With the festive season upon us, Luke, Matt and Dawn and various other members of the wider Custard TV team reflect on the year in television, get merry, and in the case of Dawn, recite poetry to top off the year on the podcast.

Matt and Dawn are joined by Mo Walker for their last proper podcast of 2025. They review the return of Stranger Things on Netflix, the latest Doctor Who project The War Between The Land and The Sea on the BBC and Sky's upcoming take on Amadeus starring former White Lotus star Will Sharpe.

Lastly, they look at Simon Cowell's new Netflix series, which follows the former X Factor judge as he attempts to form a new boyband in a new age of music.

To mark 500 episodes of the podcast we get the old band back together. Matt, Luke and Gary reunite with the newest member Dawn to count down their favourite shows that have debuted over the course of the 14 years of the custard TV Podcast. Thank you all for your tremendous support over the years and here's to the next 500 episodes!!

Matt and Dawn are joined by TV fan Tyler to review four brand new shows available this week. Matt Smith stars in Sky's new drama Bunny Monroe which really surprises the team. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys join forces in Netflix's pulpy drama The Beast in Me, Channel 5 revive TV tradition in their take on Play For Today. Lastly, Nicole Lecky brings her new series Wild Cherry to BBC One. Even if it doesn't feel quite right for a BBC One audience.

Finally, how many new era Doctor Who characters can Dawn and Whovian Tyler name?

Luke, Dawn and Matt are back to review four shows available this week. Beginning with Vince Gilligan's sci-fi genre-bending new series Pluribus which is now available on Apple TV. After a long time in his own Breaking Bad Universe, the acclaimed showrunner is back with a completely original idea, which is best seen without knowing anything about. The trio discuss the first two episodes, which are available on Apple TV now.

Succession's Sarah Snook stars in a surprisingly effective new thriller All Her Fault, which sees Snook's working mother discover her son has been kidnapped. Next, from Channel 4 there's period drama Trespasses which looks at a dangerous love affair during the troubles. Lastly, more celebrities are abroad in a new series of Celebrity Race Across The World.

For the quiz, how many nominees of Best Drama Series at the Emmy's can Matt and Dawn name?

Matt and Luke fire up their TV Time Machine to travel to November 2000 to revisit the final episode of iconic BBC comedy One Foot in the Grave. As well as Rob Brydon and Julia Davies' mostly forgotten but still a little gem relationship comedy Human Remains. Also, John Simm and Sophie Okenado star in surprising two-part drama Never Never, whilst BBC Two try and be contemporary in website drama Attachments.

Fellow podcaster Mo Walker joins Matt and Dawn to review four new shows available this week. Slow Horses is a massive hit for Apple TV, so now the streamer is banking on another series of novels from author Mick Herron in the hopes of lightning strikes twice. Dame Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson lead an impressive British cast of familiar faces in thriller Down Cemetery Road. Next, and perhaps less successful, after a major run on Netflix, author Harlan Coben comes to Prime Video with ghostly new drama Lazarus. On the BBC, there's the thriller The Ridge, which stars Karen Pire's Lauren Lyle. Lastly, comedian of the moment, Tim Robbins, best known for his fast-paced Netflix sketch series, I Think You Should Leave, leads his first sitcom in HBO's The Chair Company, which is available in the UK on Sky Boxsets or NOW.

Lastly, in our three strikes quiz, Matt and Mo compete to name as many dead EastEnders characters as they can. How well would you do?

Matt is joined by both Maids from Maid for TV in Sarah and Dawn. The trio reviews Sally Wainwright's new drama Riot Women, which sees women of a certain age form a rock band, initially to enter a school talent show, but eventually as a way to channel their frustrations with life and to be seen by those who have taken them for granted.

Next, the creator of Luther has a confusing and mysterious for mysterious sake 'thriller' called The Iris Affair. Next, a gentle and sweet romantic comedy from BBC Two, which is likely to fly under the radar, but that is well worth a watch in Leonard and Hungry Paul. Lastly, the trio look at every episode of Celebrity Traitors to air so far and picks apart what has made it such a hit. Finally, in our quiz, Matt challenges the Maids to name actors who have appeared in Sally Wainwright shows.