As Christmas approaches (less than one week people!), we’re planning our favourite part of the festive period; our annual fervent circling of the TV guide, bookmarking every series and movie that we can’t wait to settle down and watch, while diving into a box of Quality Street. And is it just me or does the Christmas TV this year have a distinct nostalgic feel to it? With the return of Gavin and Stacey and an Outnumbered Christmas special, it’s like we’re heading back to our childhoods in the late 2000s.

If we’re being specific, it’s got a distinct 2009 vibe to it, which was the last Christmas these two iconic shows both had an episode on during the same festive period. (Other than various Christmas specials, but that doesn’t count).

As we gear up to do the same this year, I can’t help but reflect on what a year 2009 was in British TV. Arguably, those 365 days, 15 years ago, were one of the strongest years we’ve ever had. Don’t believe me? Here’s everything that happened on British TV in 2009, aka the most iconic year in television history.

21 things that happened in 2009 to prove it was one of the best years in British television

1. After three years in the era-defining role, David Tennant retired from Doctor Who, and it was revealed that Matt Smith would be taking over as the Eleventh Doctor. The show went onto air four special episodes with David Tennant before he gave up the Tardis for good (well, until he came back in 2023).
2. Celebrity Big Brother returned to our screens after a year away following the 2007 series, which saw accusations raised that Shilpa Shetty was being racially harassed by her fellow housemates. The 2009 series aired on 2nd January and saw Ulrika Jonsson win it 21 days later.
3. Dancing On Ice was in its prime and was won by Ray Quinn that year.
4. The Sunday evening slot would then be followed by Wild At Heart. During the fourth season, Danny was dealing with the fallout of Sarah (Amanda Holden)’s death.
5. Red Nose Day took place in in March 2009. Remember the days when it would run until the early hours of the morning? Yep this was peak Red Nose Day and we would all be obsessed with that year’s nose design? The evening saw sketches from the cast of Outnumbered, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders in a Mamma Mia sketch, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant did a spoof of The Office as an opera and Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones performed ‘(Barry) Islands in the Stream’ as Bryn and Nessa alongside Sir Tom Jones and Robin Gibb. They ended up raising ​​£82,300,000 for charity.
6. On 25th March, Fern Britton announced she was leaving This Morning after 10 years of presenting the show. Months later in September, Holly Willoughby was announced as her replacement.
7. The Inbetweeners was on its second series and includes some of the best episodes, from the field trip to Will’s birthday dinner party and the night out in London.
8. It was the third season of Britain’s Got Talent, and the franchise had really hit its stride. It was the year we were introduced to Susan Boyle and her iconic performance of “I Dreamed a Dream”, she ended up coming second to Diversity.
9. It’s hard to think of hungover days without it, but game show The Chase aired its first ever episode in June 2009. What did students ever do before this?
10. 2009 was the year Peter Andre and Katie Price divorced, which meant their joint docu-series Katie & Peter came to an end. They both got new solo series with Pete: Going It Alone and What Katie Did Next airing in weeks of each other on ITV2 in August. Both became two of the highest watched series of the year.
11. I hardly watched Eastenders, but even I remember the monumental storyline that saw the secret relationship between Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) and Christian Clarke (John Partridge) begin.
12. Boris Johnson made a cameo on Eastenders and honestly it felt like a fever dream.
13. Russel Howard’s Good News first ever episode aired, and was the start of 10 successful series.
14. The sixth series of The X Factor aired, introducing us to Stacey Solomon, Olly Murs and of course Jedward. The series was won by Joe McElderry.
15. Arlene Phillips departed Strictly Come Dancing and Alesha Dixon replaced her as judge.
16. Miranda had its debut and introduced us to her chaotic and hilarious world, along with her tumultuous relationship with Gary aka Tom Ellis.
17. Easily one of the best shows of our teenage years, Misfits, about a group of young offenders who gain superpowers, dropped on E4 in November 2009.
18. The ninth series of I’m a Celebrity airs and sees Gino D’Campo win the series…after controversially capturing, killing and eat a rat with fellow contestant Stuart Manning.
19. Gavin and Stacey aired its third and final season, which featured everything from the christening of Neil the Baby, Pete and Dawn renewing their vows and Smithy disrupting Nessa and Dave’s wedding day.
20. Outnumbered had its first Christmas special and saw the family recover from a burglary while they also deal with a missing grandad.
21. Eastenders aired one of its most memorable Christmas episodes which featured the murder of Archie (Larry Lamb) in the Queen Vic.

Honestly, we just don’t make British TV like this anymore.