Pat Fitzpatrick: Motherland, Happy Valley... here’s what I’ll be watching this Christmas

Mrs Brown’s Boys is basically a joke in a Christmas cracker. Any other time of the year, you’d make a face. But here you are, in a scorching hot front room with a bunch of people who get on your nerves after a big feed. Finding something familiar to put a smile on everyone’s face is the only way to go. 

Motherland's Christmas special is a must in our house 

Motherland: Last Christmas (December 23, 9:30, BBC One) is a must in our house. I’m not sure if you need to have kids to appreciate this comedy about a gang of mostly middle-class Moms and one Dad in London. As kids hardly feature, probably not.

With a fourth series in the offing, this episode throws open their houses as they deal with divorce, alcohol, anxiety, and the odd bit of love.