"Christmas 2021"

3 December 2021

3 mins 44s

Just another Christmas.

There's something charming about the mundane nature of this Christmas film for the BBC. After two years of upheaval, it's a breath of fresh air to see a communication which doesn't focus on the 'new normal' or emphasise a bumper blow-out holiday season, but simply returns to the small, simple personal traditions that we know and love.

Being ignored when reading Christmas cracker jokes, drinking at inadvisable hours of the morning, bickering about what to watch on telly - it's these staples which tug on audience heartstrings during these tumultuous times. The brand's programmes and radio playlists are a constant throughout, of course.

A thread of budding romance through it all adds an extra dimension to proceedings, as many relationships which started online or at a distance during the pandemic will be tested over the holidays. Our Christmases may look difference on the surface, but there's an overwhelming sense of togetherness and love which unites even the most disparate family gatherings.

Director James Rouse has done a great job of drawing out the narrative here, playing confidently with the position that the BBC holds on a British Christmas Day. We can only hope that our own December 25ths look as calm and normal as these ones - full of in-jokes, silly jumpers, awkward conversations, and all.

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