Five new BBC HD channels on Freeview in time for Christmas

Freesat is getting five new BBC HD channels tomorrow in time for Christmas specials of Sherlock, Doctor Who and much more.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor

Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.

Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology

See full bio

Richard Trenholm

Dec. 9, 2013 3:14 a.m. PT

2 min read

The BBC is launching five new HD channels tomorrow, as Auntie adds more detail to your telly in time for Christmas specials of Sherlock, Doctor Who and much more.

The five new high definition channels from the Big British Castle go live on 10 December on Freesat, Freeview, YouView, Sky and Virgin Media, in plenty of time for festive highlights such as Benedict Cumberbatch's resurrection as the seemingly-expired Sherlock Homes, and Peter Capaldi's regeneration as the new Doctor on Christmas Day.

The new channels are extra-detailed versions of BBC News, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies and CBBC. Along with the current BBC One HD and BBC Two HD and local versions of BBC One for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, this takes the total number of HD channels on Freesat all the way up to 11.

To find out which channels you need to direct your remote to for HD goodness, check out the official BBC announcement.

If you're a Freesat customer no longer willing to offend your ocular orbs with the visual muck that is standard definition, in the new year Freesat will add an HD Genre, a dedicated category for finding the crisp high definition channels all in one place.

Just think of the extreme detail in which you can enjoy Danny Dyer's boat race as he arrives in Eastenders, Mary Berry's pies in The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special, and Bruce Forsyth's, er, footwork in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. Find out more about the Beeb's festive highlights.

YouView is the online-connected version of Freeview, while Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite TV service jointly run by the BBC and ITV. It's basically Freeview for people who can't be bothered to pay for Sky any more, so keep their Sky dish and beam in free telly instead.

Are you a Freesat fan, do you favour Freeview, or is YouView your viewing choice? Tell me your thoughts on Christmas telly and the best way to watch in the comments or on our Facebook page.