How to stand out in the battle of the Christmas TV reviews

Spoilers allowed: most readers are coming to our reviews for a fresh take, not a recommendation

From Watership Down and The ABC Murders to Call the Midwife and Les Misérables, it’s been a busy time for a TV critic. But then it’s the same every year: stuffed full of turkey, most likely drunk, we all like to gather round the telly and vegetate in front of a cavalcade of supposed Christmas crackers.

As the Indy’s head of culture, I pinpointed the programmes we’d need to review back at the start of December, when the schedules were announced. From there, I contacted the relevant PRs, made sure we had access to everything on preview and went about commissioning our excellent TV critics.

In terms of reviewing, the guiding rule now is that you can no longer assume any kind of loyalty.