Paranormal & Weird Television For Christmas 2017

The first season of the German supernatural chiller, 'Dark' is available on Netflix now. The show is being described as a cross between 'Stranger Things' and a Scandi noir drama. The series revolves around a spate of missing children in a small town called Widen.

Just like 'Stranger Things', the series has a secretive organisation, flickering lights, other dimensions, and a stressed police chief.

The BBC is reviving a forgotten Christmas tradition this year, with a whole evening of ghost stories for Christmas. Although the annual Christmas Eve ghost stories haven't a been a regular part of a Christmas TV listing for a good few years, for decades it was a long-running tradition at the BBC.

Since the 1920s, ghost stories at Christmas were regularly broadcast on BBC radio. Then more recently, in the 70s, for eight years they broadcast a television version on December 24th, 'A Ghost Story For Christmas'.  Most of the stories portrayed by the BBC were from the Victorian era including those of M.R. James.

This year BBC Four are dedicating a whole night to spooky M.R. James stories. Starting from 9pm on Christmas Eve when Mark Gatiss brings us 'Ghost Story', a documentary looking into the life and works of M.R. James. This is followed by two hours of M.R. James classics.

The night draws to a close with two of Christopher Lee’s 'Ghost Stories For Christmas', 'The Stalls Of Barchester', and 'A Warning To The Curious', followed by 'A View From A Hill'.

Mark Gatiss steps into the mind of M.R. James, the English master of the supernatural story.

Terrifying spirits are unleashed in this chilling ghost story by M.R. James.

M.R. James ghost story. An academic has his sleep disturbed by the subject of his research.

Charles Dickens's ghost story in which a signalman is haunted by a hooded figure.

A fearful tale of intrigue, murder and the haunted Stalls of Barchester.

A horrific account of the discovery of the last of the legendary East Anglian Crowns.

An archaeologist is sent to authenticate a collection and finds a gruesome local legend.

Set in an alternative near-future, the fourth season of Charlie Brooker's dark drama 'Black Mirror' comes to Netflix on December 29th, with six new episodes available to stream.

The stories in the new series range from a 'Star Trek' like episode, to a black and white film about a woman's attempts to survive a dangerous land full of "dogs."

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's 'Inside No. 9' often delves into unusual and even paranormal themes and the show returns for a fourth series early in the new year.

So far the BBC have kept details of the new series under wraps, but look out for cameos from Zoë Wanamaker, Noel Clarke, Emilia Fox, and the brilliant Kevin Eldon, to name just a few.

Pemberton and Shearsmith have said the new series is "a real mix of styles and genres, including one really brilliant episode and one really disappointing one. We look forward to viewers debating which is which."

Saturday, December 23 - 1.35pm

Christmas Eve - 12.55pm

Christmas Day - 3.10pm

Wednesday, December 27 - 8pm

Thursday, December 28 - 8pm

Friday, December 29 - 8pm

Saturday, December 30 - 8pm

Sunday, December 31 - 7.50pm