Best and worst Christmas specials?

The season to be jolly is nearly on us, so I wonder what peoples favourite Christmas specials are? For the most part, I hate Christmas specials, they're usually pretty lame and seem a way of keeping tired old careers going (step forward French and Saunders with another dreary film pastiche). However, every now and then there are gems. My personal favourites are Knowing Me, Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge and The Blackadder Christmas special. Both are fresh and original, and actually use Christmas in a clever way. I also quite like the Porridge specials, especially the one where Fletch is held hostage.

Porridge is the obvious example, and Blackadder's Christmas Carol was pretty good too. Other than that, I'm really not sure. Being younger than many of you, I've only really seen a lot of these Christmas specials on repeats throughout the rest of the year, so I'm not quite as aware as perhaps I otherwise would be as to what exactly was a Christmas special. (Although, thinking about it, the Dear John... special was pretty good.)

So I have to say, although they're blatantly not sitcoms, the Morecambe & Wise Christmas shows have to be my favourite Christmas specials. It's a shame that there isn't some kind of equivalent these days.

Lots of good ones. Blackadder, The Office, Partridge, Fools and Horses (Jolly Boys Outing being my favourite), Father Ted, etc.

Its difficult to think of bad ones. Some of the later Fools and Horses ones were not great, and there was a bad one (A Royal Flush) in the 80's when Rodney met a posh girl and Del spoiled it all. It was painful, unfunny, and Del was quite horrible in that episode.

Biggest disappointment I remember was the Ralph and Ted spin off (from the Fast Show), shown around Xmas in the late 90's (although the setting wasn't a Christmas one). Really plodding, slow, and not very funny. Shame.

The Office's Chistmas special is my favorite.
Knowing Me Knowing Yule is great, just about as good as the series. Father Ted did a very good one. The Royle Family did two, one great (the end of the second series), and one not so good (the end of the third). The League of Gentlemen's is another one of the best, which led to the brilliant third series. And last but not least, the Smoking Room did a great one after the first series. That's about all I've seen, not counting all of the Christmas episodes of American sitcoms.

No one mention Men Behaving Badly Jingle B***s! Yet

Quote: Mike @ November 29, 2006, 10:46 PM

The Royle Family did two, one great (the end of the second series)

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Classic

I agree about The Only Fool And Horses Christmas specials being a bit hit and miss. Unlike the rest of the population I could never warm to them, and found some - like the one where they go to Miami and Del boy meets his mafia double - shark-jumpingly bad.

Of the specials this year, none particulary excite me. I'll be glad to see the back of The Vicar Of Dibley and the thought of a Grren Green Grass special fills me with dread.

Quote: chipolata @ December 18, 2006, 10:44 AM

I agree about The Only Fool And Horses Christmas specials being a bit hit and miss. Unlike the rest of the population I could never warm to them, and found some - like the one where they go to Miami and Del boy meets his mafia double - shark-jumpingly bad.

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Yeah, I forgot about the Miami one. I only watched it the once - it was really disappointing.

There were a lot of Fools and Horses Xmas specials that didn't hit the mark. Probably about 50/50 in all. When they were good though, they were very very good (Dates, Jolly Boys, etc).

Knowing Me Knowing Yule With Alan Partridge...absolutely brilliant.

The League Of Gentlemen Christmas Special..perfect from top to bottom.

Specials, like people have said can be hit-and-miss. Here's some of my favourites.

*The League of Gentlemen - Funny and scary.

*Dad's Army - "The Battle of the Giants" and "My Brother and I" are very good episodes, but I think "The Love of Three Oranges" was not as good as the others.

*One Foot in the Grave - Several episodes where good, especially "Who's Listening" (The one with the garden genomes)

*Drop the Dead Donkey - A really good episode, about a really awful Christmas Party. Also the last episode to feature Alex.

*Father Ted - Just plain daft and silly.

As to ones I dislike, I not that fond of most of the "Only Fools and Horses" specials, as well as "The Vicar of Dibley" specials.

Father Ted
The Royle Family
Only Fools & Horses
The Fast Show
The Two Ronnies
Harry Enfield & Chums

.. to name a few of my favs!

Quote: Aaron @ November 29, 2006, 2:27 PM

(Although, thinking about it, the Dear John... special was pretty good.)

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Damn right!
I loved Dear John and keep waiting for a DVD release of it all.

Funnily last night I went through my sit com DVDs and plucked out all the ones with a christmas special. My favourites would have to be the Royle family as I really see so many traits of my own family members in there from Barb's excitment over the contents of the crackers to a baby getting 200 benson as a present. Other favourites are Keeping up appearences christmas special from the 3rd series and One foot in the algarve.
My all time favourite is on tonight on channel 4 though. Father Ted and the priest lost in the knicker department.

One of the all time best has to be Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads. Sublime! It's usually on somewhere over the hols, quite often on BBC2 or 1 late at night now. But if not on aunty then probably UK TV

Also Steptoe an Son did a few and from memory they were all good.

Royle Family, particularly the one where Emma's parents call round.

Father Ted.

Knowing me Knowing Yule

One or two of Only Fools but a few turkeys there too.

Definitely the League of Gents Christmas special.

(As the best, that is.)

Best:
OFAH
The Royle Family
Mrs. Brown's Boys
Bottom
The Vicar Of Dibley