What to watch on PBS over the holidays
Curl up this holiday season with your favorites from PBS. From special music to delicious food, there's something for everyone in this festive lineup. Check out this holiday programming below or on the PBS App.
Call the Midwife Holiday Specials
Get ready for the 2024 Call the Midwife Holiday Special! It’s Christmas 1969, and the funfair and carol concert add color to frosty Poplar. Yet, the festive spirit at Nonnatus House is dampened by the spread of influenza alongside growing fears of an escaped prisoner after a spate of break-ins. Check out the new holiday special on December 25 at 8/7c.
While you wait, catch up with classic Holiday Specials from Call the Midwife as we count down the days until the Dec. 25 premiere of the newest Holiday Special!
Add to Your WatchlistLooking for a feel-good show for the holidays? Say no more!
Enjoy all seasons of All Creatures Great and Small, free in the US & Territories, from November 28-December 23. The MASTERPIECE series features James Herriot’s adventures as a veterinarian in 1930’s Yorkshire in a glorious new adaptation in a series based on his internationally celebrated books. Nicholas Ralph makes his television debut as the iconic vet who became renowned for his inspiring humor, compassion and love of life.
Explore Holiday Concerts & Performances
The treasured “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” special returns to PBS for the 21st year. Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved British actress Lesley Nicol (from Downton Abbey, the MASTERPIECE TV series) join the iconic Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a stunning 90-minute theatrical program, illustrating that the real meaning of Christmas is opening our hearts to all.
Add to Your WatchlistHandel’s 18th-century masterpiece, “The Messiah,” has been reimagined and infused with Gospel, Jazz and R&B. The result is an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favorite, captured at its European premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
This spectacular Christmas concert of secular and sacred music is under the direction of Steven R. Jobman and performed by the church’s renowned 150-voice Sanctuary Choir, orchestra and Organist/Artist-in-Residence, Bradley Hunter Welch. The program also features handbells, bagpipes, jazz ensemble and soloists.
Passport members can watch the full concert here.
Add to Your WatchlistIn collaboration with the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, the American Pops Orchestra presents an evening celebrating the entire iconic album of holiday classics. This 60-minute performance stars host and vocalist Vanessa Williams with appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Norm Lewis, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Nova Payton, Dave Detwiler and Morgan James. Passport members can watch the full special here.
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Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas
Looking to spend the holidays with friends? Mary Berry shares her ultimate Christmas feast with all the trimmings. Friends and Chefs Angela Hartnett and Monica Galetti join her to share favorite festive recipes from their heritage and Mary and TV host Rylan try and convert some kids to Brussels sprouts. Check out the special on PBS.
Because we can't get enough of Mary Berry, Mary Berry's Highland Christmas will also air on Dec. 23.
Add to Your WatchlistThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King
Conceived by John Mauceri, this new work is a re-imagination of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, "The Nutcracker." Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 book, Alan Cumming recounts the origin story of how a prince got put into a nutcracker. Unlike the ballet, we also learn what happens when the young girl grows up, having saved the prince, and what they are doing today.
Passport members can watch it here.
This year, celebrate New Year’s Eve with Sara Bareilles as she gives a career spanning performance at the Kennedy Center. From her early hits to new unreleased songs, this extended episode is packed with music performed live with the National Symphony Orchestra, Rufus Wainwright, Emily King, David Ryan Harris and features appearances from Ben Folds, Madison Cunningham and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
