New Year’s Day on TV and BBC iPlayer – The Traitors, The Night Manager, Sir David Attenborough’s Wild London and more
Published: 31 December 2025
From thrilling entertainment to unmissable drama, Sir David Attenborough and more, there’s no shortage of great TV to kick off 2026.
Here’s just a taste of what’s on offer on iPlayer and BBC TV on New Year’s Day…
New Year’s Day TV
New Year’s Day Concert Live from Vienna
BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, 10.15am
Petroc Trelawny presents the traditional New Year’s Day concert live from Vienna. Watched by an audience of millions around the world, the Vienna Philharmonic start the new year in customary fashion at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, bringing their message of hope, friendship and peace.
Conducting for the first time is the Canadian-born Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a conductor committed to rarely performed works. The waltzes, gallops and polkas from the Strauss dynasty and their contemporaries take centre stage, but they are heard alongside pieces being performed at the concert for the very first time, including works by Josephine Weinlich and Florence Price.
As always, the concert concludes with the ever-popular By the Beautiful Blue Danube and the foot-stamping Radetsky March.
Catch highlights on BBC Four from 7pm.
The Traitors at the Proms
BBC One and BBC iPlayer, 2pm
By order of the Traitors, you’re invited to a spine-tingling concert inspired by our favourite murder mystery game’s tense and haunting soundtrack. Claudia Winkleman presents a concert featuring melodramatic versions of pop tunes heard on The Traitors from Britney Spears’ Toxic to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy. There are also dramatic classical favourites including O Fortuna from Carmina Burana and Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem, plus an exclusive new take on the series’ famous theme tune written by composer Sam Watts.
Joined by famous faces from past series as well as characters from the challenges, this is a musical invitation into the world of The Traitors for all fans – whether you’re a Faithful or a Traitor.
Wild London
BBC One and BBC iPlayer, 6.30pm
After a life spent travelling the globe, the world’s most famous naturalist turns his attention closer to home to explore the wildlife of England’s iconic capital. Having lived in London for 75 years, Sir David has an intimate knowledge of the city’s natural history and there’s no better guide to introduce us to its most spectacular wildlife secrets.
London is considered the greenest major city in the world, with a surprising variety of animal dramas playing out in the most unexpected places. Whether it’s herds of deer invading gardens, pigeons commuting by tube, snakes slithering along Regent’s canal, parakeets raiding green spaces, or seagulls learning new ways to make a killing in the city, David reveals the incredible wild encounters to be experienced across his home town.
EastEnders
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
BBC iPlayer and BBC One, 7.30pm
Viewers will follow Max Branning exactly a year on from present day as he finds himself in a situation which will have huge consequences for not only himself, but also his family
In typical Branning fashion, Max finds himself at the epicentre of the drama, and with multiple situations unfolding at once, it becomes clear that 2026 has many secrets waiting to be discovered, and a whole heap of trouble that would be hard for any one person to talk themselves out of.
Whilst flashing forward to 2027, the episode will provide tantalising clues about what the future holds for Max, and those around him over the course of the year.
The Traitors
BBC One and BBC iPlayer – 8pm
Claudia Winkleman hosts the ultimate reality game of trust and treachery with new twists and new players.
Time to take to the edge of your seat once more as 22 people from across the UK descend on a Scottish castle to win up to £120k. Let the mind games begin…
Catch The Traitors: Uncloaked on iPlayer and BBC Two from 9.05pm
The Night Manager
BBC One and BBC iPlayer – 9.05pm
Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) thought he’d buried his past. Now living as Alex Goodwin – a low-level MI6 officer running a quiet surveillance unit in London – his life is comfortingly uneventful. Then one night a chance sighting of an old Roper mercenary prompts a call to action and leads Pine to a violent encounter with a new player: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva).
On this perilous new journey, Pine meets Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone), a businesswoman who reluctantly helps him infiltrate Teddy’s Colombian arms operation. Once in Colombia, Pine is plunged deep into a deadly plot involving arms and training of a guerrilla army. As allegiances splinter, Pine races to expose a conspiracy designed to destabilise a nation. And with betrayal at every turn, he must decide whose trust he needs to earn and how far he’s willing to go before it’s too late.
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