Christmas TV: Cracker or turkey?

Christmas TV is renowned for the usual rating pullers and one-off specials.

And this year has been no different - from the return of Only Fools and Horses, Kat and Alfie's wedding in EastEnders, to The Office and The Real Beckhams.

What do you think of TV this festive season? Has Christmas TV been a real cracker or a bit of a turkey?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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Your comments:

This is been one of the worst tv schedules over Christmas and the New Year period for many years and I have watched quite a few being 41!
David Mantle, Swindon, England

I totally agree with having the thing turned off. What I do disagree with is the really bad TV the BBC is churning out at the moment, and the fact we are paying for it! Scrap the fee and get adverts on the BBC. It's not like they are doing any better than ITV or Channel 4 is it?
Craig, UK

We are not miserable and cynical by nature, BBC TV Christmas scheduling makes us that way! Richard, Stamford, UK

I wonder if the TV schedulers will read these comments and anything will change next year. I doubt it. Next year will be the same mixture of EastEnders, Only Fools and Horses, Changing Rooms reality pap and any other low brow, lowest common denominator trash they can find. The BBC are no worse than anyone else but that's not an excuse. What did the BBC put on that catered for people who do not watch soaps, do not buy into the celebrity culture and got bored of the dead horse being flogged that is Only Fools and Horses about 10 years ago. BBC, take note, on Christmas day, late on BBC2 you had a programme called "Grumpy old Men at Christmas", these are not exceptional miserable people, they are like me and everyone of my family and friends, we are not miserable and cynical by nature, BBC TV Christmas scheduling makes us that way!
Richard, Stamford, UK

The Office was fantastic TV, it gave you what you wanted, a happy ending for Tim and Dawn. David Brent seemly found what he was always looking for, someone who likes him!
You'll look back on this year in the future and yearn for the Christmas's of old, obviously everything else will be long forgotten!
Peter Mitchell, UK

Good grief! If Christmas TV was so bad why didn't you try meeting up with family/friends and do something together such as going for a walk, down the pub, playing board games together or talking - shock horror, yes, talking! Is tv really such an important part of your Christmas?
MJ, London, UK

The Office was the most spine-tingling cringe-provoking fictional programme we have ever watched, I had my head in my hands at Brent's now pathetic life - I couldn't watch him losing his dignity at such an astounding rate! It's not real but it feels it, and for me that is fantastic television. And Hurrah for Tim and Dawn!
Becky, London

I really can't see what is so funny about "The Office". It seems to be something people laugh at for no other reason than it is fashionable to laugh at, rather than actually being funny. Dead Ringers on the other hand is extremely funny in a very topical way. More of that please. Also, why not repeat the extremely good and interesting programs such as Seven Wonders of the Industrial World rather than episodes of del boy which must be at least 20 years old.
Lloyd Evans, Brighton, UK

I would have given anything to have been able to have seen Only Fools & Horses Daniel Gibson, Michigan, USA

Some people really don't know how good they've got it! Those of you complaining about British TV in general, and the Xmas shows in particular should be forced to spend the holidays next year watching the cultural wasteland that is US television. You'll never complain about British telly again! I would have given anything to have been able to have seen Only Fools & Horses, and The Office over the holiday's.
Daniel Gibson, Michigan, USA

Whilst most of it has been pretty bad, there has been some excellent stuff - I have just finished watching tonight's "That was the week we watched" - the programme where they look at a particular week's television from the pages of old editions of TV Times and The Radio Times - an absolute brilliant programme - funny and entertaining, and I hope it comes back for a series soon. It's been the highlight of my TV Christmas. Thanks BBC!
Simon, London, England

Lots of soaps and lots of repeats Mike, Nottingham, UK

Well it was pretty much what I expected. Lots of soaps and lots of repeats. One of the channels would probably show a repeat of the Queen's speech from the previous year if they thought they could get away with it.
Mike, Nottingham, UK

Absolute rubbish! I sat down to watch television for a few hours at the end of the day and found the 'choice' of programmes appalling!
Gill Crisp, Kirby in Ashfield, UK

Absolute rubbish as always. As a child I remember Christmas TV being great with lots of wonderful fun family Christmas films. As the years go on it just gets worse. I think we should ALL boycott it next Christmas.
Karen Ann, London

A massive disappointment.. There didn't seem anything worth watching. The Office proved slightly entertaining but I thought it had more of a dramatic edge to it rather than comedy. I no longer found David Brent funny but instead felt sorry for him. Christmas TV is starting to be just like normal everyday viewing...total disappointment.
Jonathan Mortimer, York

Thank goodness for DVDs Julian, Kent, UK

Just soaps, soaps and more soaps. Even my wife who watches these pointless programmes admits it's too much. If they cut out the shouting there wouldn't be a programme (good). Like a few others, I thought both My Family and Fools and Horses were disappointing and they were the only things I wanted to watch. Thank goodness for DVDs.
Julian, Kent, UK

