Christmas Messages

Tomorrow, after families across the UK finish their turkey dinners complete with Christmas puddings and mince pies (and where it would be a very bad idea to try and bite into a Christmas cracker), many of them will sit in front of the TV or radio and receive The Queen's annual Christmas Message, set for broadcast at 1500 GMT. (Many others will be hitting refresh on YouTube for the video to appear.) This year, Her Majesty will give praise to the Armed Forces, who have taken considerably heavier losses in 2009. This year's broadcast was produced by ITN, who alternate with the BBC.

Meanwhile Channel 4, a year after choosing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for their alternate broadcast (and giving him prime time billing as opposed to running it against The Queen), has selected Katie Piper, a 26-year-old who survived an acid assault engineered by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch. Piper's story, whose dreams to become a television presenter was derailed by the assault, leaving her blind in one eye and requiring at least 30 surgeries to restore her facial skin, was documented by Channel 4 last October to high acclaim. Her five-minute message, aimed to provide hope and optimism, will air at the same time.

Fortunately, for homes with digital TV, they won't have to choose between the two. As Channel 4 has a time-shifted channel, digital TV viewers can view the alternate message at 4 p.m.