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1997 Christmas Special :
(Jingle Balls! / The Big Christmas Box / Merry Christmas)
Written by: Simon Nye
Directed by: Martin Dennis
Original airdate: December 25, 1997
Synopsis:
With Christmas having arrived, the entire gang, including Dorothy and Anthea have a wonderful time celebrating as snow falls, gifts are given, dinners are had, carols sung, and happiness abounds, aside from Tony repeatedly getting knocked over or bumped in the head. Nevertheless, it all ends happily with everyone laughing and enjoying each other’s company in the most spectacular way. At least, that is how they had hoped it could have gone.
Gary and Tony struggle through the England streets in the pouring rain, trying desperately to find gifts, having put it off till too late. At home, Gary wonders why he and Dorothy never celebrated Christmas Day together before and she tells him it’s because everyone thought he’d be annoying company. Tony says there’s been an asbestos scare at Deb’s mom’s house which is why he couldn’t go over, but Deb gives a knowing wink to Dorothy about her white lie.
Tony and the girls are making their own Christmas decorations with Tony being extra clingy around Deb before using the Christmas lights to do several impressions of famous landmarks and more for their entertainment.
Later in bed, Gary and Dorothy discuss Christmas traditions and how Santa Claus is the first real moment of sadness and disillusionment. Eventually Dorothy gets fed up with his inane chattering and asks him to help out in the kitchen this year.
Tony gathers the presents he has bought for Deb but only gives her one of them after she talks about the types of presents she hates.
The group starts exchanging presents, with only Tony super excited about Deb’s gift for him of a shirt and Gary’s gift of drums. Gary as well is excited by Tony’s roller blade gift but the girls remain unimpressed by their various gifts from the guys, consisting of short skirts, a surfboard, a deep fryer, used birdhouses, and darts.
Gary works on the Christmas dinner but really has no idea of what he’s doing and gets further annoyed at Dorothy chatting on the phone until he hangs it up for her, leaving her to dip the phone in batter and deep frying it as revenge.
Outside Tony demonstrates the extra small drum set meant for children, further annoying Deb. She confides in Dorothy that she’s considering breaking it off with him.
The gang goes to the Crown as Ken shows off his Nativity scene. Tony further annoys Deb asking her again and again about things she might want for Christmas. When they return home Gary discovers he forgot to put the oven on, leaving him to start drinking more and trying to get things cooking again.
Deb retires to her bed and Tony shows up, thinking it was code for sex, but after he gives her a t-shirt present with their faces on it, she breaks it off with him, crushing his spirit. He hangs out in the backyard and eventually starts burying the Christmas presents like a dog, due to Deb calling him out for acting like an annoying puppy around her. Later Tony heads to the Crown and drowns his sorrows, chatting with Ken, who offers him a few figures from his nativity scene to take home with him.
Gary ends up falling asleep, drunk, causing a fire in the oven and the turkey being burnt up. Deb comes out to see what happened and he tells her how heartbroken Tony is. She goes to The Crown to find him but sees him ogling a stripper that was hired for entertainment. She storms off.
Tony returns home and reveals he has dug up the previously buried presents, and they realize they just had their first fight, like a proper couple, and end up kissing as they realize they do still care for each other.
The gang head out in Dorothy’s car to try and get some food and decorations from a gas station. The girls sleep on the sofa as the guys chat about what they’ll do differently for next year’s celebrations, how Tony will try being aloof with Deb regarding their relationship, and how Christmas is like sex.
Chat on the sofa:
Edna Doré played the stall woman with the dentures. She was in a Tenth Doctor episode called “Fear Her” as Maeve Griffith.
The Snowman is a 1982 British animated television film and symphonic poem based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book The Snowman. It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an immediate success. It was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 55th Academy Awards and won a BAFTA TV Award. The story is told through pictures, action and music, scored by Howard Blake. It has no dialogue, with the exception of the central song, "Walking in the Air". The orchestral score was performed by the Sinfonia of London and the song was performed by Peter Auty, a St Paul's Cathedral choirboy.
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a minster church. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, owned by the Bishops of Winchester, which was rebuilt as Taunton Castle by the Normans in the 12th century. Parts of the inner ward house were turned into the Museum of Somerset and Somerset Military Museum.
