Our take
The show's first Christmas episode is its most heartfelt: a lonely radio shift on Christmas Day, a run of miserable callers and a diner full of strangers who turn out kinder than the host. It is a small, sad and lovely half-hour that earns its warm ending. Kelsey Grammer is excellent as a man sinking into self-pity, and the parade of famous voices on the phone lines is a treat. A proper Christmas episode in the redemptive tradition.
What happens
Frasier's plans for a happy Christmas with his son Frederick, his father Martin and his brother Niles fall apart when Lilith tells him Frederick will not be coming after all: the boy has been offered a trip to Austria that even Frasier admits is too good to turn down. Already in a bad mood, Frasier has a bitter row with Martin in the days before Christmas, storms out and agrees to cover the Christmas Day shift at the radio station. There he and Roz sit through the most depressing show imaginable, one gloomy caller after another. Afterwards he goes to a diner, loses his wallet and is mistaken for a homeless man. A few small acts of kindness from the strangers around him restore his Christmas spirit, and he goes home to make peace with his father.
Can the kids watch it?
Rated PG by the BBFC; gentle enough for families, though younger children may find the grown-up gloom slow.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane
- John Mahoney as Martin Crane
- David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane
- Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon
- Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle
Guest stars
- Dan Butler as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe
- Christine Estabrook as Lou
- Richard Poe as Chopper Dave
- John Finn as Tim
- Hawthorne James as Bill
- Mel Brooks as Tom (voice)
- Rosemary Clooney as Gladys (voice)
- Dominick Dunne as Jeff (voice)
- Ben Stiller as Barry (voice)
- Eric Stoltz as Don (voice)
Writer
- Christopher Lloyd
Director
- James Burrows