Magazine


The week ahead: festive fun with killer Santas

Conrad Astley
23/12/2005

THERE will be a weighty issue to consider as you digest your turkey and mince pies this year.

The big question is of course - will David Tennant live up to the very high expectations of viewers won over by Christopher Eccleston earlier in the year.

This will finally be resolved as he battles the forces of evil wearing his pyjamas in Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (Christmas Day, BBC1).

Whether or not Tennant steps comfortably into the role, we can be guaranteed more brilliant ideas from the mind of Russell T Davies, including sinister Santas, a killer Christmas tree and aliens who control human minds.

For anyone who hasn't become bored rigid by Little Britain, this Christmas will be perfect. For anyone who has, there's plenty to back up their accusations of overkill.

Christmas Eve features the last episode in the series, while this is followed by Little Britain - a South Bank Show Special (Christmas Day, ITV1).

Melvyn deciding to steer clear of Lithuanian art-house for a one-off "low brow" show is one thing - he did The Darkness recently - but the fact he convinced his ITV bosses to help promote a BBC show is quite another.

The show, no doubt hilariously, features Mr Bragg talking to the Lou and Andy characters, before they do that line.

As if that isn't enough, we also get Little Britain Night (Boxing Day, BBC3) - Matt Lucas and David Walliams talking about their favourite episodes.

A team of comics who must have inspired the pair make an unexpected comeback in The Comic Strip Presents... Sex Actually (Wednesday, Channel 4).

While the secret sex lives of respectable commuter-belt types have been dealt with thoroughly by the likes of Lucas and Walliams, this would have been cutting-edge stuff when Mayall, Planer etc broke onto the scene in the early 80s. Their one-off return shows us how it's meant to be done.

There is an even more nostalgic look at comedy with The Two Ronnies Christmas Sketchbook (Christmas Day, BBC1) paying tribute to Ronnie Barker, while The Unknown Tony Hancock (Boxing Day, BBC2) provides some festive cheer by exploring the complex comic who killed himself in 1969.


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