The Channel 5 dramas you need to watch before 2025 – from Dalgliesh to The Good Ship Murder’s Christmas Special
TV fans need to watch these Channel 5 dramas from Dalgleish to The Good Ship Murder’s Christmas Special before 2025 in preparation for their return.
Channel Five have revealed their much anticipated winter line up and there’s much to look forward to but make sure you catch up before they air.
All Creatures Great & Small Christmas Special
All Creatures Great and Small returns for its annual Christmas Special.
It follows on from series 5 which aired in autumn 2024 on Channel 5.
As the Skeldale family prepare for Christmas without the usual festive treats available, Mrs Hall comes up with a plan.
But the Skeldale family have to support her when she receives a worrying news bulletin.
A young boy arrives at the surgery with an abandoned fox cub and Mrs Hall feels a connection with the animal.
But when the fox needs help, Siegfried faces a difficult decision as to how best to care for the animal, whilst also looking after Mrs Hall.
Tristan is unhappy when he is given a mission involving pigeons so Siegfried sends him to see Enoch, a belligerent pigeon fancier.
But no matter what Tristan does, he can’t seen to win Enoch’s trust.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special
The Madame Blanc Mysteries Series will return to the world of Sainte Victoire for a seven episode series beginning with a Christmas Special.
Sally Lindsay leads the role of Jean White playing an antiques dealer and amateur sleuth.
She is the key to solving a slew of killings and mysteries set against the picturesque French village of Sainte Victoire.
However, will her new romance with her sidekick Dom Hayes, played by Steve Edge from Benidorm slow her down?
Sue Vincent from Shameless stars alongside them, as mechanic Gloria Beaushaw,
And reprising their roles as eccentric married couple Jeremy and Judith Llyod, will be Robin Askwith from Strike and Sue Holderness best known for her role in Only Fools and Horses.
Also back is fan favourite, Alex Gaumond from Derry Girls and Death In Paradise as Chief of Police André Caron.
The Good Ship Murder Christmas Special
Jack Grayling has traded his old life on the force for a new adventure on the high seas as a charming cruise ship singer.
But when murders disturbs the ship’s balance, Jack’s detective instincts kick back in.
Teaming up with Kate Woods who may be more than a friend to him, they start solving a host of mysteries.
In the upcoming Christmas special, the ship’s resident Santa falls ill, threatening to disappoint the passengers.
Bev puts Jack in charge of finding a replacement Santa, and his search leads him to Buddy, a veteran comedian in Dubrovnik who seems like the perfect fit.
Seizing the opportunity, Jamil volunteers to play an elf seeing it as his chance to shine on stage.
Meanwhile, Jack and Kate get closer when Jack tries to rekindle her festive spirit.
As they spend more time together, everyone wonders if they’ll end up together.
But there’s tension brewing between Kate and her ex Piers as they navigate working together after their breakup.
However, Piers faces a new career opportunity and considers a big decision about his future.
Bev, also receives a chance to change the course of her future.
Adding to the ship’s changing dynamic, the new Head of Security, Frankie, steps into her role and quickly makes her presence known.
Make sure you have caught up with the previous episodes before it airs.
Dalgliesh
It has been 18 months since viewers last saw Bertie Carvel play his beloved character Dalgleish on-screen so fans will be excited to hear of his return.
Dalgleish follows the published poet Adam Dalgliesh who has become a detective in the 1970s.
Over the last two series, viewers watched as he used his empathy and insight into the human psyche to investigate crimes and solve complicated mysteries.
The new season starts at the beginning of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister in 1979.
Commander Dalgleish will have to tackle three complex murder cases as he joins forces with friends in the force.
In the first mystery, he will make his way to a secluded seminary with DS Daniel Tarrant (Alistair Brammer), where almost everyone at the location has a motive.
He will then investigate the meaning of significant governmental ties to an affluent Mehta family in Essex.
Then he is off to deal with the threat of terrorists over a nuclear facility on the Kent Coast.
His former colleague Kate Miskin (Carlyss Peer) will then reunite with him as they pursue a serial killer together.
The new series will air on Thursday, December 5 and will continue with a new instalment the next day at 9pm.
Top Channel 5 dramas
Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.
- All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).
- The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.
- Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…
- Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.
- The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?
So grab a cup of tea and cosy up in front of the television.
You wouldn’t want to miss out on anything so catch up before 2025.