BBC Radio Christmas 2017 - Festive highlights for 2017 on BBC Radio are announced

BBC Radio has today announced the content highlights for the festive period.

Bob Shennan, Director of BBC Radio and Music, says: “During the festive season the millions of listeners who tune in to BBC Radio can enjoy their favourite programmes as well as some great Christmas treats.

"Whether you want to soundtrack Christmas Eve with musical delights curated by our fantastic DJs, listen to a Christmas Day drama or reading, or spend Boxing Day with live sport rather than relatives, the BBC has something special for you.

"Our teams have put together brilliant schedules for our different stations with the many talented musicians, actors and presenters we have across BBC Radio.”

Popular Music Radio

• Greg James reveals Christmas number one in BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart
• The 8th with Charlie Sloth Christmas Special
• As a part of Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network’s year-long My Mind and Me mental health campaign, we follow four Radio 1 listeners as they share their mental health experiences
• On Radio 2, Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge Shirley Ballas plays a selection of her favourite music and recalls memories of her dancing career
• Ed Balls embarks on his latest post political adventure as he explores and celebrates the diverse world of musical theatre on BBC Radio 2
• Jo Whiley presents a Doctor Who Access All Areas special where she goes behind the scenes and catches up with the stars of the series on set for BBC Radio 2
• BBC Radio 6 Music welcomes three Wise Women to the airwaves - Jodie Whittaker, Beth Ditto and Sharon Horgan - to bear their gifts of wit, wonder and wisdom

BBC Radio 3 and BBC Orchestras & Choirs

• Radio 3 will welcome in the festive season with Spirit of Bach. The music of Johann Sebastian Bach will take centre-stage across the station, and the enduring influence of the composer will be explored
• In Radio 3’s most ambitious Slow Radio broadcast yet, writer Horatio Clare will reimagine Bach’s famous journey across Germany from Arnstadt to Lübeck in The Bach Walk
• Fiona Shaw will present a Sunday Feature on Christmas Day exploring the art of stage lighting, marking the bicentenary of lighting in London’s West End Theatres
• Opera stars Dame Janet Baker and Sir John Tomlinson, actors David Suchet and composer and DJ Gabriel Prokofiev are among the all-star contributors to Radio 3’s Christmas programming
• BBC Singers are joined by actor Simon Callow for a concert of festive readings from Dickens paired with carols from the era
• BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales welcome award-winning jazz singer Clare Teal for an evening of popular festive tunes, jazz classics and seasonal music
• BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Philharmonic and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra present a run of Christmas-themed concerts with special guests and festive favourites, broadcast on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Scotland, respectively
• BBC Singers provide the backbone to the annual BBC Radio 3 Carol Competition, performing the shortlisted carols live on BBC Radio 3’s Breakfast in the lead up to Christmas, with the winning carol announced live on 22 December

BBC Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra, 5 live

• Lenny Henry, Jacob Anderson and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett star in Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys on Radio 4
• Prince Harry, Baroness Trumpington, Tamara Rojo, Benjamin Okri and Artificial Intelligence to guest edit Radio 4’s Today
• Just a Minute celebrates 50 years on Radio 4 this Christmas
• Festive offerings from Tweet of the Day with The Twelve Tweets of Christmas and Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4
• Festive castaways for Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 include Bruno Tonioli, Christine McVie, Ai Weiwei and Kelsey Grammer
• Also on Radio 4 Derek Jacobi reads Laurie Lee’s Village Christmas whilst David Attenborough reads his own memoirs in Adventures of a Young Naturalist
• On Radio 4 Extra are Michael Palin’s Radio Adventures and Scrooge - The Musical
• On 5 live highlights include Ed Byrne making his 5 live presenting debut on Christmas Day and the first radio airing of podcast phenomenon Beyond Reasonable Doubt? on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
• All the Ashes action from Australia will be covered ball by ball over Christmas on BBC 5 live and also on 5 live Sports Extra. 5 live Breakfast will also come live from Australia during the festive period, as Ashes reporters on the ground co-host from down under

BBC’s Religion & Ethics content highlights for Christmas will be announced shortly.