I don't have a TV so I didn't watch anything. Instead, I talked to my family and friends and read books. Much better!
Paul Brunning, Woking, UK

To be honest, the only thing I thoroughly enjoyed and had me rolling about was French and Saunders.. a welcome return to form from the duo who I felt had lost some of their hilarity quotient over the past couple of years.
Peter Jackson, Sheffield, UK

Watched the first "Office" episode - fell asleep - need I say more?
Nigel Hughes, Maidstone

The best comedy ever is in danger of being ruined forever! Scotty, London

Please, no more Only Fools and Horses! The best comedy ever is in danger of being ruined forever. The Office was great, as for the rest - rubbish. I felt less sick stuffing my face with turkey and chocolates than I did watching Victoria Beckham try and tell us how great she is! Leave it to your husband darlin!
Scotty, London

Absolutely appalling. If I was a cynic, I'd say it was a conspiracy by the government to put out such a load of tripe on terrestrial TV to get us all to move over to digital.
Mark Taylort, Malvern, England

What happened to Christmas TV? It was naff. It really did not feel Christmasy at all. Thanks to The Office for something enjoyable to watch. It leaves on a high (shame some other comedies couldn't do the same!!!)
Sean, Eindhoven, Holland

The Office was every bit as good, and better, than I'd hoped. Everything else was the usual mishmash of repeats and staid, tired programs that should know when to quit - the once-great Only Fools and Horses springs to mind.
Andy Haywood, York

Yawn TV! Stephen, UK

Yawn TV!
Where were the decent films? I spent most nights flicking through the channels only to return to the trusted DVD collection. Too many re-runs, and a programme about the Beckhams is hardly entertaining! Sky for me next year!
Stephen, Sussex, UK

The Office was nothing short of class but the same could not be said about Christmas TV as a whole. Out of all of the programmes on offer this was the only one that people were talking about the following day.
Chris, UK

I must say that Christmas TV was very boring. I thought the My Family special was the worst I've seen. I love the programme normally, although I was very disappointed with this episode. Only Fools and Horses should be put to bed, forever. I think it's now past its best. The only saving grace this year was the feel good factor of Kat and Alfie's Christmas Day wedding and then there was the marvellous final episodes of The Office. Overall, a major turkey!
Kelly, Stanford le Hope, UK

Rubbish, there was nothing enjoyable to watch, the only thing that was worth while was the EastEnders Christmas party very entertaining. There are always loads of repeats and never anything new, why do you always put war films on at Christmas, what has happened to biblical films, and what about the kids why are there not more Christmas movies on, it is Christmas you know and there is enough doom and gloom in world with out having it on TV at Christmas.
Sharon Andrews, Croydon, UK

'The Office' final episode was brilliant. The best bit was when he met the women in the pub for a date and saw her for the first time. That clip will go down as a comedy classic. Well done Mr Gervais and Mr Merchant!
David Atkinson, Portsmouth

On Christmas Day we shut the thing off and had an old fashioned day of conversation, food, and playing games, and a jolly good time was had by all. On Boxing Day we visited friends who had the box on all the time and it was just like The Royle Family revisited.
Bob Deeney, Atherstone, England

I live real life, I don't want to watch it on the TV as well! Lisa Johnson, Harwich, England

I found Xmas TV to be a complete waste of time! The only thing worth watching was Only Fools and Horses, unfortunately this was not up to its normal standard, and I am rather hoping they won't make any more, as it is spoiling the original brilliance of this comedy. This current fad of 'real life' or 'up close' documentaries has left me cold, and the so-called comedy of The Office left me weeping into my egg-nog. Soaps have been off the agenda for me personally for the last 4+ years lacking in originality, and boring characters. I live real life, I don't want to watch it on the TV as well!
Lisa Johnson, Harwich, England

It wasn't up to regular Christmas standard, the TV was barely used on Christmas Eve, I did watch "The Office" and the "Dead Ringers special", oh yeah and the "French and Saunders actually". Though this was basically it, there were many movies which we not interesting and most have been put on before.
Ben C, Bucks, UK

In previous years, I have had great difficulty in deciding which programs to watch. This year I have had great difficulty some programs worth watching.
Al, Farnborough, Hants

Well done BBC2, as far as I was concerned the other channels had nothing to offer and BBC2 was the only channel worth watching.
Jude, Woking, Surrey

All in all, I found the Christmas TV disappointing. How long will the BBC continue to flog the dead horse that is Only Fools And Horses?
The Office was a high point - a highly touching and emotional ending to an excellent comedy, but its time for new ideas not repeating old formulas.
Nick Pennington, Leeds

I can honestly say that I haven't watched any TV this Christmas and I haven't missed it. I'm fed up with the same formula of "Specials" and awful repeats.
John Clement, Newport, Gwent