Christmas TV, Films and Radio 2020
Tags: Fairy Tale, Disney, Television, Neil Gaiman, David Walliams

A selection of fantasy entertainment for families to enjoy over Christmas…

Christmas TV highlights this year include a documentary about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from David Williams, and an animated short film based on Quentin Blake’s picture book Clown…

The main story of 2020 was seeing most of our plans — and most of the entertainment we were looking forward to — get postponed or cancelled due to the rise of COVID-19. However, despite this, there are a lot of new TV shows and radio programmes for us to enjoy this Christmas. Producing TV was especially challenging this year, as COVID-19 infections and government lockdowns forced many TV programmes to suspend production or move towards a socially distanced format. Fortunately, there are still a substantial number of new programmes, including live-action comedy, animated specials and even a couple of radio shows.

Here are some of the best fairytale and fantasy shows being aired over the Christmas period. It is amusing to note that there is a bit of repetition this year — Neil Gaiman, David Walliams, Quentin Blake, Helena Bonham Carter and Rob Brydon are involved in multiple programmes, which should provide extra entertainment for their fans…

Disney Films

Due to the rise of Disney + and Sky Disney, “classic” Disney films (traditionally a Christmas staple) are a bit thin on the ground this year, but several more recent hits from the House of Mouse are getting aired over the Christmas period. Moana will air on Christmas Eve (12:35PM BBC1), with its celebration of Pasifika culture and rousing soundtrack (including “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome”) providing some much-needed sunny escapism. Pixar’s 2017 hit Coco is enjoying its freeview premiere on Christmas Day, airing on BBC1 in the lucrative 3:10PM timeslot (straight after the Queen’s speech). A lively take on Mexican “Day of the Dead” folklore with strong messages about the importance of family, Coco is one of the best Pixar films of recent years. On Tuesday 29th, BBC1 are hosting a double bill of recent Disney Animation hits, with their 2016 Oscar winner Zootropolis (1:55PM) being followed by the inescapable megahit Frozen (3:35PM). The BBC are also showing some big hits from Disney’s recent line of live-action remakes, with Cinderella airing on Boxing Day (2:50PM, BBC2), The Jungle Book being shown on 28th December (3PM, BBC1) and Beauty and the Beast airing on New Year’s Eve (2:20PM, BBC1). Though these remakes may lack the magic of the animated originals, they still represent the sort of grand, sumptuously shot escapism which is perfect for the holiday season.

Other Movies

With schools closed for the holiday and parents mostly away from work, it is a great time to introduce younger audiences to fairytale and fantasy films that do not have the Disney logo attached. Fans of “Swords and sandals” fantasies will get to enjoy 1963 hit Jason and the Argonauts (Christmas Eve, 5:25PM, Channel 5), and 1981 guilty pleasure Clash of the Titans (22nd December, 1:45PM, BBC1), which both provide action-packed takes on Greek mythology, with special effects from the legendary Ray Harryhausen. Meanwhile, Channel 4 will air Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (Sunday 27th December, 2:10PM), the 1990 gothic fantasy about a sensitive robot who has blades for hands. Borrowing motifs from fairytales such as Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio (as well as a blend of melancholy, satire and whimsy similar to the best stories of Oscar Wilde and Hans Christian Andersen), it is generally seen as one of Burton’s finest films. On New Years’ Day, Channel 4 will air the 2007 adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel Stardust (3:05PM). This will be followed by The Greatest Showman (5:30PM), which turned the story of the notorious circus impresario P.T. Barnum into a feelgood musical starring Hugh Jackman. Although critics complained about the fact The Greatest Showman did not explore or critique the uncomfortable reality behind the Barnum myth, the wonderfully catchy soundtrack made it into a major sleeper hit, with songs such as “This Is Me” and “Never Enough” becoming TV talent show staples. These movies demonstrate the Disney are not the only major Hollywood studio to provide crowd-pleasing fantasy films for the whole family to enjoy…

Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After (Wednesday 23rd September, 8PM, Sky 1)

