Digital TV News

Sky 1 cracks open the Christmas crackers this weekend

Tuesday 13 December, 2011

By Kelvin Goodson

The satellite channels Christmas schedule begins to get into gear on Sunday.

Sky 1’s Christmas schedule will really kick off this weekend, with the satellite channel beginning to broadcast programmes commissioned for this year’s festive season.

Getting the festive bandwagon rolling on Sunday at 6pm is Noel’s Christmas Presents 2011, which will see beardy comeback kid Noel Edmonds giving out gifts to recognise and reward “the country’s most deserving individuals”.

This Christmas special will look at the stories of 42-year-old Andrea Thompson and 11-year-old Dylan Ward, nominated for their charity work.

Andrea’s son Jordan died in 2007 from acute myeloid leukaemia and, in his memory, she set-up The Jordan David Thompson Memorial Fund for Teenage Cancer Trust North East. Dylan has been raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support since the loss of his grandad to bowel cancer two years ago.

Other participants include the four children of Steve Carter, 38, who have supported him since the death of his wife and their mother Denise during childbirth, and Olivia Hart, eight, who has been devoted to caring for her twin five-year-old brothers, Spencer and Harvey, who have Down’s syndrome.

Also starting on Sunday will be the new second series of Little Crackers, 11 15-minute-long autobiographical films written and in some cases directed by British comedians.

The first two to be shown from 9pm will be those by former Eastender Barbara Windsor - about an up-and-coming young actress - and comedian/presenter Jack Whitehall, whose film is about taking advice from Robin Hood.

These will be followed by films from Alan Davies, Harry Hill, Jane Horrocks, scouse funnyman John Bishop, Johnny Vegas, former Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay, The Kumars at No. 42 comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar, Iranian stand-up comedian Shappi Korsandi and Gavin & Stacey actress Sheridan Smith.

Noel’s Christmas Presents 2011 and Little Crackers will appear on both Sky 1 and the high-definition (HD) version of the channel, Sky 1 HD.