Dust off your TESLAs, we're heading back to So-Ha this Christmas. Amandaland The Christmas special is the crown jewel of the BBC's festive schedule this year. It will hit the small screen at 9.15pm on Christmas Day (and BBC iPlayer immediately after).
Not to brag, but apparently Santa thought I was kind enough to let me watch the Christmas special in advance this year (and anyone else who bought a public ticket to the BFI). I'm not going to be the Grinch and give away any spoilers, but let's just say that I can promise that what comes out is a masterpiece that could be hung in a holiday special at the British Sitcom Hall of Fame.
The Amandaland Christmas special subtly hints at the best scene from Homeland's first holiday spot.
If I had to pick my top three of all time. Homeland episode, among them the first Christmas special (aired back in 2022) will be located. To celebrate Amanda's (Lucy Punch) last Christmas at her house, she throws a party on Christmas Eve, which Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin), Kevin (Paul Reedy) and Liz (Diane Morgan) reluctantly attend.
Along with Meg (Tanya Moody), the gang is accused of using cocaine in daughter Amanda's bedroom, ruining a game of “Evil Santa” and watching as Meg knocks down the Christmas tree in Amanda's driveway.
But the peak of resistance comes when they discover a sign on a neighborhood wall that reads “Santa Isn’t Real.” After leaving Amanda's party, they return with the paints to find that the party has continued without them – the fake end time was created solely to throw them out. Anne (Philippa Dunne) hauls supplies from the garage and the quartet return to paint over the sign and “save bloody Christmas.”
That's where ours is Amandaland An Easter egg comes into play. As they paint, the group sings “Oh, let's love him” until a distant, incredibly off-key voice joins them. Who is this? Amanda, who claims she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't roll up her sleeves and help (when in reality she just wants a photo for her Instagram page).
This year's Christmas special reproduces the scene almost exactly – except now it's Amanda who sings horribly instead of everyone else. I think it's a perfect metaphor for how far Amanda has come and how at home she now feels in the company of Anne, Mal (Samuel Anderson) and mum Felicity (Joanna Lumley).
In the first episode AmandalandAmanda says she wants to find her people, and the Christmas special proves they've been under her nose the whole time. Don't worry, she's still completely unbearable.
Follow TechRadar on Google News. And add us as your preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” button!
And of course you can also Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxing videos and get regular updates from us on whatsapp too much.
