The best Comedy programmes over Christmas

CU Burn

CU Burn

(TnaG, 7 p.m., Christmas Eve) The comedy series about undertakers in Donegal is showing every evening over the Christmas period. In tonight's episode, complications are caused by the accidental switching of two corpses.

Five Go Mad In Dorset (Channel 4, 9 p.m., Christmas Eve) Showing as part of the Growing Up With 4 season, this The Comic Strip Presents . . . was first shown on the channel's opening night. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson and Peter Richardson star in this hilarious spoof on Enid Blyton . . . at least, it seemed hilarious 15 years ago.

Harry Enfield And Christmas Chums (BBC 1, 10.15 p.m., Christmas Eve) All the usual characters, including Kevin the Teenager, Modern Dad and the Scousers get a run-out in this extended Christmas special (see opposite).

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One Foot In The Grave (BBC 1, 9 p.m., Christmas Day) A new aura of peace and goodwill marks the beginning of this year's special, but things go awry when Victor and Margaret go on a caravan holiday.

Blackadder's Christmas Carol (Network 2, 9.40 p.m., Christmas Day) Who better to play Scrooge than Rowan Atkinson? In this version, though, the story is inverted, with kindly Ebeneezer Blackadder tormented by his loathsome ancestors. Robbie Coltrane, Miranda Richardson and Stephen Fry also appear.

Men Behaving Badly (BBC 1, Christmas Day, 10.20 p.m.) Christmas day in Gary and Tony's bachelor pad consists of lying in front of the television in a semi-comatose state. Some viewers may find this too much like looking in a mirror.

The Bare Necessities (ITV, Christmas Day, 10.20 p.m.) Five redundant Yorkshiremen decide to try their luck as male strippers - if this sounds suspiciously familiar, it does indeed "draw on similar inspiration" to The Full Monty, but was made a year beforehand, and ITV have hit on the clever wheeze of putting it out as a repeat in the wake of the film's huge success.

Dame Edna Kisses It Better (ITV, 9 p.m.) Among the unwell guests receiving tender care from the delectable Dame are models Elle McPherson, the somewhat less comely Cliff Richard and Rolf Harris, and the downright unpalatable Jeffrey Archer.

Upwardly Mobile (RTE 1, St Stephen's Day) This is the last episode of the current series of RTE's sitcom, which has the attraction of a special guest appearance for the queen of many Christmases past, Maureen Potter.

Hugh Linehan

Hugh Linehan

Hugh Linehan is an Irish Times writer and Duty Editor. He also presents the weekly Inside Politics podcast