Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

[evilC]

I'll be tuning in to the Autumnwatch Christmas special ('Christmaswatch', presumably?) but other than that, I don't know of any. I presume there are some, though?

I wish the 'Ted & Ralph' Fast Show Christmas special would be repeated some day - that was brilliant, I thought.

[Renart]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but I usually watch these (some of them you have to resort to Youtube or torrenting for):

The Star Wars Holiday Special, which is ridiculous and very, very funny. I also like the fact that George Lucas has tried everything he can to send it down the Memory Hole but the Internet won't let it die.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I always find touching, even though I am an atheist.

The sequence from the 1977 Bing Crosby Christmas special where he sings a duet with David Bowie ("The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace on Earth"). Fantastic.

All of these are old, however.

[Mumpo]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Remember when the acquisition of the Christmas Radio Times (or TV Times, if you were of that inclination) was the single most exciting moment of the Yuletide period?

[Freestyling buck wilding Stijn Stijnen]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

I've mentioned this on another thread, but Dinner for one looks interesting, mainly for the fact that it stars two British comedy actors, is never shown in the UK, but is a staple of Christmas television in various countries.

[G-Man]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

In 1957, Frank Sinatra directed a TV Christmas special with him and Bing Crosby, and had it filmed in colour. That version was releaed on DVD a couple of years ago.

It's not fantastic, but great fun. Frank and Bing shooting the breeze in Frank's pad (and Bing was one cool cat), exchanging gifts of their latest X-Mas, and singing seasonal songs.

At one point, old-fashioned carol singers appear at the door, led by one unintentionally sinister looking fucker, and our pals join in, naturally. Suddenly they are in Merry Ole England, where folks give them free drinks (their grog gets heated by the dipping of a red-hot poker; very nice) and throw treats out of windows, as they and their carol singing pals struggle to harmonise.

At the end, Bing gets ready to go, but Frank and his butler have prepared a nice Christmas dinner, to be shared tete-tete by our crooning friends. "All that for me? But nobody has ever laid on such a spread for me," Bing deadpans. And with that he demonstrates that the special was not about the singing (it's rather pedestrian), but about Frank and Bing and seasonal props. And that's exactly what I was hoping for.

[G-Man]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Anyway, I watched the Glee Christmas episode with a massive smile on my face. Or at least the note-perfect* pastiche of a 1950s TV special. I also laughed at the reaction to Joni Mitchell's "River".

* auto-tuned, if you like

[alyxandr]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

G.Man wrote:

(their grog gets heated by the dipping of a red-hot poker; very nice)

I've seen references to a Victorian-era device that's basically a metal cone on a stick; you fill it with punch and stick the pointy end in the coals of your fire. Never seen one, or even spoken to a antique-store proprietor who has; i'd try to make one, but not sure my mad sheet-metal skillz are quite up to the task.

[Renart]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

You've got to build one now, alyx. All that hot punch will really get your guests in the mood for a friendly game of The Minister's Cat!

[Incandenza]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Renart wrote:

A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I always find touching, even though I am an atheist.

Yep, me too. Linus talking about the meaning of Christmas gets me every time.

[Renart]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

It's partly just nostalgia (I've watched it almost every year since I was five or six) but it doesn't hurt that it's delivered with an anti-consumerist slant.

[alyxandr]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

G.Man wrote:

In 1957, Frank Sinatra directed a TV Christmas special with him and Bing Crosby, and had it filmed in colour.

Just ran down to my local video rental place, and they had it, score! Thanks for the rec.

Renart wrote:

The Minister's Cat!

Well, at least it's adjectives -- i've reached that stage of life where i can no longer reliably summon nouns, particularly under pressure. Snap-dragon is more my speed.

[G-Man]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Incandenza wrote:

Renart wrote:

A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I always find touching, even though I am an atheist.

Yep, me too. Linus talking about the meaning of Christmas gets me every time.

Listen to the audio of that: it's pieces of a recording very crudely edited together. I played that Linus reading on a radio showe I present, and had to edit the dead air pauses out a bit.

