From Weatherfield to Walford to the Dales, Christmas week is set to bring big reveals, messy family rows and the kind of cliffhangers that do not wait for the turkey to go cold.
If you like your Christmas telly with a side order of secrets, storms and showdowns, the soaps have you covered this year.
Across Christmas week, Coronation Street and Emmerdale crank up the tension with relationships under pressure, old grudges bubbling back up and festive gatherings that look calm for about 30 seconds.
Over in EastEnders, Albert Square is in full Christmas mode, but it's the kind where carols turn into chaos in a heartbeat, and one bombshell can change everything.
Coronation Street
Monday 22 December, Virgin Media One and UTV, 8:00pm
Wednesday 24 December, Virgin Media One and UTV, 8:40pm
Thursday 25 December, Virgin Media One, 8:20pm / UTV, 7:15pm
Friday 26 December, Virgin Media One, 7:05pm / UTV, 7:00pm
Weatherfield is heading for a turbulent Christmas, with secrets spilling out, relationships under pressure and a shock on the cobbles that leaves everyone looking for answers.
Debbie's hen do is a disaster before it even gets going. While her friends wait for the bride-to-be, Debbie ignores messages and ends up calling to say she is in Leeds and will not be joining them.
Over at the stag do, Ronnie reveals Debbie wants him to have power of attorney and control of her finances, and Carl is left shaken as he listens in and then takes a phone call that clearly changes his mood.
Elsewhere, Eva is thrown when Susie starts talking about wanting a baby brother or sister. Ben is delighted by the idea, but Eva’s reaction suggests she is carrying something she cannot face. Adam tries to help by suggesting she write down her feelings, but the letter ends up in the worst possible hands.
Maggie finds it, and Christmas dinner quickly becomes less about festive cheer and more about Maggie using what she knows. With Ben already noticing the closeness between Eva and Adam, the tension builds towards a Secret Santa moment that threatens to blow the family apart.
Lisa is also left struggling after Carla asks to have her name taken off the mortgage. When Lisa sees Carla apparently enjoying herself abroad, it only adds to the hurt. Becky tries to coax Lisa into moving on and hints at rekindling their old life, but Lisa is torn. And as Costello shows signs of improving and is set to move to a rehab clinic, Becky’s panic rises, leading to a terrifying moment when Costello’s safety is suddenly at risk.
Christmas Day brings more fallout, with Carl and James taking things further while Carl’s phone buzzes unanswered nearby, and Abi could be heading for a shock she does not see coming. Meanwhile, Todd and Theo’s relationship is strained over Christmas lunch, and the atmosphere finally snaps.
On St Stephen’s Day, the street is still reeling from the events of Christmas when Evelyn discovers one resident slumped in the ginnel, attacked and left for dead, as Weatherfield is gripped by fear and the search for answers begins.
Emmerdale
Monday 22 December, Virgin Media One and UTV, 7:30pm
Tuesday 23 December, Virgin Media One, 7:30pm / UTV, 7.00pm
Wednesday 24 December, Virgin Media One, 8:10pm / UTV, 6:55pm
Thursday 25 December, Virgin Media One, 7:10pm / UTV, 6:15pm
Friday 26 December, Virgin Media One, 6:35pm / UTV, 6:30pm
Lydia makes an admission to Joe about her and Sam's responsibility for Kim’s misfortune and Joe is incandescent with rage. Meanwhile, Kim’s isolation deepens as she cancels the order for her family Christmas dinner. Joe returns to patch things up with Kim but she sends him packing. Soon alone at Home Farm, Kim falls and is in agony, unable to get up without assistance.
Elsewhere, the reign of terror on Robert and Aaron is only just getting started. Aaron initially suspects Ross of setting fire to trees outside his flat, but Ross has an alibi.
Aaron is perplexed when Robert heads off on a mystery errand. Vic and Aaron are increasingly concerned Robert appears to have vanished on Christmas day.
Surrounded by photos of the ghosts of Christmas past, Kim faces up to a blue Christmas all alone at Home Farm.
On Christmas Day, Paddy is missing his father (still unaccounted for by the family). At Celia’s farm, Christmas day is as bleak as any other for Bear and the other forced workers.
Vanessa and Charity are strong-armed into spending Christmas Day together. Charity's firefighting when Vanessa stays for Christmas dinner and Charity panics when Vanessa is drunk and Charity worries what she will say. Mack and Charity cuddle up happy to have each other at Christmas, but a threat looms.
In the Graveyard, Charles, Claudette and Jimmy console each other over the losses that have impacted respective Christmases.
Later in the week, Marlon feels uneasy, while someone has a big decision to make.
EastEnders
Monday 22 December, RTÉ One and BBC One, 7:30pm
Tuesday 23 December, RTÉ One and BBC One, 7:30pm
Wednesday 24 December, RTÉ One 7:20pm / BBC One, 6:55pm
Thursday 25 December, RTÉ One 7:20pm / BBC One, 6:55pm
Friday 26 December, RTÉ2, 7:45pm and 10:15pm / BBC One, 7:45pm and 9:45pm
As always, there's plenty of shocks and upsets coming up in EastEnders this festive season. On the day of Nigel’s film screening in Walford, Phil and Julie are preoccupied by their disagreement over his care options. The residents gather at the community centre for the screening when Sam makes a surprise arrival.
Kat is stunned when Julie drops the bombshell that Sam has been back in the country for months. Nigel gets up to make a speech but ends up fleeing the centre. Phil and Julie head out to search for him and start arguing about what is best for him. Their conversation is overheard by Nigel who demands to be left alone.
By himself in The Vic, Nigel confuses past memories with present as his dementia symptoms intensity. He is visited by familiar faces of Christmas past in the form of Pat Butcher and Barry Evans. When Phil and Julie find him, Phil has a heart-to-heart with Nigel as he prepares to tell him the truth.
Following the exposure of a secret, Max vents his frustrations among his family as Lauren and Jack try to damage control the situation. Max accepts advice from Zoe and makes a decision he may come to regret. Later, his actions make him unpopular in the Square, and he attempts to put things right with Oscar. Feeling let down by his dad once again, Oscar makes a revelation to Max which threatens to derail the Branning’s Christmas festivities…
On the day of Yolande’s carol service, Walford is abuzz with festive spirit. The Slaters attempt to support Zoe in the midst of her stalker ordeal. When Kat bumps into Sam in The Vic, she immediately questions whether she is Zoe’s stalker. Later, Kat and Alife head to the carol concert, but Zoe stays home where she makes a shocking discovery.
Christmas Day arrives in Albert Square, and the Slater/Moons prepare to celebrate their first Christmas being back together as a family in The Vic. Zoe is on tenterhooks following her discovery. The Vic’s community dinner gets off to a rocky start after the Slaters find themselves in an argument with another family.
No one could have predicted what was about to happen next, and the situation escalates - with catastrophic consequences for all involved. Police officers later swarm the Square as Walford reacts to the fallout of an explosive Christmas Day, with shocking secrets exposed and more questions than answers.
