The Best Classic Christmas Episodes To Rewatch
The most wonderful time of year brings with it an avalanche of Christmas shows: classic old films to settle down to, University Challenge to try and outwit, and a usually very dramatic episode of EastEnders. The best part of Christmas TV though, is the dedicated classic Christmas episodes, where our favourite characters navigate the same festive pitfalls that we do, providing both laughs and drama as we sip mulled wine and reach for another mince pie.
With Christmas Day just around the corner, we’ve listed a few of the best classic Christmas episodes from years past to revisit. Looking for more? Check out our picks for best films this month.
Doctor Who – “The Voyage of the Damned” (2007)
Christmas specials became something of a tradition under showrunner Russel T. Davies as he rebooted Doctor Who in 2005, with them airing each year after that year’s series had concluded. While “The Christmas Invasion” introduced David Tennant’s Doctor in a full episode, and “The Runaway Bride” saw the first appearance of Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, “The Voyage of the Damned” was the most audacious and yet fun of the festive episodes.
Airing on Christmas Day 2007, Tennant’s Doctor finds himself on a spaceship replica of the Titanic, where an alien has set it on a collision course for Earth. He teams up with ship waitress Astrid Peth, played by none other than Kylie Minogue, and dodges killer angels to save the day. The episode managed to be absurd, funny and surprisingly tragic, plus a lot of fun.
Watch the episode here
The Office – “The Christmas Specials” (2003)
Another single-cam comedy that ended at Christmas, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office left off very bleakly at the end of Series 2. Nightmare boss David Brent was made redundant from his job at Wernham Hogg, while self-deprecating Tim confessed his love to the office receptionist Dawn, resulting in rejection due to her being taken and moving to Florida. Gervais and Merchant initially left it at that, but a year later, in 2003, they brought back the cast and office for a two-part special to conclude the show. While it doesn’t totally undo all that happened in the last series – David isn’t magically reemployed, and Dawn is still with her boyfriend- the Specials find a way to make things less miserable.
Taking the form of a “one year later” retrospective on the show within a show documentary, the specials see David trying to forge a music career while Tim and Gareth remain at the company. A Christmas party is being organised, and David searches for a date. The show culminates with Dawn, who’d returned to England for the party, leaving her boyfriend Lee and sharing a kiss with Tim.
Watch the episode here
Friends – “The One With The Holiday Armadillo” (2000)
One of Friends’ most memorable moments (and there are a lot of those), “The One With The Holiday Armadillo” sees the always awkward Ross trying to entertain his son Ben, who’s staying with him for the holidays. Ross and Monica are both Jewish, though Ben’s mother (Carol, Ross’s ex). Ross wants to teach him more about Jewish holidays and traditions, mainly Hanukkah- but Ben is too interested in Santa and Rudolph to notice.
After Ben mistakenly believes Santa is mad at him, Ross decides to rent a Santa Claus outfit to please his son, but finds a problem: there’s none left, and Ross instead goes for a giant armadillo outfit. He creates the “Holiday Armadillo” and presents himself to Ben, and while he has to deal with the distractions of Chandler appearing as Santa and Joey as Superman, Ben starts taking an interest in Hanukkah. Things end happily as they light the Hannukkah candles, with a confused Phoebe askin,g “I understand why Superman is here, but why is there a porcupine at the Easter Bunny’s funeral?”
Watch the episode here
Gavin & Stacey – “A Special Christmas” (2019)
A decade after Gavin & Stacey’s last episodes aired, the sitcom returned for a reunion Christmas special. It saw Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Ness all reunite once again for Christmas, with Byrn tense at having to cook a huge Christmas dinner. The titular couple are dealing with the challenges of being parents to a ten-year-old, Smithy is also committing to his fatherly role, and Ness is pretty much unchanged.
There are plenty of misadventures and hijinks, including forgotten Christmas puddings and the fact that Smithy and Ness still have something of a thing together- and the episode ends on a pretty major cliffhanger. Nessa proposes to Smithy, despite him still being apparently committed to his new but rude girlfriend Sonia. But her proposal goes unanswered, and Smithy’s response is unknown, due to the ep cutting to credits. But it didn’t dent the ratings- it received over 18 million viewers in the first week of its airing.
Watch the episode here
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: “Yippie Kayak” (2015)
Nothing screams Christmas like a Die Hard homage! Jake finds himself caught in a mall hostage situation on Christmas Eve, living out his ultimate Die Hard fantasy. Packed with action, holiday hijinks, and Terry’s desperate quest to buy a last-minute gift, this episode is a holiday standout.
Watch the episode here
Schitt’s Creek: “Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose” (2018)
In this heartwarming and hilarious holiday special, Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) is struck by nostalgia for the lavish Christmas parties he used to host in his wealthy days. Determined to recreate those grand festivities, he envisions bringing the entire town of Schitt’s Creek together for a magical celebration. However, his plans are met with indifference—or outright resistance—from his family, who are content with their modest lives and not eager to embrace Johnny’s ambitious vision.
Moira (Catherine O’Hara) is preoccupied with her dramatic holiday wardrobe, while David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) dismiss the idea. Undeterred, Johnny ropes in Roland (Chris Elliott) and Jocelyn (Jennifer Robertson) to help him bring his dream to life. What follows is a comedy of errors as Johnny struggles to balance his high expectations with the reality of small-town resources and his family’s reluctance to get on board.
watch the episode here
The Royle Family – “The Royle Family At Christmas” (2000)
The Royle Family’s last four episodes were all Christmas specials spaced across 4 years, but perhaps the best was “The Royle Family at Christmas”, which aired in 2000 and was the last episode of the regular series. The classic special saw the lovable Royles celebrate Christmas and baby David’s first birthday, as well as meet Emma, the girlfriend of Anthony, and her parents.
In classic comedy style, the two families don’t really get on hugely well, as cultures and backgrounds clash, with patriarch Jim particularly rankled by Emma’s father, Roger. There’s a rather fractious Christmas dinner, a couple of “My Arse!”s, and it all ends with the TV-loving Jim receiving a flashy new Sky Box, which cheers him up. It remains a classic, and one of Craig Cash and the late Caroline Aherne’s very best.
Watch the episode here
Gilmore Girls – “Forgiveness and Stuff” (2000)
As Christmas approaches, tensions rise between Lorelai and her parents, especially Emily, after a fight at Friday night dinner leads to Lorelai being uninvited to their annual holiday party. Feeling left out, Lorelai spends the evening in Stars Hollow, where Luke offers her comfort and company at his diner. Meanwhile, Rory attends the party on her own, hoping to smooth things over with her grandparents. The night takes a serious turn when Richard collapses at the party and is rushed to the hospital. Lorelai and Rory both rush to his side, and the crisis forces the family to confront their feelings and unspoken grievances. Emily struggles to show vulnerability, while Lorelai and Richard share a heartfelt moment of understanding in the hospital.
Watch the episode here
