BBC One’s festive schedule to feature most religious programming in four decades

The BBC’s Christmas Day schedules will feature the highest amount of religious programming in four decades, according to an analysis of yuletide television throughout the ages.

Families who settle down in front of BBC One on December 25 will notice a huge rise in religious programmes and high-quality dramas, while the amount of comedy has dipped to its lowest level in half a century.

An analysis of BBC’s One festive schedules, carried out by Radio Times magazine across a sample of previous years, shows that there will be 105 minutes of religious programming on Christmas Day, an amount not equalled since 1976.