CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT

 

Since the advent of Cable and Satellite Every Christmas is the same. It used to be bad enough in the old days when there were only three channels to fill but now, we allegedly have more choice the terrestrial channels don’t even try to offer anything that we might consider to be acceptable.

Take this Christmas just gone, it doesn’t have to be the latest everyone is the same now, but we will stick with this latest offering as they are freshest in the memory. 

They really pulled the stops out and so packed was the schedule that they couldn’t even squeeze in the Great Escape.

Unfortunately, all five channels were packed with a mixture of repeats and things which should never be seen again.

Tom Browns schooldays gave the impression it might brighten an otherwise dull selection only to disappoint.

However, the choice plum of the holiday season has to be Uncle Adolph, what were they thinking, at one-point good old incestuous Uncle Adolph was sat knocking out a tune on the piano to impress his niece when I thought he was going to burst into a chorus of “Springtime for Hitler” the play couldn’t have been anymore ludicrous if he had.

Thankfully the smug and inanely grinning Miss Marple has been returned to the asylum from whence she came (hopefully never to be released again) and the writers have returned to writing daytime soaps for the Outer Mongolia broadcasting corporation.

Still, it won’t be long before we’re doing it all again so better get the sprouts on.

Uncanny Christmas Tales – (017) The Good Life - Silly, But It's Fun

 

For those who are visiting from another planet the Good Life, Written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey was about a man who, on reaching his fortieth birthday, decides to give up the rat race and becomes self-sufficient.

The man having the midlife crisis is Tom Good (Richard Briers), who with the help and support of his long-suffering wife Barbara, (Felicity Kendal) turns his detached Surbiton home, into an urban farm.

This doesn't go down too well with their good friends and neighbours, Jerry Leadbetter (Paul Eddington) and his snooty wife Margot, (Penelope Keith).

The Christmas episode, “Silly, But It's Fun”, first broadcast 26th December 1977 is in my opinion the funniest Christmas sitcom ever made.

Most Christmas sitcoms highlight the most negative aspects of the day creating a kind of nightmarish microcosm of family life at Christmas.

The Good Life was the story of contrasts, with the Good’s making the best of the meagre resources they had, while the Leadbetter’s just bought the best of everything and lots of it.

In “ Silly, But It's Fun” Margo ordered Christmas to be delivered from Harrods on Christmas Eve but refused delivery when the tree was six inches shorter than the one, she had ordered.

As she rejected the tree, she also rejected everything else, including Jerry’s gin, under the impression that Harrods would redeliver Christmas including a tree of the requisite height for her later that day.

She was sadly mistaken and on Christmas Day she had to phone around cancelling all their Christmas engagements under the pretext that Jerry has Chicken pox.

Jerry was unperturbed at having political chicken pox but horrified when he discovered that there was no more gin.

Enter the Goods, who save the day by inviting the Leadbetter’s to their house for the day and a good time was had by all, they all got plastered on pea pod burgundy and played silly party games.

The moral of the tale being that you can’t buy Christmas you have to make it yourself.

An Unentertaining Christmas

Since the advent of Cable and Satellite the quality of the entertainment seems to diminish as each Christmas passes.
It used to be bad enough in the old days when there were only three channels to fill.
Now we allegedly have more choice than we have ever had, although I think the reality is that we merely have more channels.
The terrestrial channels can’t compete and to be honest don’t even try any more to offer anything that we might consider to be of acceptable quality.
Year after year all five channels are packed with a mixture of repeats and things which should never be seen again.
Take this Christmas just gone, I can’t think of one single stand out program that appeared on the terrestrial channels.
To be truthful it doesn’t have to be the latest Christmas schedule as every one is the same.
The Great Escape, Tom Browns schooldays, Mr Chips and the obligatory Sound of Music.
However there are sometimes a selection of new dramas though quite honestly they do flatter to deceive.
I remember one holiday season several years ago one of the offerings was something called Uncle Adolph.
God alone knows what they were thinking.
Ken Stott had the lead role, although he was more reminiscent of Groucho Marx than the Fuhrer and at one point good old incestuous Uncle Adolph was sat knocking out a tune on the piano to impress his pretty young niece and I genuinely thought he was going to burst into a chorus of “Springtime for Hitler”.
To be quite honest the play couldn’t have been anymore ludicrous if he had.
I do still get my bumper Christmas edition of the Radio Times every year and open it with real hope that this year will be better than the one before, but alas.