Photograph: Matt Frost/Sky
The Unofficial Science of Die Hard
8.10pm, Sky Max
Chucking a bomb down an elevator shaft. Walking across a floor of broken glass. Jumping off a roof while tied to a fire hose. In this exciting hour, Die Hard fans Chris Ramsey and Paul Chowdhry put the film’s stunts to the test, to see if John McClane really would have survived. “He would have died multiple times in horrendous and horrific ways,” Dr Zoe Laughlin quickly confirms. Still, it’s good to double check. Hollie Richardson
Christmas With Katherine Jenkins
7.10pm, BBC Two
Photograph: Kacper Pilzys/BBC/Afanti Media
Mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins – the biggest-selling UK classical artist of the century – is coming home for Christmas. This special one-off concert at the Swansea Arena is backed by a 31-piece band and features traditional carols and festive hits, plus guests including opera-singing MasterChef star Wynne Evans and Welsh acting royalty Michael Sheen. Ellen E Jones
The Voice UK
8.10pm, ITV1
Usually it is the contestants on TV talent shows who anxiously say things like: “This is as tough as it gets.” But as the sing-off hits the semi-final, it is the four coaches who feel the pressure. They must downsize their three acts to just one contender for next week’s grand final. Graeme Virtue
Blankety Blank Christmas Special
9pm, BBC One
Bradley Walsh, six celebrities and many Christmas puns are present, but can the contestants guess which spirit Katherine Ryan drinks? Who does Ainsley Harriott think is the world’s most famous chef? And why does AJ Odudu think Brian Blessed missed out on a part as Santa? Surreal fun. Hannah Verdier
Two Doors Down
9.35pm, BBC One
It’s the finale of the Scottish cul-de-sac comedy, and Alan and Michelle are back from Las Vegas with some big news – they’re married. Before sharing it with the world, they end up telling the neighbours first. HR
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
10pm, BBC Two
This excellent voyage through music history concludes by picking up in 1979, when disco music was about to become so commercialised it caused a cultural backlash. “It was garbage cash-grab music,” says Ana Matronic, interviewed alongside Honey Dijon and Jocelyn Brown. But disco’s original spirit would come back in another form: house music. HR
Film choices
Allelujah, noon, 6.30pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Russell Tovey star in this adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play about a hospital threatened with closure due to NHS funding cuts. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, the film basically functions as a full-throated defence of the health service, and for that it should be applauded.
Scrooged, 2.35pm, Channel 4
As we threaten to be overwhelmed by the suffocating sugariness of Christmas, Bill Murray’s ferocious dyspepsia is always welcome. As such, Richard Donner’s Scrooged has become a festive mainstay. A yuppie retelling of A Christmas Carol, starring Bill Murray as a wholly selfish television executive, it’s both funnier and more cynical than the source material.
The Christmas Tree, 4.35pm, Talking Pictures TV
A startlingly young Brian Blessed stars in this sweet British adventure film from the mid-60s about three children tasked with getting a Christmas tree to a hospital on time. A series of classic scrapes ensue – there are robbers and river crossings and policemen and soldiers – and the whole thing couldn’t be any more charming if it tried.
Sport
Premier League Football: West Ham v Man United, 11am, TNT Sports 1 From the London Stadium.
Darts: World Championship, 3pm, Sky Sports Main Event Day nine at Alexandra Palace.
Premiership Rugby Union: Bath v Harlequins, 3pm, TNT Sports 1 From the Recreation Ground.
Premier League Football: Liverpool v Arsenal, 5pm, Sky Sports Main Event From Anfield. Wolves v Chelsea is on Christmas Eve at 12.30pm.
