As the festive season reaches its peak, a dazzling array of new films, television dramas, live performances, and exhibitions arrives to captivate audiences across the United Kingdom. This week's cultural calendar offers something for every taste, from epic blockbuster cinema to intimate stage plays and brain-engaging podcasts.
Cinema and Stage: Blockbusters and Classics
Cinema screens are dominated by the long-awaited return to a fantastical world. Avatar: Fire and Ash is now in cinemas, marking James Cameron's third epic voyage to the planet Pandora. The film promises more of the franchise's signature visual spectacle, motion-capture brilliance, and themes of natural world conflict.
For those seeking seasonal chills, the slasher franchise Silent Night, Deadly Night also returns. This latest instalment, the seventh overall, features Rohan Campbell as the tragic killer Billy Chapman. Meanwhile, comedy fans can sample Jimmy Carr's foray into screenwriting with Fackham Hall, a parody of stately home dramas featuring a cast including Thomasin McKenzie and Damian Lewis.
On stage, new adaptations of classic tales are unfolding. At Leeds Playhouse, director Amy Leach presents a new, community-focused version of A Christmas Carol set within the wool industry, starring Reece Dinsdale as Scrooge. In London, the Almeida Theatre hosts Sam Grabiner's new play Christmas Day, featuring Nigel Lindsay and Bel Powley in a story of a Jewish family gathering in an abandoned building.
Streaming and Home Entertainment Highlights
The week ahead is particularly strong for new streaming content. On Boxing Day, Disney+ launches The Lowdown, a critically acclaimed noir series from Sterlin Harjo featuring a standout performance by Ethan Hawke as a Tulsa journalist.
Perhaps the most anticipated release is the fresh television adaptation of Amadeus. Premiering on 21 December at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, this drama from writer Joe Barton reimagines the fierce rivalry between composers Mozart (Will Sharpe) and Salieri (Paul Bettany) in 18th-century Vienna.
For festive family viewing, Channel 4 offers Finding Father Christmas on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm, starring Bafta-winner Lenny Rush. Meanwhile, BBC One serves up the one-off comedy Stuffed on Christmas Eve at 9pm, featuring Guz Khan and Morgana Robinson on a chaotic trip to Lapland.
Live Music, Art, and Festive Gigs
The live music scene offers perfect festive alternatives. Sunderland's pop-punk outfit The Futureheads are playing dates in Sunderland on 20 December and London on 22 December, promoting their new Christmas album. For a less seasonal but profoundly beautiful experience, the vocal ensemble Solomon's Knot performs Handel's Israel in Egypt at London's Wigmore Hall on 22 December.
Art exhibitions provide a thoughtful counterpoint to the holiday frenzy. In Edinburgh, Selves and Stand-ins at Modern One explores portraiture and identity through works by Gillian Wearing and Robert Mapplethorpe until 25 January. London's Charles Dickens Museum presents Showtime!, a display examining stage adaptations of Dickens's work, running until 18 January.
For gaming enthusiasts looking for shared couch experiences over the holidays, the charming two-player puzzle game All Hands on Deck and the narrative-driven Lego Voyagers are highlighted as excellent co-op choices. In music releases, new albums from Nas and DJ Premier (Light-Years) and an expanded edition of Jade's debut (That's Showbiz Baby! The Encore) are out now, alongside a refreshed version of Kylie Minogue's Kylie Christmas.
Finally, for those seeking intellectual sustenance, the podcast No Tags with Chal Ravens and Tom Lea analyses underground music trends, while a BBC World Service series starting Monday, The Origin of Famous Gifts, investigates the history behind common presents, beginning with the invention of Jenga.
