Sounds Like It’s Christmas on Channel 4

It’s the most wonderful time of year and nothing gets us in the festive mood more than the songs that soundtrack Christmas. Now, Ken Bruce is here to curate decades of Yuletide melodies and put together the ultimate Christmas playlist.

In this one-off seasonal special made by Gold Wala, we hear from some of the stars behind the hits as they share the stories behind their own Chrimbo classics, as well as choosing their favourite tinsel-covered tracks of all time. 

Jona Lewie tells us about stopping the cavalry, Boney M’s Liz Mitchell reminisces about Mary’s Boy Child, Roy Wood wonders whether he still wishes it could be Christmas every day and Tony Mortimer recalls the poignant story behind East 17’s number one smash, Stay Another Day. 

Also adding their picks to the Yuletide mix are The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins, ska legend Pauline Black, pop producer supremo Pete Waterman, radio presenter Lauren Layfield and Walking in the Air icon Aled Jones. Plus, Paul Young recalls one of the most iconic moments in pop history. 

Ken Bruce said: “Over the decades there have been thousands of Christmas tracks, from the classics to the novelty and the lesser known. Now I’m here to deliver the ultimate mix tape of the best festive songs to soundtrack this holiday season, helped along the way by some of the most well-known faces from the world of Christmas music. We hope you enjoy our playlist of Christmas hits.”

Sounds Like It’s Christmas with Ken Bruce is a 1x60’ programme for Channel 4, commissioned by Jasper Hone, Commissioning Executive, Lifestyle, and Jo Street, Head of Lifestyle and Director of Commissioning, Nations and Regions.

The programme is funded by Channel 4 and GroupM Motion Entertainment’s Diverse Indies Fund. The Diverse Indies Fund was set up to support small and medium-sized ethnically diverse-led independent production companies to produce new projects. The fund is overseen by Vivienne Molokwu, Senior Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 and Deep Sehgal, Head of Creative Diversity at GroupM Motion Entertainment. 

Sounds Like It’s Christmas with Ken Bruce is produced by Gold Wala and GroupM Motion Entertainment. The Executive Producer for Gold Wala is Faraz Osman with Melanie Darlaston as Executive Producer for GroupM Motion Entertainment.

Jasper Hone, Commissioning Executive for Channel 4, said: “It doesn’t truly feel like Christmas until those classic songs are playing non-stop and it’s a privilege to hear the stories behind them from some of the legends who lived them, all brought together by the inimitable Ken Bruce. We all have a favourite Christmas song, but will yours make it into Ken’s ultimate mix?”

Gold Wala MD and Executive Producer Faraz Osman said: “It’s been a gift to build on the success of our special Sounds Like The 80s, bringing together another group of incredible music greats to select the songs that mean the most to them at Christmas. Our brilliant team has pulled off another cracker of a show that’s sure to have you singing along and ringing out the festive bells!”

Melanie Darlaston, Head of Factual (UK) and Executive Producer for GroupM Motion Entertainment, said: “There’s nothing like a festive song to make you feel warm and fuzzy, and there’s no one more qualified than Ken Bruce to guide you through the best of the best! So, don your Christmas jumper and enjoy!”