Top 25 Sitcom Christmas Specials

9. Only Fools And Horses €“ Christmas Crackers (BBC One, 1981)

After Granddad€™s Christmas dinner which includes turkey with the bag of giblets still inside, Del and Rodney decide to spend the evening at the Monte Carlo Club. It pains me not to put this closer to the top of the list but, as enjoyable as this episode is, the story structure drags it down a bit. It€™s definitely an episode of two halves with the first half being a three hander that deals with Christmas at the Trotters€™, and the second being one of Del and Rodney€™s many unsuccessful nights out. I personally feel that the episode would have worked better as a bottle episode featuring nothing more than Del, Rodney and Granddad celebrating Christmas. Apart from that little niggle, it€™s very funny stuff. As usual, John Sullivan€™s dialogue is absolute joy especially when combined with the cast€™s brilliant performances. The jokes about Granddad€™s awful cooking never feel strained despite how extensively they€™re used and there€™s some excellent Christmas related dialogue. It€™s nowhere near as good as the 1996 Christmas Trilogy but out of the episodes eligible for inclusion on this list, it€™s definitely the best. Best Moment: Granddad€™s Christmas dinner complete with molten plastic inside the turkey, roast potatoes that look like lumps of anthracite, and a very overcooked Christmas pudding.
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JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.