Our take
A Christmas Day special that is really a holiday episode with tinsel in the background, and none the worse for it. The idea of three old men fleeing the commercial Christmas for a cottage that turns out to be anything but is a perfect fit for Foggy's grand plans, and the cramped seaside setting gives the cast plenty to bump into. Lighter on the festive trimmings than the title week suggests, but warm.
What happens
Foggy has decided that he, Compo and Clegg are going to have a get-away-from-it-all Christmas. To escape the commercialisation of Christmas he books the three of them a short break in a holiday cottage by the sea. What they find when they arrive is not the cottage of his imagination but a broken-down caravan, and the trio's seaside Christmas goes much as their outings usually do.
Can the kids watch it?
Not rated by the BBFC as a separate episode; gentle slapstick and mild innuendo, fine for most families.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Bill Owen as Compo
- Peter Sallis as Clegg
- Brian Wilde as Foggy
- Kathy Staff as Nora Batty
- Jane Freeman as Ivy
- Joe Gladwin as Wally Batty
- John Comer as Sid
Guest stars
- Gordon Salkilld as Traveller
- Stuart Fell as Traveller
Writer
- Roy Clarke
Director
- Sydney Lotterby