Our take
The most uncomfortable of the Christmas specials, and the one where the older brother's selfishness is played straight rather than forgiven. The opera scene is a joy and the country-house weekend has some lovely class comedy. The cruelty of the dinner table is hard to laugh at, and the show's own writer later trimmed it. Worth seeing as the odd one out in a run of crowd-pleasers.
What happens
Rodney gets talking to Vicky, a young woman selling her paintings at the market who seems as hard up as he is. She turns out to be the daughter of the Duke of Malebury, a relation of the Queen, and the moment Del finds out he starts planning a society wedding. Rodney impresses her by landing two tickets for a sold-out production of Carmen, only for the evening to be gatecrashed by Del and his peroxide-blonde date, June, who make themselves at home in the opera house with a bag of sweets. Undeterred, Vicky invites Rodney to a weekend party at her father's country house, with shooting and a formal dinner. Del invites himself along, takes full advantage of the wine and, drunk and careless, wrecks his brother's chances in front of the Duke and his guests. Rodney's romance is over before it has really begun, and the blame lies entirely with his brother.
Can the kids watch it?
Best from about 10: drunkenness, some mild language and a cruel streak that younger children may find upsetting.