When it was announced that The Office was to return for a two-part Christmas special, expectations were insanely high, especially given that Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais left that desperate thread dangling, as to whether Tim would ever manage to snatch Dawn away from her boring, careless boyfriend Lee. The episode begins brilliantly, with David Brent, now a minor celebrity as a result of the previous series' success, travelling the country as a novelty act, while also trying to get a date for the Office Christmas party that he has been invited to. While Brent has always been a pretty irksome individual, we actually get to see some sweeter moments here, as he tries to find a woman who he can settle down with (he does), and most memorbly, he tells Finchy to f**k off. But the real attraction is the resolution of the Tim/Dawn storyline; Dawn returns from the US for the party, and though sparks soon fly again between her and Tim, we're still not sure what's going to happen. Just as it seems like all hope is lost, Dawn is getting a cab home when she opens Tim's Christmas present, and makes the cab turn back around. She shows up, plants a lip-lock on Tim, and the rest, as they say, is history. Easily the most crowd-pleasing and affecting Christmas episode ever, Gervais and Merchant crafted a genuine piece of TV magic. What's your favourite Christmas-themed TV episode? Let us know in the comments below.
