The Big British Beef Battle
8pm, Channel 4
Will eating beef become the new smoking? Ade Adepitan shows us exactly how bad farming, importing and consuming beef is for the planet – its carbon footprint is seven times bigger than chicken and six times more than Quorn. But he finds there is an argument that beef can be made more sustainably. Hollie Richardson
Unreported World
7.30pm, Channel 4
Why is Sweden becoming the most lethal country for gun crime in Europe (45 people have been shot dead this year), especially among children? Paraic O’Brien visits a suburb where a young man was shot on his doorstep, and learns of rival drug gangs, then a Gothenburg neighbourhood which was the centre of a grenade attack. HR
Celebrity Mastermind
8pm, BBC One
Which celebrity’s mind will go blank when their famous bottom hits the Mastermind chair? Danny “Mrs Brown’s Boys” O’Carroll, Drag Race-endorsed Cheddar Gorgeous, Coach Trip’s Brendan Sheerin and lovable comic Jayde Adams are the ones braving the questions this week. They bring a specialist subject for every taste, from Robbie Keane to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hannah Verdier
Two Doors Down
9.30pm, BBC One
The gently acerbic Scottish sitcom continues to make minor magic out of domestic bathos. Christine’s new bathroom is the focus this week – specifically, which taps to select. She’s just made her mind up when Alan turns up with strong opinions of his own. It sounds mundane, and it is – but delightfully so. Phil Harrison
Breeders
10.15pm, Sky Comedy
The prickly sitcom starring Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman as funny, fallible parents is hurtling toward the end of its fourth and final season. This week’s episode is an emotional gamechanger: Luke’s girlfriend Maya has gone into labour early so Ally and Paul cut a holiday short to fly home. Can they soothe their anxious son? Graeme Virtue
The Graham Norton Show
10.40pm, BBC One
It’s a huge night for Norton’s sofa this week: Julia Roberts takes a seat to talk about her Netflix thriller, Leave the World Behind, while Tom Hanks explains his new London installation about astronauts. Oh, and Cher pops in to perform her Christmas song. HR
Film choice
Genie (Sam Boyd, 2023), 11.25am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
Almost a quarter of a century ago, Richard Curtis wrote a Christmas special called Bernard and the Genie, about a humdrum corporate worker (Alan Cumming) whose life is turned around by a genie (Lenny Henry). Genie is a direct remake. Here, the worker is Paapa Essiedu, the genie is Melissa McCarthy and the production budget is noticeably larger than the original, which allows the genie to actually fulfil some wish-fulfilment for once. Was the world crying out for this remake? No. Will it keep your kids quiet while you sneak off to wrap their presents? Oh absolutely. Stuart Heritage
The Naughty Nine (Alberto Belli, 2023), Disney+
At some point in the next few weeks, you’re going to crack and watch a Christmas film. You could pick one of the thousands of identikit Hallmark productions, or you could reach out of your comfort zone and watch The Naughty Nine, an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist movie about a troublemaking kid who decides to squad up and infiltrate Santa’s workshop to get himself off the naughty list. Winslow Fegley – last seen being the best thing in Lyle, Lyle Crocodile – heads the film’s young ensemble. One of those rare treats that is much better than it needs to be. SH