Over the last 12 years, comedian David Walliams has become one the most successful names in British children’s literature. Novels like Gangsta Granny and The Midnight Gang have allowed him to combine his signature wacky and grotesque comedic style with softer, surprisingly sincere celebrations of childhood. This has been a phenomenally successful formula, with Walliams selling over 40 million books and taking up a third of the places in the list of the 50 best-selling childrens books of 2019. In Christmas 2019, Walliams branched out into the world of fairytales with his Christmas TV special Cinderella: After Ever After, where he played an obnoxious “manchild” Prince. This year, he is returning to Sky One with a follow-up to the classic panto staple Jack and The Beanstalk. In Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After, Walliams plays the traditionally villainous Giant, who ends up falling out of his beanstalk and landing in Jack’s village with no memory of his feud with the titular hero. He ends up befriending Jack and his mother, whilst trying to evade the small-minded citizens of Tichington and a sinister giant-hunter played by Sheridan Smith. Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After seems like it will provide an incredibly child-friendly blend of toilet humour, slapstick, topical comedy (including lockdown jokes) and warm-hearted messages about the importance of friendship, compassion, and empathy. A third After Ever After special (based on the story of Hansel and Gretel) will be aired next Christmas, and it seems like David Walliams will continue providing his own brand of fairytale retellings for many years to come.

Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas (Christmas Eve, 8:15PM, BBC2)

There is no denying that this has been a terrible year for British theatre, so Comic Relief are stepping in to support the performing arts by airing a television pantomime. Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas has been filmed virtually, with the legendary Quentin Blake providing illustrations to add a little extra magic. The Comic Relief version of Cinderella also stands out due to the fact it features one of the most impressive pantomime casts ever assembled. Oscar-winner Olivia Colman will play the Fairy Godmother, with Helena Bonham Carter (her on-screen sister in The Crown) as the Wicked Stepmother, Lady Devila. Anna Taylor-Joy, who became a household name after starring in The Queens Gambit, will play Cinderella, with rising star Rege-Jean Page (the suave leading man in Netflix’s new series Bridgerton) playing Prince Charming. Tom Hollander, Guz Khan, and This Country duo Daisy-May Cooper and Charlie Cooper will also play prominent roles. Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis has promised that the Comic Relief pantomime will also feature cameos from several additional celebrities. Even if you are not a fan of pantomime, seeing big-name stars engaged in silly fun for a good cause will be an excellent Christmas treat…

Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse (Christmas Eve, 8:15PM, Sky 1)

Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse is a fictionalized account of a real-life meeting between two of the greatest authors in British children’s literature — Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter. This meeting took place in 1920, when Dahl was still a child and Potter was entering the later stages of her career. When Dahl’s mother takes him on a holiday to the Lake District, he sneaks into the cottage of local author Beatrix Potter, who is initially reluctant to look after the curious child. The premise of dramatizing a tall tale about iconic celebrities has been used in the popular Sky Arts anthology series Urban Myths, but Roald & Beatrix has its own distinct identity. Like many of the best children’s stories, it tackles real-life difficulties, dealing openly with Dahl’s attempts at coping with bereavement (his father and older sister had both died a few months before) and Potter’s struggles with fading eyesight and writers’ block. However, this is contrasted with more fantastical and comedic aspects, as animation and puppetry are used are used to bring the animals on Potter’s farm to life. The reliably loveable Dawn French plays Beatrix Potter, whilst 8-year-old actor Harry Tayler plays Dahl. The supporting cast features several popular British comedians, including Rob Brydon, Jessica Hynes and Strictly Come Dancing fan favorite Bill Bailey. Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse provides a child-friendly adventure story which allows audiences of all ages to learn about how Dahl and Potter’s life story influenced their iconic tales…

Zog and the Flying Doctors (Christmas Day, 2:35PM, BBC1)