Song of Christmas by Tom Stanswick & Becky Daley
The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot by Nat King Cole
Lonely This Christmas by Elvis Presley
Performance:
Written by: Simon Nye
Directed by: Martin Dennis
Original airdate: December 25, 1998
Synopsis:
Gary and Dorothy give Deb and Tony the news that they are finally going to try to have a baby. Deb and Tony reveal their own news that they are planning to move in together, news that Gary takes quite hard.
Later as Gary and Dorothy begin to try and have sex, Gary seems to be experiencing some trouble getting his car into the drive lately, as Dorothy puts it.
At the park, Gary plays around with a neighbor’s young child but accidentally drops him, while Tony pushes Deb too fast on the swings and she falls, hurting her leg. Gary confides in Tony about his performance issues, making him promise to not tell anyone, to which he inevitably does later.
Gary comes down to the Crown to chat with Tony who’s tending bar. Ken tries to pitch ideas to increase sales, but Tony comes up with the idea of karaoke night.
Gary continues to experience his performance issues and he suggests adult magazines or videos to help him rise to the occasion but Dorothy is not keen on the idea. She suggests a sex instructional video. Deb comes down and reveals that her leg has gotten worse and Dorothy carts her off to the hospital.
At work, Gary is quite surly towards George and Anthea and she asks if she can help with whatever he’s worried about but her suggestions aren’t really applicable to his situation.
At the hospital, Tony starts annoying Deb with reading various things from a magazine and she tells him he can leave but he’s adamant about staying to show us support. She brings up him moving in and he’s excited and continues to be his goofy, albeit annoying, self. Dorothy enlists his help with moving a patient and makes a joke about Deb losing a leg, to which Tony finds ridiculous, stating he could never live with a woman who has only one leg.
Gary watches the sex help video but is interrupted by Tony, who is getting ready to move out. He wants to stay and watch the video with Gary but he kicks him out. Gary later falls asleep while watching the video and when Dorothy comes home he has to hurriedly hide his used tissues. She questions if he really wants to have a baby, theorizing he might not want to but he quells her fears.
Later Gary looks at some more adult videos, with Tony being shocked when he learns that Deb might lose her leg. He tells Gary he might just not move in yet and the two fall into their old conversation habits.
Deb chats with Dorothy about Tony and how long he pressured her and how men change once they get into a relationship. When Tony returns, Deb calls Tony out on just wanting to see if she will pull through, saying she would live with him even if something bad happened to him. She decides to call off the move in with him, asking him to leave.
Gary falls asleep and has dreams about Deb, Dorothy, and Tony having a threesome, narrated by George and Anthea. Dorothy returns home and finds evidence of Gary definitely watching more than just one instructional video.
Later at the Crown, Tony, Gary and Ken get into karaoke night, along with the other patrons.
When Deb returns home, Tony reveals he has moved everything of his in but she’s still not happy with him. He says he’s sorry about the whole thing, and she admits it was just a test to see how’d he react. He feigns anger and storms out but comes back and they start making out. He starts to cry and while Deb thinks it’s because he’s so emotional about moving in with her, he says it’s about missing his late night chats on the sofa with Gary. Later, the two of them sit on Deb’s sofa and Tony instructs her on how to have a proper Tony and Gary conversation.
Dorothy says she has some time off and asks if Gary is up for three days of full time love making and he agrees, showing that he is finally up to the task
Chat on the sofa:
Emily Brontë was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights.
Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is 52 miles or 84 km south south-west of London.
Purley is an area of the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, England, 11.7 miles or 18.8 km south of Charing Cross, with a history going back at least 800 years.
Lapland is the largest and northernmost region of Finland.
Branston Pickle is a popular British condiment made from a mix of diced vegetables, such as carrots, swede, and onions, pickled in a sweet and tangy sauce of vinegar, tomato, and apple. First produced in 1922 by Crosse & Blackwell, it has a chunky texture and is famously paired with cheese in sandwiches or served as part of a traditional "ploughman's lunch". It is also available in smooth, chunky, and flavored varieties, such as sweet chili.
Fire by Arthur Brown
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You shouldn’t’ve) by Buzzcocks
Jive Talkn’ by Beegees
Solitaire by Elvis Presley
Dead Ringer for Love by Meatloaf and Cher
For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder
Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz
I Am Woman by Helen Reddy
When Will I See You Again by The Three Degrees
