1960s Christmas TV – What Britain Was Watching On Christmas Day In The Sixties

Discover what 1960s Christmas TV looked like — from Christmas Night With The Stars to the Queen’s Speech. A wonderful look at festive television in the sixties!

Last updated: May 2026

1960s Christmas TV was a wonderfully warm and gloriously simple affair, a world away from today’s wall to wall festive scheduling and on demand streaming.

From the legendary Christmas Night With The Stars to the surprising story of the Queen’s Speech.

The sixties gave us some of the most beloved and fondly remembered Christmas television moments in British broadcasting history.

Christmas Night With The Stars – The Crown Jewel Of 1960s Christmas TV

Christmas Night With The Stars was the absolute highlight of the 1960s Christmas television calendar, a gloriously festive variety show that had evolved from the BBC Television Christmas Party back in 1958 and remained a beloved fixture until 1972.

Cliff Richard rubbed shoulders with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise in ten minute comedy and musical slots that packed more festive joy into a single evening than most modern Christmas schedules manage across an entire week.

The Queen’s Speech – Not Always At 3pm!

In 1960 the Queen’s Speech aired at 1pm, not the traditional 3pm we know today. In 1963 it aired even earlier at 9:30am which must have made for a very unusual Christmas morning indeed.

Even more remarkably in 1969 there was no Queen’s Speech at all. The official reason was that following the release of the Royal Family documentary the royals had simply spent too much time in the public spotlight that year. Imagine Christmas Day without the King’s Speech – almost unthinkable today!

Coronation Street And The Soaps In The 1960s

Coronation Street launched on ITV in December 1960 and quickly became one of the most watched programmes on British television.

In 1961 1963 1967 and 1968 Coronation Street aired on Boxing Day rather than Christmas Day itself. Imagine Christmas Day with NO soaps!

Watch 1960s Christmas TV Today

BBC iPlayer: Selected classic Christmas programmes are available to stream including vintage Morecambe and Wise specials. 🔗Shop Morecambe And Wise Christmas Shows DVD

YouTube: A brilliant free source for classic 1960s Christmas TV clips and full programmes now out of copyright.

DVD collections: Classic Christmas TV box sets make wonderful nostalgic Christmas gifts. 🔗 Shop 1960s Christmas DVDs and Music.

More Christmas 1960s TV Shows

Just like today where Mrs Browns Boys, EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing who all release an exclusive special’s just for Christmas day, during the 1960s your television was packed full of festive only shows too, this included:

• Christmas at Canterbury
• Christmas Night with the Stars
• The Ken Dodd Show
• Top Of The Pops
• Save the Children: Appeal
• The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show

1960s Christmas TV was a simpler and in many ways more magical time.

When the whole nation sat down together to watch the same programmes and shared the same moments of laughter wonder and festive joy.

The Christmas Night With The Stars the Queen’s Speech and those early Coronation Street episodes were not just television they were the very fabric of a British Christmas that millions of people still remember with enormous warmth and affection today.

👉 Curious about what Britain was eating on Christmas Day in the sixties? Don’t miss our 1960s Christmas Dinner for a wonderfully retro festive feast!