Servings of BBC leftovers on TV

BBC1 is resurrecting the ghosts of Christmas past for its festive line-up this year.

Three veteran comedies, The Vicar of Dibley, Auf Wiedersehen Pet and Absolutely Fabulous, form the centrepiece of the channel's Christmas schedule. The combined age of the old friends is 43.

To add to the feeling of deja vu, there will be a seasonal visit to Austria for a 40th anniversary special about another favourite, The Sound of Music.

For the last three years the perennial comedy Only Fools and Horses has been the mainstay of BBC1's Christmas Day viewing, but last year it finally drew to a close. Now it has been replaced by other old retainers. The Vicar of Dibley, starring Dawn French, which first appeared in 1994, is the main highlight of Christmas Day.

In an effort to update the series which was last seen five years ago, the new episode features a lesbian plotline involving model Rachel Hunter, who is seen in skimpy underwear.

The sitcom is joined by the final outing for Auf Wiedersehen Pet, which began life in 1983 on ITV. The cast say farewell with an episode set in Thailand.

Absolutely Fabulous, which began in 1992, is also back on BBC1 this Christmas, with a new episode starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as the hedonistic Edwina and Patsy.

The BBC's £ 3million signing Graham Norton is fronting The Sound of Music 40th Anniversary Special. And there will be a musical yuletide edition of EastEnders in which members of the cast perform songs, fronted by Shane Richie, who plays Alfie Moon.

However there are some newcomers this Christmas. The hit series Strictly Come Dancing has an ice-dance special, featuring Paul Gascoigne among others.

Kate Winslet's voice stars in a new natural history animated comedy about a family of lions, called Pride.

Also on the cards this Christmas is the return of impressionist Alistair McGowan in The Big Impression.

Dramas include a new mystery for Sherlock Holmes to solve, called in Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Season.

BBC1 is also premiering blockbuster Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was the first film outing for the boy wizard. Other hit films due to premiere over the Christmas period to encourage families to watch BBC1 include Shrek. Children are also catered for with a festive edition of Postman Pat.

BBC1 traditionally wins the Christmas Day ratings battle but audiences have been falling across the board. Last year the total number of people watching TV on December 25 fell by one million to 27million.

A BBC spokesman said: 'With four original dramas for Christmas and a host of new entertainment shows being screened for the first time, plus arts and religion, we think it's one of our strongest Christmas schedules.'