The big New Years and New Years party
11:25 p.m., BBC One
It’s time to say ‘goodbye’ (or ‘good riddance’) until 2021. Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander, who helped many of us start this year with It’s a Sin, takes the reins. of animation for an hour. Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys help out with the music, and there’s a countdown break until midnight. Maybe – just maybe – we’re all about to have a better year. Hollie richardson
Top of the Pops New Years Special
4:15 p.m., BBC One
Clara Amfo and Jordan North are co-hosting a special TOTP, featuring sounds from Sam Fender, Lola Young and Mabel, as well as clips from the past 12 months from artists such as Billie Eilish and Arlo Parks. Ali catterall
The last stage of the year
9 p.m., Canal 4
Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe are hosting a two-hour deal on their usual weekend show to look back on the ups and downs of what has been a year to be forgotten, with guests including Joe Wilkinson, Ivo Graham, Nish Kumar and Vick Hope. House group Alex Horne and the Horne section provide the tunes live. TIME
Do I have news from 2021 for you
9:30 p.m., BBC One
A New Years special where Ian Hislop, Paul Merton and various guests witness the 2021 laughter riot in style. But where to start ? With revolting Trumpists? Skeptics of vaccines? Racist football fans? Racist politicians? As long as moaning about 2021 is like shooting fish in a barrel, it should be entertaining. Phil harrison
The Graham Norton New Year’s Eve Show
10:20 p.m., BBC One
Chat host Norton never fails to impress with his guest list on NYE. Claire Foy, Peter Dinklage, Michael Sheen, Cush Jumbo, Joe Lycett and Jessica Chastain (phew!) Deliver the anecdotes. The Divine Comedy offers live music, while the Big Red Chair goes global. TIME
Jools Annual Hootenanny
11:25 p.m., BBC Two
It’s Jools and his annual shindig, which might be the closest thing to a party this year. Ed Sheeran performs, while Lulu indulges in some of her greatest hits. One of the stars of 2021, Joy Crookes, is also stopping. Henri wong
Choice of films
The Lost Girl (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2021), Netflix
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel is an austere exploration of motherhood – its pleasures and burdens, as well as the general expectation that every woman should have parental feelings. It all comes from the story of Leda (the incomparable Olivia Colman) who is alone on vacation in a Greek seaside village. The appearance of Dakota Johnson’s unhappy young mom forces memories of Leda’s choices in the present (Jessie Buckley plays Leda in flashbacks) and awakens her pain. Simon wardell
Coco (Lee Unkrich, 2017) 2:40 p.m., BBC One
Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead celebrations provide fruitful subject matter for Pixar’s mingling of joy and us in this entertaining 2017 animated fantasy. Young aspiring musician Miguel tries to find out more about his alleged great-great-grandfather (the father of his beloved relative Coco), but after a magic trick he finds himself in the world of the dead. It’s a race against time to find his ancestor before he is trapped there forever. For a story about life with death, Lee Unkrich’s film is a remarkably joyful experience, with a soundtrack of fantastic Latin tunes. SW
When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989), 10:40 p.m., BBC Four
Tonight’s lineup of Rob Reiner’s 1989 romcom is no accident – its climax (no spoilers) scene is expected to happen around the time real-world people are singing in the New Year. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan do full justice to Nora Ephron’s scintillating storyline, as two New Yorkers in their twenties who have befriended for several years, despite clearly being made for each other. . Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher, as their respective best friends, offer their take on love, as does a series of fictional talking-head couples recalling how they first met. SW
