Bringing Up Baby – It’s Christmas with Jonathan Ross – Extras – 22 Dec 2005

The first recording today starts with the very end of Gunga Din. Starring Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din. Hmm.

There’s a trailer for Christmas on CBeebies, and an advert for DAB Digital Radio.

Then, there’s a film, Bringing Up Baby. I’ve already looked at this on one of my tapes. The film remains a complete delight.

Media Centre Description: Classic screwball comedy about a madcap heiress who makes a shambles of an absent-minded palaeontologist’s life when she arrives on the scene complete with her pet leopard. The film’s rollercoaster plot formed the basis for 1972’s What’s Up, Doc? and is notable for Katharine Hepburn’s foray into zany comedy.

BBC Genome: BBC Two England – 22nd December 2005 – 13:20

After this, there’s trailers for Don’t Panic About Christmas Shopping and Dead Ringers, plus an ad for DAB digital radio.

It feels like there’s been a slight presentation glitch here, as the BBC 2 Christmas ident plays, with its music, but there’s no continuity announcement before the next programme starts. The next programme being Nation on Film looking at the experience of Asian immigrants coming to Britain. There’s a few minutes of this before the recording stops.

The next recording starts with the end of an episode of Eastenders, a trail for the next programme coming up, an advert for DAB Digital Radio, and a trail for Christmas Eve programmes on BBC One.

Then, It’s Christmas with Jonathan Ross.

This is almost just a Christmas-themed version of his chat show, but they’ve sprung for a different set.

Throughout the programme, there’s some polls on favourite Christmas things, along with a couple of famous faces weighing in with their favourite things. Like Daniel Radcliffe.

Patsy Kensit

Simon Callow looks like they talked to him while he was in Panto.

And Shane Richie.

The first poll is whether it’s the thought or the present that counts. Thought wins 70% to 30%.

Jonathan shows off his Johnny Seven One Man Army gun, which is a toy I have no memory of from my childhood, but an awful lot of the references on its wikipedia page come from British sources which makes me think it must have just passed me by. Although it was manufactured by an American company, and there’s no mention of a UK distributor.

His first guest is Jools Holland, again.

They look at some more obscure Christmas singles, including Kate Bush’s entry, December will be Magic Again.

There’s another poll for Favourite Christmas Single:

1. Fairytale of New York
2. Merry Xmas Everybody (Slade)
3. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

Sharleen Spiteri speaks up for Slade.

Jonathan explains how NORAD track Santa, with the help of Sgt John Tomassi, who’s absolutely lovely.

The next guest is Barbara Windsor.

The top three Christmas films are:

1. It’s A Wonderful Life
2. White Christmas
3. Muppet Christmas Carol

Sharon Osbourne is a fan of It’s a Wonderful Life. Interesting to see White Christmas there – I wonder how many people remember the actual film, and not just the song? Or that the song was first featured in an earlier film, Holiday Inn. That’s a useful pub quiz trivia fact.

Now there’s music, as Katie Melua joins The Pogues to sing Fairytale of New York. Complete with the “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy f*****” lyric.

The next poll is the top three TV Christmas Specials.

1. Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show
2. The Office Christmas Special
3. Only Fools and Horses – Heroes and Villains

Since Morecambe and Wise weren’t available, Jonathan’s next guest is Ricky Gervais.

There’s a clip of Fanny Cradock abusing a turkey.

There’s some Christmas traditions from around the world, the most curious of which is the Crapper from Catalonia, the figure in the red hat which is meant to represent the fertilisation of the soil for the year ahead.

It’s a tradition that still goes on – the figures are sometimes made to look like famous people, so Jonathan has got some made to look like him.

The show closes with Roy Wood performing I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day.

Here’s the whole show (minus clips from The Office and Extras)

Media Centre Description: Jonathan Ross celebrates all things Christmassy, revealing the world’s weirdest and most wonderful festive traditions and exposing the British public’s true feelings about the experience. Joining Jonathan are the brightest stars from the top of the entertainment tree, including Barbara Windsor and Jools Holland. Musical magic comes from Roy Wood, while The Pogues are joined by Katie Melua for the group’s first television performance of the classic Fairy Tale Of New York since 1988.

Recorded from BBC ONE on Thursday 22 December 2005 19:58

BBC Genome: BBC One London – Thursday 22nd December 2005 – 20:00

The final recording today starts with the end of Newsnight.

There’s another preview of programmes coming up – and it looks like they’ve used the Kate Winslet promo – in fact the clips for American Dad and Family Guy are also exactly the same ones they used before the Ben Stiller episode on Monday.

There’s trailers for Dead Ringers and A Bach Christmas, and an ad for DAB.

Then, another episode of Extras. They’re working on a film with Samuel L Jackson

Another extra, (credited as Dullard and played by Steve Speirs) wants to be friends with Andy. Andy’s reluctant, but when he manages to get Andy a line in a later scene with Samuel L Jackson, he feels like he owes him something. “A favour’s a favour. Just take me out one night.”

Maggie likes one of the actors, and they go to the bus to have lunch with him, but they’re not allowed on the bus with the actors, because they’re just background.

Maggie is talking to the actor she fancies, Dan. He says it’s hard to get roles. “To be honest, there’s not a lot of black faces needed on television.” “Crimewatch?”

This faux pas is compounded when Maggie stops one of the actors coming on the Background Artists’ lunch bus, just because they weren’t allowed on the actors’ bus. What starts as a petty bit of revenge looks much worse when the actress goes to the other bus, and Maggie shouts “We’ll stick to our own, you stick to your own, and then we’ll all be happy” just as Dan is walking to the actors bus.

Andy tells her he’ll do the racism test on her to see if she’s really racist or not. “Who would you rather see with their shirt off? Brad Pitt or Sir Trevor McDonald”

Walking home, they are joined by ‘Dullard’ and they try to lose him by telling him they’re visiting the cemetery where Andy’s mother is buried. “Died in 1953. So how old does that make you?” “At least 52.” “She was born in 1893. So she was 60 when she died.” “In childbirth.”

Maggie brings Dan back to her flat, but the evening is rather ruined when she spots her old golly doll on the shelf, and Dan sees her trying to hide it.

Andy is shamed into having a meal with Dullard. It doesn’t go any better. “I can’t go through with this. I’m 43 years old. Most people my age are out with their wives or girlfriends. I’m sat here having dinner with another middle-aged man.” Dullard tries to cheer him up. He puts an envelope on the table. “That is two tickets to the Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You.” it doesn’t cheer Andy up.

Back at work, Maggie is still getting into deeper water with Dan, but then Samuel L Jackson joins the conversation, and Maggie drops the clanger “You were brilliant in the Matrix.”

Media Centre Description: Sitcom set in the world of film and TV extras. Andy gives Maggie some advice on how to act around black people. Maggie returns the favour by helping Andy avoid the most boring Welshman in the world.

BBC Genome: BBC Two England – Thursday 22nd December 2005 – 23:20

After this, trailers for The Unknown Hancock, Balderdash & Piffle and the Ideal Xmas Special.

Then the recording ends with the start of American Dad.