BBC ENTERTAINMENT

Superb range of television entertainment over the festive season.

BBC Entertainment on DStv offers a superb range of television entertainment over the festive season. It’s enough to cancel all social commitments and stay locked to the television.

Lovers of whacky humour will delight in the classic Monty Python's Flying Circus, the highly popular quirky sketch show starring John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle.

Then there’s Allo 'Allo! which has been running for several weeks already. The story on December 22 sees General von Flockenstoffen deciding to launch a raid to capture Churchill. The Colonel, Gruber and Bertorelli resort to desperate measures to stop him.

Still running is the exciting quiz show The Weakest Link hosted by Anne Robinson where contestants work together to build up the prize money before going head to head in the final round. On December 23 at 10h00, Anne Robinson raises some difficult questions as the cas of the popular comedy series My Family appear on the show.

Anne Robinson makes a guest appearance on The Kumars At No 42: Christmas Special (2004) in which Sanjeev and the Kumar family also welcome Phil Collins and ex-Wizzard frontman Roy Wood into their home.

Patricia Routledge continues to delight in Keeping Up Appearances which deals with the story of Hyacinth Bouquet while Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May can be seen in their fascinating Top Gear series.

After Christmas expect to see Wallander featuring Kenneth Branach in a series which sees Inspector Kurt Wallander’s investigation uncovering wrongdoing and corruption that extends to the heart of the Swedish establishment.

Spooks is a very fine dramatic series as is Judge John Deed featuring Martin Shaw. Good detective work is the order of the day in the offbeat The Inspector Lynley Mysteries as well as in the more forceful Dalziel and Pascoe.

On BBC Knowledge, you can follow Michael Palin on a number of fascinating exploits as he moves around the world, getting to know new cultures and new terrains.

Over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, there will be a series of programmes dealing with the British Royal Family at work - dealing with such subjects as preparation for state banquets, visits abroad or royal garden parties. One of the programmes is dedicated to the two British princes William and Harry.