Julia Donaldson is one of the biggest names in children’s literature, with her gentle, rhyme-heavy writing style and unexpectedly deep messages representing an excellent way of introducing children to reading, accompanied by the bright and friendly illustrations from regular illustrator Axel Scheffler. Since The Gruffalo aired in 2008, animated adaptations of Donaldson’s books have become a comforting Christmas Day tradition on BBC1. In 2018, the BBC showed an adaptation of Zog — Donaldson’s charming subversion of “Dragons and Damsels” cliches — and this year, they are adapting its sequel, Zog and the Flying Doctors. Zog ended with dragon Zog, feisty Princess Pearl and anxious knight Sir Gadabout rejecting their expected roles to work together as a medical team. Zog and the Flying Doctors continues the story of Zog and his friends, as they try to solve the health problems faced by various animals and magical creatures. Hugh Skinner and Patsy Ferran reprise their roles as Zog and Pearl (although Daniel Ings replaces Kit Harington as the voice of Sir Gadabout), with Lenny Henry returning as the narrator. Rob Brydon voices Pearl’s disapproving uncle, whilst the likes of Lucien Msamati and Alexandra Roach are also included in the cast. Fans of Julia Donaldson should also check out the BBC2 documentary The Magical World of Julia Donaldson (Wednesday 23rd December, 7:30PM), which explores her creative process and her life story, using readings of her work, home movies and 2D animation based on Scheffler’s illustration style.

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes (Christmas Day, 6PM, BBC2)

For their main Christmas show, Sadler’s Wells theatre (the primary home of British Ballet) usually hosts a ballet from the legendary director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. For reasons which should be perfectly obvious by now, his 2020 production — a new staging of his ballet Nutcracker! — was cancelled. However, BBC2 will air his 2016 ballet The Red Shoes, a stage adaptation of the 1948 Powell and Pressburger classic. Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes was critically acclaimed when it opened (winning an Oliver Award for best Ballet) and returned to Sadler’s Wells in 2019. Like the film, The Red Shoes centres on a dancer called Victoria, who performing in a ballet based on the Hans Christian Andersen story of the same name. As Victoria finds herself torn between a life of dancing and a forbidden romance, her inability to give up on her dreams leads to her destruction. The sumptuous technicolour imagery that made The Red Shoes so iconic is retained for the stage version, with the choreography capturing the drama of the source material whilst also adding a few pleasingly witty references to classic ballets. Christmas is one of the few times when ballet can reach a wider audience, and Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes represents an excellent introduction to the art form for casual viewers.

Quentin Blake’s Clown (Christmas Day, 7:40PM, Channel 4)

Over the last six decades, Quentin Blake has established himself as one of Britain’s most iconic illustrators, with his simplistic, expressive style representing the perfect accompaniment to the work of Roald Dahl and other major British authors. Blake has also created his fair share of solo works, such as his 1995 picture book Clown. Telling the story of a discarded toy clown searching for a new home, it draws on French and Italian comedic traditions to provide a comedic, exciting but also poignant tale about the importance of looking after your toys. Clown is getting a new lease of life through this animated special, which is being aired on Channel 4. Over the years, Channel 4 has gained a reputation for providing magical adaptations of classic picture books over the Christmas holidays — Quentin Blake’s Clown is the latest addition to a wonderfully charming line-up which includes The Snowman and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Although the original book contained no written text at all, this version adds narration from Helena Bonham Carter. However, Blake’s iconic illustrations remain the highlight of the story. It will be a real pleasure to see them turned into an animated short, and hopefully there will be similar adaptations of some of Quentin Blake’s other works in the future.

The Sleeper and the Spindle (Boxing Day, 3PM, BBC Radio 4)

Adaptations of Neil Gaiman’s many novels and short stories have become a Christmas staple on BBC Radio 4 since 2014, with multi-part adaptations of his hit fantasy novels Good Omens, Stardust and Anansi Boys, and one-off reimaginings of Norse Mythology and Chivalry. This year, Radio 4 are providing an adaptation of Gaiman’s short story The Sleeper and the Spindle, a mash-up of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty which has been published both as an entry in his 2014 collection Trigger Warning and a picture book for younger audiences.

The Sleeper and the Spindle continues the story of Snow White, who is now a queen secretly desperate to escape from an arranged marriage. A few days before the wedding, three of the Dwarves that once looked after her return with terrifying news about a mysterious disease that causes people to fall into a seemingly permanent sleep and become zombies. The only way of curing it is to go to a mysterious castle and awake the sleeping princess who lies within. Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie voices Snow White (adding a dash of vulnerability to her “Warrior Woman” image), whilst the reliably cosy voice of Penelope Wilton is put to a more unsettling use here — she voices both the narrator and a mysterious old crone looking after the sleeping Princess. In some ways, The Sleeper and the Spindle harkens back to the tradition of spooky Christmas stories, with some impressively creepy depictions of the sleeping sickness and a genuinely surprising twist near the end. However, it also maintains a light touch, fitting in with contemporary girl power trends whilst combining two of the most overexposed fairytales in the world in a unique and subversive way.

