The ultimate guide to Christmas television specials over the years

Ed Power rounds up the top one-off Christmas TV episodes, and gets to the bottom of their enduring appeal
The ultimate guide to Christmas television specials over the years

The best Christmas TV specials of all time

Christmas is special. But how special are Christmas TV specials? This small screen tradition goes all the way back to the dawn of the medium – but arguably only reached its zenith in this part of the world in the 1970s, when families would rush from Xmas dinner to tune into tinsel-hued feature-length broadcasts by some of their favourite musicians, comedians and, as we shall see below, feral puppets. And yet not every Christmas one-off is worth re-discovering. For every gift-wrapped treasure there was invariably a turkey or three. Put up your feet, then, as we bring you the ultimate guide to Christmas Specials from the annals.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, 1988

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