[Jah Womble]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Remember when the acquisition of the Christmas Radio Times (or TV Times, if you were of that inclination) was the single most exciting moment of the Yuletide period?

Christmas remains the only time of the year that I still buy the RT. (Apart from World Cups.)

[hobbes]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Just ran down to my local video rental place, and they had it, score!

What's a video?

[alyxandr]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

hobbes wrote:

What's a video?

On-demand streaming delivery is all well and good, when you know what you want. OTOH, when you're looking for something like "that '50s or '60s Italian film in luminous B&W where a couple wanders around a city without talking to each other much, then she catches him screwing the hotel maid", a big room crammed with knowledgeably-curated physical media is still the way to go.

[Bored Of Education]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

In 1987, Channel 4 aired "A Child's Christmas In Wales" with Denholm Elliott which was just the most fantastic festive programme I have ever seen. They never ever showed it again and the DVD that I have linked to is Region 1 only so I haven't got a copy.

I can't believe that, with all the endless crap that gets repeated endlessly over Chistmas, this hasn't been in almost 25 years (and, believe me, I have checked)

Funnily enough, "It's a Wonderful Life" never seems to be shown either, contrary to popular myth, and I have never seen that.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

You should move to Canada, both were shown here this week.

One that I keep around and play every Christmas is the BBC's version of The Box of Delights. It's rough around the edges — Patrick Troughton, Robert Stephens and James Grout (a great bit as the local plod) aside, the acting is iffy and by today's standards the FX are crude — but it's such a good story with some wonderful evocative dialogue. AdeC jr and I watched it together over several Christmases when he was a kid so it has special relevance. I actually ordered the book (which I've never read) this year as a personal treat. Stuff yer Tolkien, give me Masefield every time.

The other show, which I big up on here every year, is The Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special. Stone(d) hilarious.

[Gangster Octopus]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Bored of Education wrote:

Funnily enough, "It's a Wonderful Life" never seems to be shown either, contrary to popular myth, and I have never seen that.

That's 'cos it's been eaten by Rupert.

[Purves Grundy]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

I'm weighing up the pros and cons of letting Young Master Grundy accompany me for my annual viewing of The Stone Tape this christmas. In the pro column is the fact that it's absolutely ruddy excellent. In the cons, the fact that it will undoubtedly leave him a gibbering, wet-panted wreck.

Best one-off Xmas drama ever.

"What I want for Christmas is please go away"

[Squarewheelbike]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

I know quite a few people who are convinced that the Crosby/Bowie Drummer Boy was put together after Bing died, and Bowie was added onto the track and into the video!

[Renart]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Gangster Octopus wrote:

Bored of Education wrote:

Funnily enough, "It's a Wonderful Life" never seems to be shown either, contrary to popular myth, and I have never seen that.

That's 'cos it's been eaten by Rupert.

He probably thinks Mr. Potter is unfairly portrayed.

[evilC]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Renart wrote:

Gangster Octopus wrote:

Bored of Education wrote:

Funnily enough, "It's a Wonderful Life" never seems to be shown either, contrary to popular myth, and I have never seen that.

That's 'cos it's been eaten by Rupert.

He probably thinks Mr. Potter is unfairly portrayed.

"Jesus motherin' arse! Where are all the tits?!"

[Renart]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Ha ha, that's excellent, Clive. I had never seen that before.

[Purves Grundy]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Purves Grundy wrote:

I'm weighing up the pros and cons of letting Young Master Grundy accompany me for my annual viewing of The Stone Tape this christmas. In the pro column is the fact that it's absolutely ruddy excellent. In the cons, the fact that it will undoubtedly leave him a gibbering, wet-panted wreck.

Best one-off Xmas drama ever.

"What I want for Christmas is please go away"

So, we gave it a go last night. Pants remained dry, but that may be because he begged to turn it off after 27 minutes. Gibberingly.

[evilC]

Any decent one-off 'christmas specials'?

Was he behind the sofa?