This starry half-hour anniversary special captures the spirit of the original TV show at points, and will delight younger viewers. But Kermit’s voice takes some getting used to …

The Muppet Show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Or so it is alleged. Obviously this cannot be true, because it would mean that all of us who remember gathering around the television for the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational half hour of the week must also be … Well, anyway. Let us not dwell.

Let us remember instead the magic that ensued as Jim Henson’s creation unfurled before us, as the chaotic troupe of puppets put on their traditional vaudeville show. The permanent cast included the inimitable Miss Piggy (“I don’t care what you think of me. Unless you think I am awesome, in which case you are right”), Gonzo, the Swedish Chef, sombre patriot Sam Eagle (“Freakos one, civilisation zero”), assorted pigs (often in space), scientist Dr Bunsen Honeydew and his heartbreakingly hapless assistant Beaker (the latter granting some of us our first stirrings of true empathy), and many, many chickens. There was also a guest appearance each episode by a famous human comedian, actor or musician. It could be anyone from Julie Andrews to Dudley Moore, as long as they could be trusted to play it straight and believe in their co-stars. It was all held together, if only just, by earnest, frazzled host and stage manager Kermit the Frog and his assistant, Scooter, despite constant heckling from the exquisitely cantankerous Statler and Waldorf looking down on the show, in every sense, from their box seats.

Australian children’s cartoon series about a family of blue heelers has yet to announce a new season

Australian-made animated series Bluey was the most streamed show in the US for the second year in a row, topping Nielsen’s annual year-end streaming charts for 2025.

US viewers watched 45.2bn minutes of the show on Disney+ according to Nielsen, down from 55.62bn in 2024, but still impressive given the show comprises 154 episodes – most of them less than 10 minutes’ long.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s heartwarming kids’ tales have become a cosy festive fixture on the BBC. Ahead of this year’s offering of The Scarecrows’ Wedding, we ask: which is the all-time Christmas cracker?

They’re now as much a part of the Christmas Day schedules as the monarch’s boring speech and a bafflingly popular Mrs Brown’s Boys special. Animated adaptations of the picture books by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler have become a feelgood seasonal institution.

It’s a cosy tradition that began with The Gruffalo in 2009 and has since become a festive fixture, taking pride of place on BBC One on Christmas afternoon. The voice casts are always impressively A-list, with Rob Brydon the only constant. This year’s kid-calmer is The Scarecrows’ Wedding, making it 13 entries in the canon and counting. But which is the all-time Christmas cracker? We’ve ranked them all from worst to best …

The broadcaster becomes president of Humanists UK in the new year. She talks about juggling TV work with single motherhood, losing her husband, and why she’d rather have specialised in acting

Janet Ellis is exactly as you might remember her from her days as a Blue Peter presenter: elfin movements, lively eyes, a penetrating aspect that could smell bullshit a mile away but would never be so discourteous as to mention it. She lives in London with her 21-year-old grandson and a gentle Italian spinone called Angela, who follows her everywhere. The dog is a surprise, being the size of a horse. It adds an element of slightly fairytale jeopardy to the scene, as you watch them pad down the stairs and think, “What happens the day Angela decides to go a bit faster?”

Ellis, 70, will become the next president of Humanists UK at the start of 2026, taking over from the geneticist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford. She supports the group’s campaigns – for secular schools and assisted dying laws. More broadly, she says she has “always been struck” by its “steady calmness” – a port of irreligious decency in stormy times. “Since I was a child, I’ve found the idea of prioritising what came next over this bit a really weird concept. Everything starts and finishes in our minds.”