HOW times change. Christmas TV used to offer a meagre buffet of whatever happened to be on at the time across just three or four channels, or fuzzy old VHS recordings of previous years’ offerings.
But thanks to streaming services, we can now dip in to old favourites and undiscovered classics at the push of a button.
Here are the Christmas TV specials we keep coming back to time and time again. Have you seen them all?
Call the Midwife – Christmas Special (2021)
A TRIP to Poplar on Christmas Day always ends in tears – happy and sad.
And 2021 was no different as I was taken on a whirlwind of emotions.
The episode joins Lucille and Cyril, who are preparing for their wedding on Boxing Day – and the nurses and nuns at Nonnatus House are, as always, overstretched.
Although worlds apart, the characters are aligned to relate to viewers – from Sister Hilda adding some extra ingredients to the fruit punch, Esme swearing down she doesn’t want any more children while in labour and swiftly changing her mind when cuddling her newborn, and Reggie willing for a white Christmas.
As Christmas Day gets underway, there’s no rest as a number of babies need to be delivered and the medics discover a drug issue for Anita and her newborn.
The show gives hope that Christmas wishes can come true with a little hard work and determination – and even Reggie gets his wish.
– Sarah Mason
The Royle Family – ‘The New Sofa’ (2008)
THE much-missed incredible talent of Caroline Aherne came fully upholstered in this festive treat from Christmas Night 2008.
Filled with subtle and not-so-subtle one liners from all the ensemble cast, I dare you not to decline a recline on your sofa to lay back and enjoy this golden hour of comedy.
The credit crunch was biting, but that doesn’t dent Denise’s dreams of taking on her own Nigella’s Christmas lunch to the extended Royle Family, including her ‘Cup-a-soup with a twist’.
But, with Dave having forgotten to defrost the turkey, it’s not long before Denise’s hopes are dashed and only David Senior’s rhubarb wine can help raise the spirits (until it ruins Jim and Bar-bera’s bedtime of course!).
Revisiting this clever and relatable show brings back many happy memories of family Christmas times spent both watching the episodes and comparing our own family and friends to the great characters who star in it.
– James Iles
Gavin and Stacey – Christmas Special (2008)
The full Christmas experience distilled into one perfect – and occasionally awkward – hour of comedy.
It’s bookended by a pair of infectious seasonal singalongs (try not to join in; you’ll fail), and ticks a host of familiar festive boxes in between – all to a soundtrack of merry music classics.
Smithy encounters some underwear awkwardness while shopping for the perfect gift, Uncle Bryn inappropriately misuses the mistletoe tradition, and Mick is the talk of the neighbourhood when he goes all gourmet with his pride-and-joy Christmas turkey.
Nessa displays her usual modest generosity with a box of Celebrations (unluckily for Gwen, who gets the Bounty), Pete stumbles upon the perfect way of keeping his visiting mother out of the way, and Gavin builds up to an announcement which culminates in – what else? – the mother of all festive family rows.
The chaos all hangs together thanks to Smithy’s heartbreakingly frustrated desire to spend Christmas with his infant son ‘Neil the Baby’, ending the episode on a typically touching cliffhanger.
– Andy Morris
Brooklyn 99 – ‘The Pontiac Bandit Returns’ (2014)
IN TYPICAL Brooklyn 99 fashion, Christmas is not only a time for giving, but catching criminals too.
In the Season Two Christmas special, The Pontiac Bandit Returns, Detective Jake Peralta comes face to face with his arch nemesis, Doug Judy.
Dressed in a Santa suit, singing Christmas carols, Jake is ready to pounce when Doug comes around a street corner in Brooklyn.
Jake makes the arrest, but Doug has no intentions of staying behind bars and tries to broker a deal.
Captain Holt jumps at the chance and agrees to lessen Doug’s prison sentence for information on a drug gang.
Despite Jake’s protesting, he has to put his ego aside for the good of the squad and work with Doug to catch the gang.
What follows is the usual 99 hilarity with a sprinkle of festive cheer, making this not only the best of the series, but the best Christmas special.
– Ashleigh Osborne
Doctor Who – ‘The Voyage of the Damned’ (2007)
When disaster hits the space version of the Titanic, who else could save the day apart from our charismatic Timelord?
The Voyage of the Damned, which was first screened in 2007, is one of the many great episodes David Tennant starred in as Doctor Who.
The plot is simple. A spacecraft on an apocalyptic collision with Earth, with a severed-headed master pulling the strings and a gang of killer angels with incredible jawlines – it is the typical way the Doctor spends his Christmas.
But what separates this episode from the rest is its ability to subvert the audience’s expectations and build suspense which provides emotional payoffs.
Its bittersweet ending leaves audiences relieved but also reflective of the sacrifices people have made for us to be where we are today.
If this doesn’t convince you to wind back the clocks and watch this 2007 special, just keep in mind – Kylie Minogue plays one of the leads.
– Charlotte Albutt
The Vicar of Dibley – ‘The Christmas Lunch Incident’ (1996)
This festive trip to Dibley is as uplifting as Christmas specials come, while bringing the traditional brand of bonkers, side-splitting humour so delicious it could’ve been served as a side dish at one of Geraldine’s many, many turkey dinners.
The kind-hearted Vicar’s ill-advised commitment to eating four Christmas dinners could’ve gotten stale if not for the incredible physical humour Dawn French displays – you may almost feel a touch of sympathy for her if you can stop laughing that long.
The stuffed Vicar entering a sprout eating contest so Hugo can gain an ego-boosting win over his rotten dad David is both bonkers and beautifully heartwarming.
And this special is packed with scenes that remind me of the fun we all have with friends and family this time of year – seeing Jim on the verge of tears after telling a terrible joke is both entertaining and extremely endearing.
If you want a Christmas classic that captures the true spirit of the holidays, there can be no, no, no doubt Dibley is the place to go.
– Ryan Smith
Only Fools and Horses – ‘Time on our Hands’ (1996)
For me, this trilogy of episodes are among the finest writing ever seen in British comedy – and the perfect festive tonic even now.
Yes, it’s the one when Del Boy becomes a millionaire – but the joy within is tempered with the sadness so brilliantly brought out by Sir David Jason that his race is run, the arch wheeler dealer is no more.
Nicholas Lyndhurst’s grief at the recent miscarriage is so beautifully done in a way which I know speaks to so many.
I love a comedy which doesn’t rely on just the one character for the laughs, and Time on our Hands is a rich buffet of comedic timing, beautiful partnerships and good-natured humour – not cruelty or innuendo.
I could quote so many lines but the scene where Trigger – the dearly missed Roger Lloyd Pack – refers to Gandhi as being famous for 15 minutes and never being seen again after ‘one good film’ still makes me chuckle.
– Rob George
Porridge – ‘The Desperate Hours’ (1976)
CHOOSING a Christmas TV special was always going to be tough as there are so many great ones out there – especially when it comes to classic sitcoms.
Among them are the two Porridge episodes, No Way Out (1975) and The Desperate Hours (1976).
Both are great, but my favourite is probably No Way Out – where Fletch tries to con his way into the prison hospital for Christmas.
Meanwhile, an escape tunnel is being dug, masked by various choir carol singing sessions.
The chemistry between the lovable characters Fletch and his Brummie cellmate Lennie Godber and their interactions with placid prison officer Barraclough, stern Scotsman Mackay and ‘Genial’ Harry Grout makes for laugh out loud viewing.
The writing by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement – as in all three series – is excellent, with some fantastic one-liners and scenarios and, of course, the feelgood festive ending.
– Tristan Harris
