WHEN CHRISTMAS GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

The happiest time of the year doesn’t come without its fair share of hitches. And when things go horribly wrong, it can be downright hilarious with jingle bells on.

Narrated by Mr Christmas himself, Noddy Holder, this 3 hour special looks at the funniest things that have beset the world of TV during the festive season including rarely seen outtakes from Christmas favourites Morecambe & Wise and Mrs Brown’s Boys.

From Christmas trees that won’t stand up to kids toys that won’t shut up. There’s the worst Christmas movie ever and some really misguided TV ads that ended up offending an entire nation. Featuring a host of big-name stars including Phillip Schofield, Eamonn Holmes and iconic TV chef Fanny Cradock there are festive cockups galore. With first-hand accounts from the people who were there including Loose Women’s Lisa Maxwell who recounts the time Keith Lemon wreaked havoc on a seasonal edition of the show leaving the studio audience open-mouthed. Things go horribly wrong for pop star Kim Wilde as she’s filmed singing her heart out on a train having enjoyed a little too much of the Christmas spirit and Piers Morgan suffers a Christmas turkey as his Christmas light switching-on leaves the whole town in darkness. Other side-splitting moments include presenter Gary Davies who recalls hosting a BBC Christmas show alongside Noel Edmonds where 80s popstar Feargal Sharkey was left high and dry on a plane whilst attempting to sing his latest song. Plus, songbird Patti LaBelle suffers the most embarrassing mishap in front of then-president Bill Clinton as her backing singers don’t show up and she forgets the words to her song – awkward! Interviewees include Jimmy Osmond, Jess Impiazzi, Wayne Sleep and actors Tim Brooke-Taylor & Perry Benson.

Consolidated rating 591,800 and a 4.15% share.

Rating – On its 3rd Ch5 airing in 2020, When Christmas Goes Horribly Wrong airing in a 10pm slot was still pulling in 579,000 and attracting a 5.65% share. Consolidated at 645,900.

On its 5th Ch5 airing in 2023, When Christmas Goes Horribly Wrong airing in a 10pm slot was still attracting a 5% share, pulling in 492,000 viewers at 11.30pm with a quarter peak of a 9.5% share, beating Ch4, BBC2 and ITV.