Our take
A Christmas Eve special from the show's family era, and a natural fit: the competitive grandparents, the duplicated present and the dash round closing shops are the stuff of every parent's Christmas Eve. It is warm and gag-heavy, with a soundtrack of festive standards, and Keith Barron's guest turn gives it extra weight now the episode is dedicated to his memory.
What happens
It is Christmas Eve, and Lee and Lucy face a yuletide disaster: the perfect present they have bought for their three children turns out to have been given to them already by their grandparents, Geoffrey and Wendy, whose gifts to the grandchildren are getting ever more lavish. Lee is forced to rush out at the last minute in search of a substitute, but the local shops are closing their doors for the holiday, and the race is on to avoid the ultimate parenting fail on Christmas morning and three disappointed children. Back at home, Lee's feckless father Frank and the uptight neighbours Toby and Anna drop in to add to the mayhem, as Lee and Lucy try to agree on what Christmas is really about.
Can the kids watch it?
No BBFC rating was found; it went out after the 9pm watershed with the show's usual innuendo, so it best suits teenagers and adults.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Lee Mack as Lee
- Sally Bretton as Lucy
- Hugh Dennis as Toby
- Abigail Cruttenden as Anna
- Geoffrey Whitehead as Geoffrey
- Deborah Grant as Wendy
- Bobby Ball as Frank
Guest stars
- Keith Barron as Michael
Writer
- Lee Mack
Director
- Nick Wood