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A damaged red sleigh runner protrudes from blue tarpaulin beside a warmly lit green shed, with hoof prints and a torch on an upturned bucket in the frost.

Essential Christmas · 2014

Get Santa

69/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 69 ↓
UK certificate Universal102 min
Comedy · Family

A scrappy British caper that spends more time in a prison than a grotto, and is better for it.

Rent or buy · Apple TV, Prime Video and more →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 10 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature green shed with a sleigh beneath blue tarpaulin, hoof prints in snow and a torch on an upturned bucket.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyIt can't exist without Christmas.30/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for most of it.15/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details2 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.3/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionA December regular (25,000+).6/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

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Get Santa · Rental and purchase cost extra, separately from membership.

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Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab). Sky and Rakuten TV data by JustWatch.

The story

About Get Santa

Just out of prison and trying to win back his young son before Christmas, a former getaway driver learns the boy has found Father Christmas hiding in their garden shed after crashing his sleigh on a test flight. When the police lock Santa up and his reindeer scatter, father and son have two days to break him out, round up the herd and put Christmas back on course.

The CineClaus verdict

A scrappy British caper that spends more time in a prison than a grotto, and is better for it.

Jim Broadbent makes a grumpy, twinkly Father Christmas opposite Rafe Spall's ex-con dad. Christopher Smith, better known for horror, keeps the slapstick moving at a fair clip, though the low budget shows and a few gags fall flat.

It has more warmth than most glossier Santa films, and enough jokes aimed over young heads to keep adults laughing too. Right for any household that likes its Christmas a bit rough round the edges.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

U

Our take: u-rated and suitable for most six-year-olds: comic brawling, chases and some mild prison menace, all daft rather than frightening, and a properly happy ending.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official U certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Head and shoulders photograph of a man with short brown hair and light stubble, in a black dinner jacket and bow tie at an evening event.Rafe Spallas Steve
Young man with swept auburn hair, smiling and glancing to one side, wearing a brown leather jacket at a panel event.Kit Connor
Laughing woman with shoulder-length brown hair holding a microphone, wearing a green denim jacket and a beaded necklace.Jodie Whittakeras Alison
Portrait of a man with a shaved head and greying stubble in a dark navy jacket and shirt, standing in front of a pale green event backdrop.Stephen Grahamas The Barber
Warwick Davis grinning broadly at the camera, wearing a dark velvet jacket and dark shirt at an indoor eventWarwick Davisas Sally

Behind the camera

Directed by
Christopher Smith
Original score
Bald man with light stubble in a grey knit cardigan over a white T-shirt, wearing an orange lanyard indoors.Ilan Eshkeri
Writing & production credits
Writer
Christopher Smith
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Jim Broadbent · Scottish Documentary Institute · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Rafe Spall · Sean Reynolds from Liverpool, United Kingdom · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Kit Connor · France RC - Roster Con · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Jodie Whittaker · Ann Wallsmith for Galaxy Con · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Stephen Graham · Bryan Berlin · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Warwick Davis · Edwardx · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Ilan Eshkeri · Rosiestep · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

Every track on the soundtrack album, in album order.

Behind the music. Ilan Eshkeri composed the score.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

variety.com ↗ (opens in a new tab) MusicBrainz ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Get Santa. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapHarewood House, Yorkshire

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Choose your next scene

Photographs of the real places

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Harewood House, Yorkshire · Sirenuk · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · Creative England (opens in a new tab)

Lancaster Castle · The wub · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Creative England (opens in a new tab)

East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley · The wub · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Creative England (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Get Santa

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

A Yorkshire estate doubled for central London

The film's opening park scenes were shot on the Harewood estate in Yorkshire, which stood in for a big London royal park. Road chases were filmed around Leeds with permissions arranged by Creative England.

Read the story

Source: Creative England ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

The prison scenes used a real castle jail

Santa's stay behind bars was shot at Lancaster Castle, a historic building that served as a working prison, rather than on a studio set.

Read the story
On your next watchThe stonework and corridors in the jail scenes.

Source: Creative England ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: In cinemas, rated U. UK cinema release by Warner Bros.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Good to know

Questions about Get Santa

What age rating is Get Santa in the UK?

Get Santa is rated U in the UK, so it is suitable for all ages. The BBFC advice is mild slapstick violence and mild crude humour.

When did Get Santa come out in UK cinemas?

Warner Bros released Get Santa in UK cinemas on 5 December 2014.

Who plays Father Christmas in Get Santa?

Jim Broadbent plays Father Christmas, opposite Rafe Spall and Kit Connor. Christopher Smith wrote and directed it.

How long is Get Santa?

Get Santa runs for 102 minutes.

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