Christmas TV Review

Doctor Who:

“Joy to the World” was certainly an entertaining, festive episode of Doctor Who; however, Steven Moffat penning one of his timey-wimey scripts when everyone’s going to be very merry perhaps wasn’t the wisest decision, as it made it a little hard to follow. The best bit was the year the Doctor spent on Earth; it felt like a short feature film, and Anita was a gem of a character. Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan was frustratingly underused; viewers did not get to spend enough time with her, so her character did not feel fleshed out, which meant the Doctor’s relationship with Anita was much stronger. Ncuti Gatwa’s performance hit the mark for the most part, although the emotion sometimes felt slightly forced, like when he is with the Silurian in his last moments. That said, the ending and the twist involving Bethlehem was a cringe-fest. Overall, within the realms of Doctor Who Christmas specials, “Joy to the World” is another welcomed addition.

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale:

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale was worth the wait; somehow James Corden and Ruth Jones actually found a storyline that made for the perfect final episode. It was a triumph. Sitcoms are only as funny as their least funny characters, and even Gavin and Stacey provided some memorable comedic moments. However, Nessa was the star of the show; Ruth Jones landed every joke, dished some tearjerkers, and was one-half of the greatest British romance since Love Actually with James Corden’s Smithy. We get plenty of classic character beats throughout and lots of really fun callbacks too, if you listen carefully to the dialogue. The return of Laura Aikman as Sonia was one of the biggest plot twists, but Aikman’s performance was sensational; she made people tuning in absolutely despise her. Sadly though, what happened on the fishing trip was never answered, but let’s face it, no answer would have been good enough anyway.

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl:

Vengeance Most Fowl was the warm blanket many of us needed at the end of a tough year, and most importantly, everything felt familiar within the first few minutes. Ben Whitehead stepped into the shoes of Peter Sallis with ease, voicing Wallace to perfection. There’s humour for all ages, and the Norbots were an ideal avenue for the legendary Feathers McGraw to return to our screens. The stellar pacing means that everything is packed into a tight 79-minute runtime - you are never bored. And, if it even needs to be said, the stop-motion work is amazing. The chase sequence at the end rivalled that of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible and prompted an emotional scene between Wallace and Gromit. So, all in all, it was one of the best Wallace and Gromit features we’ve ever had.

Outnumbered:

The return of Outnumbered after eight years off our screens was underwhelming. For the main storyline to be Pete revealing to the kids that he has prostate cancer, it was a bit depressing and even upsetting. While it not being set in the same house meant we were missing that familiar setting we all grew accustomed to growing up. A lot of the humour didn’t hit, and without the welcomed addition of Jane’s character, the episode would have struggled more than it already did. That said, Ramona Marquez, Karen, and Daniel Roche, Ben, both slipped back into their characters with ease, although Tyger Drew-Honey as Jake less so. Overall, Outnumbered was always funny because of the kids interacting with their parents in such a relatable fashion; now they’ve grown up, that magic is missing.

Call the Midwife:

For the first time in Call the Midwife’s history, fans were treated to two festive episodes, and for the most part, it worked. The first half dragged a bit because nothing very compelling was happening; Poplar prepared for Christmas, new storylines emerged, and the funfair came to town. Thankfully, the cliffhanger successfully whetted our appetites, ready for Boxing Day. The prisoner breakout story captured what Christmas is all about, kindness and hope, while the Shaughnessy family story pulled at the heartstrings, and there was love in the air for Nurse Corrigan.