Viewers are being spoilt for choice this Christmas - with over 1000 boxsets available to enjoy on BBC iPlayer over the festive season, more than ever before. Along with a fantastic range of new programmes arriving on the BBC over Christmas, iPlayer has massive range of boxsets for viewers to binge on while nibbling on those festive treats - from the year’s best shows to classic favourites.

At the BBC Content Christmas launch in London, Charlotte Moore, BBC chief content officer said: “For many of us, those precious days over the Christmas break are all about being curled up on the sofa with a box set. And this is a truly outstanding part of the BBC’s festive season. We’ve got over a thousand box sets ready to stream - more than ever before. So always something to watch, whoever you are and whatever you’re into.”

New festive arrivals to BBC iPlayer

Christmas will see the arrival of a number of enthralling new shows that will not only be available as a boxset but also in extraordinary Ultra HD, including A Very British Scandal, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, and psychological thriller The Girl Before, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo, about a woman who moves into a strange house designed by an enigmatic architect.

Around the World in 80 Days is a brand new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel, and stars David Tennant, Ibrahim Koma and Leonie Benesch as the intrepid threesome Phileas Fogg, Passepartout and Abigail ‘Fix’ Fortescue. The first episodes will be available from Boxing Day, and it will be a boxset on iPlayer in the new year. Also in the new year, iPlayer will have mystery thriller The Tourist available as a boxset and in Ultra HD – Jamie Dornan stars as a man searching for his identity through the vast and unforgiving Australian outback. Plus festive specials from Doctor Who, Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise, Ghosts, Mandy, and Not Going Out, will add to the extensive boxsets currently available to watch.

Enthralling drama

As well as the new programmes arriving over Christmas, there’s an enormous selection of drama boxsets available for viewers to enjoy. These include 2021’s biggest shows, like submarine thriller Vigil, with Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie, Sean Bean’s prison drama Time, and of course the spectacular sixth series of Line of Duty. iPlayer will also have lots of new shows in the run up to Christmas, like psychological thriller You Don’t Know Me, the new series of period detective drama Vienna Blood, and courtroom fireworks in Showtrial.

There are international boxsets, for all the family to enjoy like superhero series Superman & Lois, Australian comedy drama Bump and the new series of US smash hit Gossip Girl, not to mention all the classic series as well. Plus, there are massive favourites like Peaky Blinders, Killing Eve, Luther, Happy Valley, I May Destroy You, and Normal People.

Hilarious comedy

This year has seen a bumper crop of fantastic new comedies, including the hugely successful The Outlaws, created by and starring Stephen Merchant alongside an A-List cast, the brilliant Alma’s Not Normal from Sophie Willan, Rose Matafeo’s beautiful romantic comedy series Starstruck, and Greg Davies’ new sitcom The Cleaner. We’ve also had superb new series of Ghosts, In Her Skin, Back to Life, What We Do in the Shadows, and Dave, plus iPlayer has an incredible selection of classic comedies available to binge, including recently added titles The Office, dinnerladies, and Keeping Up Appearances.

Family favourites

Younger viewers will be delighted that everyone’s favourite sheep Shaun is back for a special festive episode over Christmas, Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, plus kids can enjoy the full boxset of the show. The new Julia Donaldson special Superworm, featuring Olivia Colman and Matt Smith, will join the wide range of her adaptions on iPlayer, including The Gruffalo, The Snail and the Whale, and Zog and the Flying Doctors.

For older children there’s the new show Nova Jones, about an interplanetary pop star managed by her best friend and sister, the brand-new series of aspiring young footballer drama Jamie Johnson, and new series of Enid Blyton adaptation Malory Towers and New Zealand-set drama Mystic too. And as if that’s not enough to keep the kids entertained, there’s a great selection of classics from David Walliams too, including Mr Stink, The Boy in the Dress, and Gangsta Granny.

Dazzling documentaries

As well as two new programmes from Sir David Attenborough over the festive period, Attenborough’s Wonder of Song and Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard, natural history fans can enjoy some of the year’s most wondrous series on iPlayer. These include The Mating Game, narrated by Sir David, Professor Brian Cox’s Universe, dipping below the surface of the Welsh coast in Wonders of the Celtic Deep, and Prince William and Sir David Attenborough exploring ideas to help save the world in The Earthshot Prize, all of which are available to watch on iPlayer in spectacular Ultra HD.

Away from natural history, viewers can delve into some of the year’s most dramatic documentary boxsets, such as Blair and Brown: The New Labour Revolution, The Hunt for Bible John, and Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League, as well as incredible one-offs like 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room, Four Hours at the Capitol, Reclaiming Amy, and Ian Wright: Home Truths, plus a massive collection of Louis Theroux, Stacey Dooley, and Storyville films to watch.

Fantastic films

BBC iPlayer also has an amazing selection for film fans over the festive period. There’s superhero action with Tom Holland in both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz star in superhero black comedy Kick-Ass and its sequel Kick-Ass 2. Stephen Spielberg fans will also be able to enjoy his sci-fi adventure, Ready Player One.

Also available is Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born as well as Renee Zellweger’s heart-breaking turn in Judy. Romantic comedy fans will enjoy Crazy Rich Asians, which has a great ensemble cast including Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh, plus Golding also stars alongside Emilia Clarke in the Christmas-set rom-com Last Christmas, and there are lots more laughs in Late Night, with Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling. It’s also a great Christmas for long-awaited sequels, as iPlayer will have Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt as the magical nanny, and Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in sci-fi epic Blade Runner 2049.

There are also lots of films to entertain the whole family, with Robert Downey Jr starring in Dolittle, Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast, Lily James and Robert Madden in Cinderella, Mark Rylance in Steven Spielberg’s The BFG, and Jon Favreau’s live action version of The Jungle Book. And there are animated favourites like Moana, Frozen, Abominable, Trolls, Paddington and its sequel Paddington 2, plus loads of Pixar films, including Coco, Inside Out, Finding Dory, Monsters University, and Brave.