BBC moves Call the Midwife to avoid Downton Abbey Christmas clash The BBC responded by re-jigging its own schedules and moving Call The Midwife into a 7.30pm - 8.45pm slot. A BBC source said: "ITV always said they would show Downton Abbey at 9pm, then changed at the last minute. Last year there was a lot of hype around the Downton special but now the attention is on Call The Midwife because it is our first Christmas episode, so perhaps they're worried about that. But we wanted to avoid a clash because it would do viewers no favours. An ITV spokesman declined to comment on the reasons for the Downton Abbey move, saying only: "Schedules are confirmed in plenty of time so viewers are aware when shows will be on." The two-hour Downton Abbey special will go head-to-head with EastEnders at 8.45pm and and a Royle Family Christmas special at 9.45pm. Call The Midwife will be preceded by Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing, another two shows likely to draw large audiences. In the same early evening slots, ITV1 will show You've Been Framed, Emmerdale and a Paul O'Grady programme about Christmas at Battersea Dogs Home. BBC One's Christmas Day family films are Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Shrek Forever After, while ITV1 is hoping to tempt younger viewers with Aladdin, Toy Story and Tangled. Miranda Hart, a star of Call The Midwife, will reappear in the Christmas schedules on Boxing Day in a special edition of her BBC One sitcom, Miranda. The highlight of Channel 4"s December 25 programming is the premiere of a sequel to The Snowman, the classic animation based on the Raymond Briggs story. The Snowman and the Snowdog has Briggs's blessing and has been made to mark the 30th anniversary of the original. Channel 4 will also broadcast My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas, which promises footage of "a mass yuletide First Communion and two of the most jaw-dropping weddings ever shown." The broadcaster has been accused of exploiting the traveller community and the series has not been recommissioned.