What's Occurin' This Christmas on BBC One

On a side note - I don't think I can stick another Christmas Day and New Year's Day Mrs Brown's Boys on BBC One. I know the BBC signed Brendan O'Carroll up until Christmas 2020, I just feel that show has long lost its shine, and needs to be moved this Christmas. Move it to Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and open up Christmas Day and New Year's Day to some new comedy on BBC One.

Agree it no longer deserves a Christmas Day slot but if Gavin and Stacey airs at 9pm or 9.30pm they haven't really got anything better to put on it. I think it'll only be bumped if Gavin and Stacey airs at 10pm, and that seems unlikely IMO.

I know James Corden's tweet a few days ago stated "see you on Christmas Day". But have the BBC themselves officially confirmed that Gavin and Stacey is going out in a Christmas Day slot?

I think it would have to be pretty bad not to be given the Christmas Day slot.

Yeah, I don't think they would have commissioned it for any other day.

Cough.... Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas

Victoria was upset that they moved her to Christmas Eve in 2009.

But the viewers weren't.

And Gavin & Stacey took the Christmas Day slot that year.

Technically slot for slot it was The Royle Family that was the big draw where you might have expected Victoria to be - both hour long Christmas themed specials.

I take your point, although I'm pretty sure Gavin & Stacey gazumped Victoria Wood that year.

All The Trimmings aired 9:20 on Christmas Day 2000 while The Royle Family and Gavin & Stacey aired 9pm and 10pm respectively in 2009.

Clearly The Royle Family was always going to be shown on Christmas Day 2009 (incorrectly IMO - it wasn't great) but the episode of Gavin & Stacey wasn't even a Christmas special. The final series was in the middle of its run and the episode shown on Christmas Day featured the cast visiting the beach in the height of summer.

The series had been airing on Thursdays, and that year Christmas Eve was a Thursday, but that week's episode was moved to the Friday so it fell on Christmas Day.

I think that the intention was for The Royal Family followed by Victoria Wood (or vice versa) but when the Wood special wasn't great they decided to switch it with Gavin & Stacey.

I understand Wood's frustration however - it was clearly designed to be a Christmas Day showstopper.

Although for some reason I always seem to enjoy Christmas Eve television more as there's still a lot of anticipation and excitement for Christmas Day. For instance, more half of the Gavin & Stacey 2008 is set before Christmas Day and I think a Christmas Eve airing suited that better.

I associate Christmas Day night with feeling deflated and bloated simultaneously so it kinda feels like an anti-climax.

Interesting theory, although I still not sure I agree - not in the terms you put it at least. To say it gazumped Victoria Wood is to suggest that Gavin & Stacey was so good, Victoria Wood had to be moved, but I suspect that wouldn't have been on Christmas Day had there been a new episode of Gavin & Stacey or not. And everyone knows that regular broadcast days go out the window at that time of year!

Looking at the schedule I'm surprised Catherine Tate was on so late, I could have seen that is designed for Christmas Eve originally, especially being a Christmas Carol rip-off.

Oh the fun of thinking of decade old TV schedules... I totally agree with the Christmas Eve TV generally being more enjoyable though.