Hootenanny to pop discos: What’s on TV on New Year’s Eve?

The festive season may nearly be over but there’s one final celebration to enjoy — New Year’s Eve.

As usual, broadcasters such as BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 have a range of special programming lined up to help you celebrate the end of 2024.

Whether you fancy a classic film or want to ring in the new year with a pop superstar, there’s something for everyone.

Here are our top TV picks for New Year’s Eve… ​

ITV1’s first film of the day is Grease which, at 47 years old, largely stands the test of time (apart from a couple of lyrics which haven’t aged too well).

If you’re still hosting loved ones, this crowd-pleaser will delight all generations.

Celia Imrie narrates this celebration of one of the UK’s greatest talents, the late Dame Maggie Smith.

The legendary actress’s death in September, at the age of 89, sparked an outpouring of tributes and this repeat will air just a few days after Smith would have turned 90.

The first of this year’s musical NYE extravaganzas will air nice and early on ITV1.

Filmed at Wembley Arena, it’ll feature live performances from artists such as Craig David, Olly Alexander and the House Gospel Choir. It will also include an extra-special Cirque du Soleil display. Fleur East and Vernon Kay are on hosting duties.

Black Panther, starring the late Chadwick Boseman, transcends the superhero genre — and even the snobbiest of movie buffs will admit it’s nothing short of brilliant.

Boseman plays T’Challa, who returns to his ancestral home of Wakanda to assume the throne but finds Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) standing in his way. The Oscar-nominated soundtrack features the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jorja Smith and SZA.

Don’t fancy Black Panther? One alternative is 2021’s No Time to Die.

Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond sees the spy’s quiet life in Jamaica interrupted when an old associate’s call pulls him back into his old world. The movie features plenty of characters familiar to Bond aficionados and a new villain, expertly played by Rami Malek.

Warning: you won’t need to have seen Craig’s previous Bond movies to enjoy this one, but it certainly would help.

Various guests will join regular hosts Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe, and Alex Brooker as they humorously and irreverently recap the past 12 months,

Strictly Come Dancing champion Chris McCausland, EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy and Big Brother host AJ Odudu will be among the celebrities joining them in the studio, as they remember some of the most absurd moments of 2024.

Now this is what you call festive. Channel 5’s shining star Jane McDonald will be belting out classic hits with the help of some famous faces.

This inexplicably finishes at 11.30pm so if you stick with Channel 5 for the big countdown, you’ll be ringing in the new year while watching talking heads round up Britain’s favourite 80s songs.

Rami Malek, Strictly’s Motsi Mabuse and John Bishop are joining Graham Norton to look back at their favourite moments of 2024 in this NYE special of the Irish star’s talk show.

Robbie Williams will also be present and perform his 2000 hit Rock DJ. And, of course, the celebs will hear some funny stories from audience members in the red chair.

The Squeeze pianist’s eclectic range of guests includes classic rockers the Boomtown Rats and Roger Taylor from Queen, as well as rising star CMAT and Jade Thirwall, whose post-Little Mix solo career has taken off in a big way this year.

As usual, Holland will be counting down the seconds to midnight before the Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards play us into 2025.

If you fancy closing 2024 with a pop-packed playlist, then BBC One is where it’s at.

Sophie Ellis Bextor’s kitchen disco is getting a snazzy upgrade but don’t worry – she’ll still be performing tracks that will have you dancing around the living room.

And if you’ve always fancied seeing the fireworks on the Thames but can’t quite bring yourself to face the crowds, then BBC One has that covered too. Ellis-Bextor’s disco will break for 10 minutes at the stroke of midnight as the BBC airs the central London display for you to enjoy without even leaving the house (which surely warrants an extra glass of bubbly).