How did a show about mucus plugs and afterbirth become one of the longest-running festive TV traditions? 🎄📺 Gwendolyn_Smith speaks to its creator and stars to find out
’s longevity gives it the edge on even the most beloved specials. With a decade of previous episodes to draw on, it has the monopoly on the thing Christmas is all about: tradition.“We’re kind of like the nation’s family,” says McGann. “You get used to the behaviour of each character. Sister Monica Joan [Judy Parfitt] is going to watch the telly. Fred [Cliff Parisi] is always going to dress up as Santa. It’sThe one thing that won’t happen? “Nobody dies at Christmas,” says Thomas.
Thomas makes no attempt to pretend Christmas is perfect. “I am acutely aware of how hard some people’s Christmases are, simply because it’s happened to me,” she says. “Most recently, my mum was desperately poorly over Christmas. It was her last Christmas: she died a little way into the New Year. Christmas can feel very excluding if you’re in that position. That year in particular – it was 2018 – I remember going into Tesco to do the shopping.
“It’s about struggling families who can’t provide for their kids at Christmas, who don’t have heating for themselves and their children,” says Helen George, who plays Trixie. “I can’t think of a year when it’s been more relevant.” Some writers seem to think Christmas is an excuse for not bothering with a plot. Thomas couldn’t get away with that if she wanted to:’s special is a series opener rather than a standalone episode, so there must be a strong dramatic arc, though this comes with the snag of it being filmed with the rest of the series in April and May.
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