The popularity of the Christmas special is not a new one as for years, we’ve waited in earnest for our favourite soaps, sitcoms and even music artists to whack out a festive episode or album, and this appears to be no different for the world of podcasting.

It’s no secret that podcasting offers one of the largest ranges of genres from comedy to serial and it seems that all are providing listeners with something special to mark the festive season.

We’ve compiled a list of our most beloved festive episodes to see you through the last minute tree hanging, the making of your Christmas dinner or even some private time away from prying family members or in-laws.

Wednesdays 

Best friends Melissa and Sophie are bringing back the cultural importance of Wednesdays (shout out to the Mean Girls). The ladies are here to chat about boyfriends, help with your dilemmas, and of course, drink some wine. Join the ladies as this week they discuss dilemmas with a festive twist. Listen now >>

My Dad Wrote A Porno

To celebrate their 90th birthday, Abbey Road Studios invited the My Dad Wrote A Porno team to record Part One of two Christmas specials for 2021 in Studio 3! McCartney, Bowie, Winehouse…and now, Flintstone. Listen now >>

Shrine Podcasts: Christmas special

In the second of two Christmas specials, Shrine Podcasts has teamed up with fellow Line Of Duty podcast host Craig Parkinson for a deep dive into his time on one of the BBC’s most popular TV shows ever. This one airs on Wednesday, December 15. Listen now >>

The Tommy, Hector & Laurita Podcast – Christmas Special

Unpredictable and funny, carefree and intimate, join Tommy Tiernan, Hector Ó hEochagáin and Laurita Blewitt as they sit around the table in the henhouse at the bottom of a garden in the West of Ireland. Tommy, Hector and Laurita will be sharing gifts and festive stories in their first-ever Christmas special airing on Thursday 23rd December. Listen now >>

Everything Under the Sun with McFly’s Tom Fletcher

In this festive edition of Everything Under The Sun, Tom Fletcher from McFly (and Strictly Come Dancing, of course) answers Henry’s question, “which country does Santa deliver his presents to first, last and middle?” Listen now >>

The Rude Retellings – Read by Brian Harvey

Brian Harvey is back with six new episodes in The Christmas Collection of The Rude Tellings. The former East 17 star begins the podcast series with the classic poem, “Twas The Night Before Christmas”. Listen now >>

Off Menu

Looks like the Off Menu boys are also rocking around the Christmas tree with the launch of their festive special episode. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than with an absolutely disgusting instalment of Off Menu, where comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster are joined by a very festive Harry Hill Listen now >>

BBC Good Food

Is it your first time cooking Christmas dinner? Or are you an experienced cook who wants to boost your kitchen skills and get into the festive spirit? Throughout December, chef Tom Kerridge reveals his secrets, tips and tricks for the party season. Listen now >>

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But however brilliant your Christmas is or isn’t, at some point you’ll be overcome with the urge to lie down in a dark room and stay very still for a while. That’s where your podcast Christmas specials come in.

Gathering around the fireside (or at least a nice bed of fireside FX) for an especially cosy chat is non-negotiable for most big pods now, but there’s a wealth of great Christmas-adjacent episodes out there too.

The Allusionist – Ep 41, Getting Toasty

Out on the frozen tundra of Antarctica, scientists Amy Lowitz, Christine Moran and Allison Barden can see the South Pole marker. Or they would, if there had been any daylight for the last four months. Shake off the plasticky excesses of the season with a meditative chat about exactly what working at the South Pole does to your body and your mind. Those elves should unionise. Listen now >>

Wireless Nights – Destiny’s Child, Christmas 2018

Jarvis Cocker’s Radio 4 show has returned for a new run recently, and this Yuletide edition is a good place to start with the back catalogue. We bump into people who slot into the Nativity story – a shepherdess, a stargazer, a baby born from a miraculous birth – as well as hearing a story about a Christmas spent adrift at sea. Listen now >>

The Boring Talks – An Underwhelming Christmas, 2018

After perhaps the most intensely underwhelming Christmas of all underwhelming Christmases in 2020, this one’s going to feel pretty sweet for a lot of us. But invariably, there’ll be a point at which you wonder what all the fuss is about. Rhodri Marsden comes over all Scrooge to compare the reality of Christmas with the reality of it in the UK, from white Christmases to grotty grottoes. Listen now >>

Christmas Past – The Eggnog Riot

In the spirit of keeping Christmas with us all year round, the Christmas Past podcast runs 12 months a year and mixes interviews with Christmas filmmakers, Christmas stories, new Christmas singles and bitesize history lessons. This is the latter; the backstory to ‘Jingle Bells’ is interesting enough, but a riot which broke out at West Point military academy in 1826 is too delicious. Listen now >>

Field Recordings – Singing Gate, Dorset

It ain’t Christmas until someone’s suggested a big walk. Whether you end up moving or not is irrelevant; the feeling that you should definitely go on a big walk has to be aired. If it feels like too much of an effort, try this short from Field Recordings, recorded on the winter solstice last year. No intro, no framing; just the sounds of Bronkham Hill ridge, dotted with ancient burial mounds and barrows. Atmospheric. Listen now >>

Off Menu – Ep 42, Christmas Special with Greg Davies

Off Menu wheels out the big stand-up guns for its Christmas specials, and over the last couple of years they’ve had Sarah Millican, Russell Howard, Joe Lycett and Nish Kumar on. The best, though, is the Taskmaster himself: Greg Davies. Invariably the best Off Menu menus are those of people who give the impression that eating is a terrible inconvenience, and Davies is no exception. No starter, no side, a steak cooked medium and a finale of Sussex pond pudding makes James Acaster’s brain fold in on itself. Listen now >>

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