Entertainment

What to watch on TV on New Year’s Day

Doctor Who, a Miranda special and Mrs Brown’s Boys will all be back on our screens.
Doctor Who, a Miranda special and Mrs Brown’s Boys will all be back on our screens. Doctor Who, a Miranda special and Mrs Brown’s Boys will all be back on our screens.

Doctor Who will return to TV screens on New Year’s Day when Jodie Whittaker’s Time Lord is joined by some starry guests for a new series.

BBC One will show the first of a two-part episode at 6.55pm, which finds the Doctor called upon when intelligence agents around the world come under attack from alien forces.

The first episode of Whittaker’s second series in the role sees her joined by Stephen Fry and Lenny Henry, as well as her regular sidekicks Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill.

It will follow a celebration of Miranda Hart’s self-deprecating sitcom Miranda, which sees the TV star reunite on stage at the London Palladium with Sarah Hadland (Stevie) and Sally Phillips (Tilly) as they share their fondest memories of the show, which is 10 years old.

Another festive treat is the second instalment of The Great Festive Bake Off at 7.40pm on Channel 4, which this time sees the cast of Derry Girls don their aprons in the tent in a bid to impress Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

The show will feature Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn and Siobhan McSweeney whipping up some celebratory bakes with the assistance of hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding.

The evening takes a darker turn at 9pm on BBC One when the first episode of Dracula premieres, starring Claes Bang as the famous count.

Sherlock writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have adapted Bram Stoker’s classic legend of Nosferatu for a modern audience and the three-part series also stars Dolly Wells, Morfydd Clark and Joanna Scanlan.

This is followed by the Mrs Brown’s Boys new year special, Orange Is The New Mammy, in which Agnes discovers that Peggy Piper, the Pernod poisoner is being released from prison and could be coming back to town.

The special is on BBC One at 10.30pm.