BBC Two announces The 12 Drinks Of Christmas with Alexander Armstrong and Giles Coren

BBC Two is getting right into the Christmas spirit this year with The 12 Drinks Of Christmas. In a perfect pairing, Alexander Armstrong and Giles Coren will be putting all sorts of booze to the test to create their definitive Christmas selection pack.

It will be important they get it right, because for Alexander and Giles, Christmas is about enjoying time with their families. Which in their case is each other, since they’re brothers-in-law. So just like the rest of us, they spend much of the festive season indoors eating and drinking and, every year, exactly what’s drunk in the Armstrong-Coren family is the subject of some debate. In this hour-long programme, Giles and Alexander intend to settle this controversy once and for all.

They’ll be looking for 12 different festive drinks they can agree on, ranging from the best Christmas Eve cocktail to the wine to serve with lunch, the brandy to give them their Christmas spirit, a wassail punch and the ultimate eggnog.

Giles says: “This year, Xander and I are not just getting blotto at Christmas, we’re looking into WHY we’re getting blotto at Christmas, and how best to do it. We’re seeking answers to the big cultural questions such as ’eggnog or mulled wine, dear?’ and asking ’what would Jesus have drunk?’”

Alexander says: “At last we have the opportunity to nail that most complicated issue that dogs the end of each year: the one that starts with the question ’What are you having?’. We’ve done all the work so you don’t need to and here - after back-breaking research - we reveal the very best things with which to fill your glass this winter.”

The 12 Drinks Of Christmas was commissioned by Alison Kirkham, Head of Commissioning, Factual Features & Formats and Janice Hadlow, Controller of BBC Two. It is executive produced by Alison Kirkham for the BBC and Claire Collinson-Jones for Hat Trick Productions.