Well, it's that time of year again. Great if you like shopping (which I don't) and even better if you're a Britophile and look forward to the little gems that come out of the Beeb this time every year. Christmas 2008 was a real treat with specials from Doctor Who, Gavin and Stacey, BlackAdder, the Royle Family and Wallace and Gromit. Hopefully, BBC America will get off its backside and show them to its American audience this Christmas. (Although, it did manage to air the Doctor Who special last June!!!)So far, this year's Christmas lineup is not quite as impressive but I'll take it. Hopefully, there will be some late additions but this is just a bit of what we have to look forward to from the BBC:
Gavin and Stacey - One of my very favorite British comedies of all time will begin its third and supposedly final series this week, on November 26. This is a sweet little comedy with an outstanding cast and fabulous writing by the shows stars Ruth Jones and James Corden. My fingers are still crossed in hopes they might continue the show.
Cranford Christmas Special - I'm really looking forward to this one because I enjoyed the first series despite not being a fan of period pieces. I can never get enough of Dame Judy Dench frankly and Imelda Staunton is always a hoot. This dramedy, set in a small town in Cheshire during the mid 1800s, will pick up with the new railway pushing through town and upsetting the balance of sleepy Cranford. The Christmas special will be a two-part series and also stars Deborah Findlay and Barbara Flynn.
Doctor Who, The End of Time - Not really billed as a Christmas special but it is guaranteed a large viewership because it's the last appearance of the tenth and current Doctor, David Tennant. The special will be in two parts and unbelievably, it will air on BBC America the day after it airs in the U.K. on December 25. (Proving that BBC America can show current Beeb programming, they just choose not to!)
Hamlet - Can't get enough of David Tennant? I know, neither can I, so I'm happy that BBC2 will be airing the television version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet, starring you know who. Tennant enjoyed a lot of success with the stage production so I'm sure he won't disappoint. It too, will air on Christmas Day.
The Gruffalo - Maybe you are a fan of animation or of the children's book The Gruffalo, but even if you aren't, this special is worth watchings just for the all-star casting. Recently voted Britain's favorite bed time story by listeners of BBC Radio 2, the story follows a mouse who takes a walk into a deep wood, encounters scary creatures and eludes harm by making up a story about "his friend" the elusive Gruffalo who eats animals just like them. What the mouse soon finds out is that the creature of his imagination really exists. What will he do now? Some famous voices heard on this special include Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, and Rob Brydon.
This is just a small part of the programming slated for the BBC. When I find out about Christmas programming on other British networks, I'll let you know. Happy viewing!
