Last year, the BBC dominated the airwaves over Christmas: eight of the 10 most watched shows on Christmas day - and all top 10 on boxing day - were from the BBC. They included the Sherlock special, The Abominable Bride, Mrs Brown’s Boys, and a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Unsurprisingly, the BBC are “pulling out all the stops” once more, unveiling their stellar 2016 Christmas TV line-up, including a one-off Great British Bake Off special (the last episodes before moving to Channel 4), the return of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s Sherlock, and Call The Midwife.

There will also be Michael McIntyre presenting his Big Christmas Show, David Walliams will celebrate the long career of Dame Shirley Bassey in a special, and a documentary about Dame Judi Dench will air.

Christmas stalwarts such as the Top of the Pops special, Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny, and Eastenders also feature on the lengthy line-up. Other notable inclusions are Mrs Brown’s Boys returning, animated adaptations of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and Raymond Briggs’ Ethel And Ernes, and The Nutcracker performed by the Royal Ballet.

Best Great British Bake Off innuendos Show all 6 1 /6 Best Great British Bake Off innuendos Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'Dip your cherries in the dough and off we go!' Baking offers so many opportunities for naughty jokes - and Mel and Sue take full advantage Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'Bakers! Stop nozzling your princesses!' Hosts Mel and Sue offer up a relentless stream of puns and innuendos every week, much to Paul Hollywood's feigned despair (he loves it really) Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'Was that leakage?' There's a lot of talk of 'leakage' on the Bake Off these days. Most puzzling. Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'The crimp is critical to stop any leakage from the meat' Paul and Richard are full of innuendos as Mary Berry looks on pretending not to find it amusing Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'Stop touching your dough balls!' The BBC have been tweeting their 'innuendo of the week' throughout the series Best Great British Bake Off innuendos 'It's got to be risen and rested before it goes in' Oh stop it Paul...

Director of BBC Content, Charlotte Moore, said of the line-up: "We've pulled out all the stops this Christmas to bring the nation together with a sparkling line-up of family favourites, brand new treats and festive specials on BBC Television.

“We are showcasing an unrivalled range of top quality comedy, drama, entertainment, factual and religious programmes across our channels that promise to deliver something for everyone.”