case, an employee of the victim who is visiting Saint Marie for a Christmas business bash goes missing. HR
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
9pm, BBC Two
“I was trained when I was very young as a show-off and I’ve continued triumphantly until this moment.” Alan Cumming and Rupert Everett narrate an immersive Arena film about the remarkable life of “the master”. Through his own words and archive footage, it tells the story of him being a gay man in a straight world, becoming the highest-paid writer in the world by 30, and every mighty achievement in stage, TV and film beyond. HR
Film choices
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, 3.15pm, BBC One
While the first instalment suffered from the cognitive shock of hearing James Corden’s cackle burst from the mouth of Beatrix Potter’s most beloved creation, the second wisely just assumes that we all know what we’re in for. A great, slightly meta sequel about a greedy publisher trying to exploit the story of Peter Rabbit, it reinforces Domhnall Gleeson’s claim as the most underrated comic actor around. Stuart Heritage
The Lion King, 5.05pm, BBC One
Often called a live-action remake, despite being exactly as animated as its source material, Jon Favreau’s remake of the Disney classic still has a lot going for it. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover and Actual Beyoncé star and, while the photorealism might have been amped up 10% too much, the laughs and thrills are present and correct. SH
Raiders of the Lost Ark, 6.50pm, Channel 4
This year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was much better than its lousy box-office performance suggested, but this remains the definitive Indiana Jones film. To watch Raiders of the Lost Ark is to watch many, many people giddy that they’re being allowed to get away with this wildness. A romp about one man trying to stop the Nazis from becoming invincible, every action film made since Raiders owes it a debt of gratitude. SH
Live sport
Premier League Football: Newcastle v Nottingham Forest, 12.30pm, Prime Video Four more matches follow, concluding with Man United v Aston Villa at 8pm.
