Christmas Celebration - Episode Guide

Sally Magnusson introduces a celebration of Christmas from two of Scotland's most historic venues - St John's Kirk and Scone Palace, Perth. Actress Juliet Cadzow performs seasonal readings, and the combined choirs of Chansons and St John's Kirk sing favourite carols including O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night. Youth choir the Fair City Singers and Pure Brass join the festive spirit, and Scotland's leading boy soprano Aidan McCusker sings the ever popular carol In the Bleak Midwinter.

Sally Magnusson introduces a celebration of Christmas in music and verse performed by top students form the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, filmed in one of the most stunning church interiors in the UK - St Aloysius Church in Glasgow. Favourite carols include O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night. John Wallace, one of the world's most famous trumpeters, makes a guest appearance and the midnight Christmas message is delivered by Archbishop Mario Conti.

Sally Magnusson introduces a celebration of Christmas from Paisley Abbey featuring Scotland's finest young choirs, musicians and readers.

Inverclyde Junior Choir and Paisley Abbey Choir sing favourite carols including O Come All Ye Faithfull and Silent Night accompanied by Carnoustie Youth Brass Band, Dunblane Cathedral Youth Handbell Ensemble ring out some festive chimes and members of the Scottish Youth Theatre read some favourite seasonal poems.

Sally Magnusson introduces a celebration of Christmas from one of Scotland's most historic venues - The Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling.

The Massed Male Voice Choir of Scotland and tenor Iain Milne sing favourite carols including Silent Night, O come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald and O Holy Night. Scottish actress Juliet Cadzow performs seasonal readings and the Big Noise Orchestra from Raploch join in the fun with spirited renderings of Frosty the Snowman and Carol of the Drum.

Sally Magnusson introduces A Christmas Celebration from Dunfermline Abbey Church, with favourite carols including O Come All Ye Faithful and Once In Royal David's City.

Popular tenor and BBC Scotland presenter Jamie MacDougal joins the National Youth Choir of Scotland to sing a brand new carol written by Paul Mealor, a judge on the BBC series The Choir, and Professor of Composition at Aberdeen University.

The Christmas story and poems are read by pupils from Dunfermline High School, and to bring in Christmas at midnight, a prayer by Rev MaryAnn Rennie, Dunfermline Abbey's minister.

Sally Magnusson presents a celebration of Christmas in words and music with a Commonwealth theme. Readers filmed in Aberdeen, Arbroath and Edinburgh, are all either medal-winners, volunteer Clydesiders or Queen's baton bearers from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Carols, sung by 350 members of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in Old St Paul's, Edinburgh, include Canadian and Caribbean songs as well as old favourites, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Away in a Manger.

Sally Magnusson introduces carols and readings from the Cathedral Church of St Machar in historic Old Aberdeen, with Barbara Dickson, Emily Smith, Robert Lovie and choirs and congregation from Aberdeen University.

Sally Magnusson introduces carols and readings from Haddington to take us into Christmas morning, with St Mary's Church choristers and congregation, and Edinburgh Academy Chamber Choir.

Sally Magnusson introduces words and music to take us into Christmas Day. Singers and readers from Dumfries and Galloway are joined by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Choir and Emily Smith in Crichton Memorial Church.

Christmas Celebration comes from Dundee's St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. As well as favourite carols sung by a congregation from all over the city, there are songs by the Dundee branch of the National Youth Choirs of Scotland and Dundee's own Loadsaweeminsinging. In the spectacular architecture of the V&A Dundee building, Tony Robinson reads from his own modern telling of the Christmas story, with music written by composer Paul Mealor and performed by Aberdeen University Chapel Choir. With additional readings by pupils of Dundee High School.

The 15th-century St John's Kirk, Perth is the beautiful setting for this year's Christmas Celebration, which takes viewers of BBC Scotland and BBC One Scotland across midnight into Christmas morning. It was in 1490 that King James IV funded the start of the present building, but there has been worship on this site in the heart of the city of Perth for a thousand years. St John's remains the focal point for significant city and county services and ceremonies.

Six well-known traditional carols, Once in Royal, Hark the Herald, O Come All Ye Faithful, See in Yonder Manger, As with Gladness and O Little Town of Bethlehem are sung by a large congregation gathered from all over Perthshire, accompanied by Alba Brass.

Other carols are sung by smaller choirs. Jambouree, a mixed children's and adult choir, perform songs from Scotland and Malawi. Chansons, a Perth-based chamber choir, sing Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day and two other songs. And Caritas, a new choir formed at the suggestion of the Duchess of Cambridge to perform on significant national occasions, sing Torches by Jean Joubert and a new version of Silent Night by Paul Mealor, who has composed for the Cambridges' wedding and for the Army Wives choir.

The traditional Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus along with modern meditations are read by 13 pupils from nine Perth primary and senior schools.

The organist is Howard Duthie. The minister is Rev John Murdoch.

Sally Magnusson takes us into Christmas morning with much-loved carols from churches across Scotland, recorded in earlier years when large gatherings were possible. New this year are fresh arrangements of songs and carols featuring Emily Smith, Celtic Praise and Gracey Agbana, singing in front of spectacular backdrops in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dumfriesshire. Readings are by pupils of Tynecastle High School, Edinburgh, and meditations by Rev Ali Pandian, healthcare chaplain at University Hospital, Wishaw.

Sally Magnusson presents music and words from Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh to take us from Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. Carols are led by the choir of George Heriot's School, and the readings, the Christmas story and some modern reflections and poems are also by Heriot's pupils. The National Youth Choirs of Scotland Chamber Choir and Grace Agbana sing Christmas songs and carols.

Sally Magnusson presents a mix of words and music for Christmas Eve from St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. The cathedral choir lead a congregation gathered from schools, choirs and churches across the city, accompanied by Alba Brass. They are joined by NYCOS Chamber Choir, Celtic Worship, Unoma Okudo and Ifedade Thomas, and pupils of St Mary's Music School, who read words ancient and modern to reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

Sally Magnusson presents a mix of words and music to take us into Christmas morning from Sherbrooke Mosspark parish church, Glasgow.

Join Sally Magnusson from Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, for a service of congregational carols, special solo performances and festive readings to start Christmas Day.