What"s on the box this week?

'Dustbin Baby" (BBC 1, Sunday) - Juliet Stevenson, David Haig and Dakota Blue Richards star in this powerful family drama based on the novel by best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson. 'Dustbin Baby" is the uplifting story of teenager April, who sets out to discover where she came from and, along the way, discovers where she belongs - having been abandoned in a dustbin as a baby. On her 14th birthday, April walks out on her foster mother, Marion, following a row, and is determined to discover her past. As Marion frantically searches for April, their journeys take them on a course that will change their lives for ever. April goes back to the world she left behind - one of foster and care homes - and remembers and revisits the people who shaped her life. Marion, with the help of her old friend, Elliot, tries to understand where she has gone wrong, and goes in search of the dustbin where April was found 14 years previously. 'Rachel Allen Bake!" (RTE 1, Wednesday) - In the first of two Christmas-themed episodes, Rachel Allen introduces some festive recipes, including a Christmas cake, bursting with dates, apricots and crystallised ginger. And rather than the traditional white icing, she covers her cake with almond paste and toasts it in the oven for extra flavour. And for another sweet, festive treat, the celebrated cook teaches one of her cookery school students" children to make festive jam cookie sandwiches. She also meets the maestro of Italian food, Gennaro Contaldo, who says an Italian Christmas wouldn"t be complete without the traditional panettone, and joins Rachel to share some Italian festive traditions and bake a typical Tuscan Christmas pudding, Zuccotto di Panettone. Finally, Rachel shows how to make the most of leftover Christmas pudding with a divine recipe for St Stephen"s Day muffins. 'The Swing Thing" (BBC 4, Friday) - 'The Swing Thing" traces the story of swing music, from the jazz clubs of the 1920s, through the heady days of the Rat Pack, to modern-day stars such as Harry Connick Jr and Michael Bublé. Swing sparked a youthful cultural revolution and went on to produce some of the most iconic stars of the 20th century: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Eighty years on, it is still topping the charts, thanks to artists including Bublé, and remains one of the longest-lived and most successful forms of popular music. As band leader Artie Shaw once said: 'Swing is a verb, not an adjective.' Swing, in other words, is something you do - an action, a rhythm, an energy, an attitude. Swing is the thing which, for over 80 years, has created some of music"s greatest artists and records and which simply refuses to go away. Narrated by Kenneth Cranham, 'The Swing Thing" combines commentary and archive footage of some of the finest swing performers and performances of all time. It also examines the impact swing music has had on American society - as a youth movement, a force for sexual liberation and a challenge to the country"s racial divide. 'Clash Of The Santas" (ITV, Sunday) - Colin loves Christmas. It"s his favourite time of the year. He loves everything about it - the food, the telly, the presents…everything. But, most of all, he loves Santa and he particularly loves being Santa at his children"s school. Meanwhile, Howie hates Santa and thinks it"s all a waste of time. His marriage has broken down and he won"t get to see his four-year-old daughter on Christmas morning. The whole idea of Christmas just makes him feel sad and lonely - and Santa, with his stupid grin, big red coat and 'ho ho ho" just rubs salt in the wound. But this year things are different, and it"s Howie who is dressing up as Santa when he"s asked to represent England at the World Santa Championships in Lithuania. Colin is gutted but manages to tag along as an elf - a girl elf with bells on his shoes. The Santas of the world are a strange bunch - competitive Aussies, kamikaze Japanese, drunken Welshmen, wrestling Iranians and humourless Germans. Mark Benton and Robson Green team up once again for this usual seasonal madcap foolishness we all secretly love to watch. 'Noel"s Christmas Presents" (Sky One, Sunday) - A Christmas TV institution, 'Noel"s Christmas Presents" rewards some of the UK"s most deserving, hard-working and selfless individuals with a special Christmas gift that means so much to each grateful recipient. Noel Edmonds will make dreams come true by surprising people across the country with the special gift they thought they would never receive. Movie Of The Week: 'Love Actually" (RTE 1, Wednesday) - No contest here; this is the ideal potion to put you in the Christmas spirit. A whole host of great actors crowd the bill in this multiple toast to the joys and sighs of love - including Hugh Grant as the British prime minister and Bill Nighy as a raddled rock star who steals the show.