Strictly Come Dancing and Top of the Pops will not be featuring in this year’s BBC Christmas schedule as social distancing guidelines have made making certain shows impossible during the coronavirus pandemic.  

Rather than the usual Christmas special, this year’s Strictly Come Dancing will be a compilation episode of the 25 most memorable dances of all time, the BBC have revealed. 

Doctor Who will return with a feature length episode called Revolution of the Daleks and John Barrowman will reprise his role as Captain Jack Harkness, returning to help the Doctor fight off her age-old enemies. 

The Doctor Who Christmas special was one of a few shows to be filmed before the pandemic and Executive Producer Chris Chibnall told the BBC that fans can expect “an epic and emotional feature length episode.” 

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Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown’s Boys will also be returning in this year’s Christmas TV schedule as production staff have worked hard to record shows despite the restrictions in place.  

BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore told BBC News that stars of everyone’s favourite shows have “pulled out all the stops.” 

She said: “Some of the big talent and the production teams have rallied together, and we feel it’s really important to have a good Christmas. 

“Trying to work out what we could actually manage to pull off for Christmas... I can’t pretend it’s been relaxing or without its challenges. 

“With some shows it’s been easier than others to get talent and everyone together, and with some shows it’s taken a lot of effort. But I sensed a real camaraderie to make this happen.” 

The BBC’s Christmas line-up will also include the return of The Vicar of Dibley, Not Going Out, The Goes Wrong Show, Ghosts, King Gary and Motherland. 

Miranda Hart will be hosting a one-off celebrity game show while The Great British Sewing Bee, The Wall and Mortimer & Wise: Gone Fishing are all set to return to our screens.