Archive on 4: It’s Behind You! The Weird and Wonderful Story of British Pantomimes (Boxing Day, 8PM, BBC Radio 4)

One of Britain’s great Christmas traditions, pantomimes are comedic retellings of classic fairytales and children’s stories, full of songs, slapstick and audience participation. Most pantomimes have been delayed to 2021 or cancelled outright this year, but there are many ways of learning more about this unique form of entertainment. In the Radio 4 Documentary It’s Behind You! The Weird and Wonderful Story of British Pantomime, the cultural historian Christopher Frayling will guide audiences through the history of the pantomime. He takes us from the origins of “Panto” in the 16th century to the present day, explaining how it has evolved to respond to contemporary concerns such as political correctness and social media. He also explores the various ways pantomimes have dealt with the chaos of 2020, with socially distanced stage shows, television specials and even a drive-in panto providing some much-needed respite from the disasters of the year…

(P.S — It’s Behind You! is not the only pantomime documentary you can listen to. Following the recent death of EastEnders star and theatre mainstay Barbara Windsor, BBC Radio 2 paid tribute to her by airing her 2013 radio special Oh Yes, It Is! Barbara Windsor on Panto, which will be available on BBC Sounds throughout the Christmas period. It would form an interesting double bill with Frayling’s documentary…)

The Wiz Live (Tuesday 29th December, 9PM, Sky Arts)

Sky Arts moved was added to Freeview services in October, allowing a wider audience to access its formidable lineup of arts and culture shows. For the Christmas period, they are supporting a troubled arts and culture sector by screening several stage shows and musicals, including concert versions of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera, and a filmed performance of Billy Eliot: The Musical. Fairy-tale fans will get particular pleasure from the 2015 production The Wiz Live, an African-American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. When The Wiz premiered on Broadway in January 1975, it proved to be genuinely revolutionary, as one of few musicals with an entirely African-American cast, a mostly African-American creative team (with the late, great actor/choreographer/Bond villain Geoffrey Holder winning a Tony for his work as director) and a cutting-edge soundtrack inspired by gospel, Rn’B and Motown. The Wiz Live premiered on American TV during the 2015 Christmas season, with teenage actress Shanice Willis in the role of heroine Dorothy Gale. The supporting cast includes big names such as Ne-Yo, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Amber Riley, with the original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, having a pretty significant cameo as Dorothy’s mother. For the most part, The Wiz Live is a fairly basic adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but it is still incredibly enjoyable, featuring colourful and fantastical staging and one of the most joyous soundtracks in Broadway history. If songs like “Ease on Down the Road” and “A Brand New Day” don’t lift your spirits, then absolutely nothing will…

Chitty Flies Again With David Walliams (New Year’s Day, 7:30PM, Channel 4)

One of the last books to be written by James Bond creator Ian Fleming was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a children’s adventure story about a flying car. Published shortly after his death in 1964, it quickly proved popular and was soon adapted into a film by Roald Dahl and director Ken Hughes. Dahl and Hughes kept the car but replaced Fleming’s story with an entirely new one where eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts and his family end up in a kingdom ruled by child-hating tyrants. The 1968 movie* is most remembered for three things — the titular flying car, the catchy soundtrack from the Sherman Brothers (best known for their work on Mary Poppins) and the nightmarish Child Catcher, played by the legendary ballet dancer Robert Helpmann. Like many children’s films, it received a mixed reception on its initial release, but its fanbase has grown over the decades as those who watched it in cinemas have shared it with their own children and grandchildren. One especially keen fan is David Walliams, who is paying tribute to the film in this documentary. In Chitty Flies Again with David Walliams, the children’s novelist and After Ever After star tries to create a real-life flying car, aided by aeronautical engineer Tony Hoskins. He also talks to young fans of the film and explores how Chitty Chitty Bang Bang manages to retain its appeal today.

(* If you want to check out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for yourself, it airs on Channel 5 on both Christmas Day (3:10PM) and New Year’s Day (11:35AM))