The Radio 1 DJ’s are still in a festive mood as they introduce some of this year’s best sellers in today’s TOTP. Highlights include JoBoxers with (what else?) Boxer Beat, The Cure (resisting the temptation to get into a party mood) who give us The Lovecats and a very smart-looking Belle Starrs performing Sign of the Times. Throughout the show – as you’d expect from a Michael Hurll production – balloons are in plentiful supply.

Over on ITV there’s Stingray – A Christmas to Remember which is worth it for the skating scene alone (it still impresses me nearly 50 years on).

Highlight of the day is The Sooty Story – The First Thirty Years. I adore the behind the scenes footage and it’s so lovely to see Harry and Sooty back together.

Later on ITV there’s Shelley. We’ve reached series six, which saw Shelley living apart from Fran. Although some regard the Fran years as the best, I’ve a lot of time for the post Fran era – not least because it allowed Shelley the chance to interact with a wider group of characters (a lot of series four felt like it just revolved around Shelley and Fran sitting at the kitchen table, eyeing ever-growing piles of bills).

Today’s episode finds a curmudgeonly Shelley reluctantly joining a party next door (Rebecca Saire, Richard Austin, Yolanda Palfrey and Marsha Fitzalan play some of the bright young things guaranteed to make Shelley feel his age). Along with the series closer, which posed the question as to whether Shelley and Fran would ever get back together (spoiler – they don’t) it’s the strongest episode from this run. The series would then take a break before returning in 1988.