From Saturday 18 December until Friday 31 December, Virgin TV customers with a Virgin TV 360 or V6 box can enjoy our Virgin TV UHD channel (CH 228/999) at no extra cost.
Here’s a few of pixel-perfect performances you can look forward to 👇
The RSC Presents: The Tempest
Monday 20 December, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
If you can’t make it to the theatre, then the theatre shall come to you! A showing of Shakespeare’s finest begins with The Tempest, where sorcerer Prospero creates a magical storm to wreak havoc with a ship containing his enemies. When the men wake up, they find themselves on Prospero’s island, where they are tested at every turn.
The RSC Presents: Twelfth Night
Tuesday 21 December, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
This comedy about a case of mistaken identity is influenced by the traditional themes of end of Christmas celebrations. Twins Viola and Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck, each believing the other dead. When Viola disguises herself as a young man, there’s head-scratching and unrequited love all round.
The RSC Presents: Macbeth
Wednesday 22 December, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
Call it the Scottish play or call it the Bard’s play, but don’t call it by its actual name in a theatre for fear of bestowing bad luck. That’s right, it’s Macbeth, where the titular character meets three witches, who set him on a murderous path. “Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble…”
Charlie Wilson’s War
Wednesday 22 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
A congressman (Tom Hanks), a socialite (Julia Roberts) and a CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) walk into a bar… not really, but they do come together to boost funding for covert operations in Afghanistan. These contribute to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in this film based on a miraculous true story.
Swan Lake
Thursday 23 December, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
This crowd-pleasing ballet with a majestic score from Tchaikovsky is the perfect thing to get you in the Christmas spirit. It follows Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with the stunning Odette, who is a swan by day and a human by night. Can true love break the spell?
The Visit
Thursday 23 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
From writer-director M Night Shyamalan comes this found-footage comedy horror film that hits the sweet spot of both genres. Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) go to stay with their grandparents, who they have never met before. The rules of the house are:
- Have a great time.
- Eat as much as you want.
- Don’t ever leave your room after 9.30pm.
They soon find out a bit more about number three…
The Nutcracker
Christmas Eve, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one Tchaikovsky score, so after tuning in for Swan Lake, sit back and enjoy the enchanting tale of The Nutcracker. It was Toy Story before Toy Story, where young Clara’s toys come to life at midnight. The Nutcracker himself, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King await!
The Danish Girl
Christmas Eve, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
The Oscar-winning film stars Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander as couple Einar and Gerda, who are landscape and portrait artists. After Einar poses as a female model for one of Gerda’s paintings, it ignites in him the desire to undergo the world’s first gender reassignment operation.
Steve Jobs
Christmas Day 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
’Tis the season for black turtlenecks, so Steve Jobs is the perfect choice for Christmas Day viewing. Michael Fassbender plays the Apple Inc co-founder with astute attention to detail, not only in Jobs’ professional life, but his personal one as well. Aspects of his personality will surprise you in this illuminating film about the man who revolutionised the tech world.
An American In Paris: The Musical
Boxing Day, 2pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
George and Ira Gershwin’s award-winning musical, about US GI Jerry Mulligan and dancer Lise, comes to the screen in all its show-stopping glory.
The Adjustment Bureau
Boxing Day, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
Do you believe in fate? If you do, this is just the film for you. It’s based on Philip K Dick’s short story Adjustment Team from 1954. David (Matt Damon) notices a group of people are actually controlling what seem like chance events in his life, but then something out of the ordinary happens. He meets Elise (Emily Blunt), which wasn’t meant to happen, but now he wants to fight for her to remain in his life. This one’s a real thinker.
Green Zone
Monday 27 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
If you’re a fan of Matt Damon and the Bourne series, Green Zone will be right up your street. It’s even directed by Paul Greengrass, who directed three of the Bourne films, so you know it’s a winning combo. The story is based on a non-fiction book written by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran about life within the Green Zone in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Damon plays US Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon), who is searching for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
Public Enemies
Tuesday 28 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
During a wave of crime in 1930s America, real-life gangsters John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) ran the show, but President Hoover (Billy Crudup) is determined to bring them down. It’s also an interesting look at how the FBI emerged, with Christian Bale playing top agent Melvin Purvis.
The Kingdom
Wednesday 29 December, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)
Federal agent Ron Fleury (Jamie Foxx) is given one week to gather a team to infiltrate and destroy a terrorist cell in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The plot is based on the 1996 bombing of the Khobar housing complex, the two 2003 bombings of four compounds in Riyadh and the 2004 Khobar massacre.
