1 January

Attenborough And The Mammoth Graveyard

Watching Attenborough over the festive period just feels so very right – that’s why we’re excited to see in the new year with one of our most beloved documentary makers and narrators.

The synopsis reads: “Four years ago, a couple walking round a freshly dug gravel pit just outside Swindon noticed something unusual protruding from the mud. It was the top of a huge fossilised leg bone of a mammoth. Sally and Neville Hollingworth, both keen amateur fossil hunters, had stumbled across the discovery of a lifetime – a mammoth graveyard in the old prehistoric riverbed of the Thames.”

Exploring this discovery will be Attenborough and a team of archaeologists and palaeontologists as they carefully excavate the quarry where the bones were found.

When to watch: 1:20pm on BBC One

Doctor Who: Eve Of The Daleks

Get lost in a world of Tardises and Daleks as the Doctor’s nemesis makes a return for this one-off special.

The synopsis reads: “On New Year’s Eve, the appearance of an executioner Dalek means Sarah and Nick’s countdown to midnight will be the strangest and deadliest they have ever known. Can the Doctor, Yaz and Dan save them?”

When to watch: 7pm on BBC One

The Tourist

The enigmatic new BBC drama is hitting our screens on the first day of the new year and the excitement is very real. The Tourist throws us straight into the Australian outback where Jamie Dornan (The Fall) stars as a British man being pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road.

The epic cat and mouse chase leaves the man waking up hurt in hospital, but somehow alive. The twist? He has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.

As the synopsis says: “Will he unlock the secrets of his identity before those who are trying to kill him catch up with him?”

When to watch: 9pm on BBC One

Return To Hogwarts

Potterheads, what better way to ring in 2022 than reminiscing over the fantastical world of Harry Potter? The highly anticipated reunion will see the original cast reunite to mark the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first film: Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.

According to HBO Max, the special New Year’s Day show will “tell an enchanting making-of story through all-new, in-depth interviews and cast conversations”.

When to watch: 1 January on HBO Max

Hangover TV: the best new releases to watch on New Year’s Day 2022 from BBC, Netflix, Disney+