[Brekkie]

I think ultimately it suffered when the series was dropped and they concentrated on the specials instead - means they somewhat become a tickboxing exercise without the overarching elements a series enables. It's fair to say as well that they're not the first comedy to suffer in that manner, although of course series becoming just Christmas specials like Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family tend to have passed their peak as well. When you look back at the classic Christmas specials over the years it's often the ones that aired whilst the series was still airing which are the stronger efforts.


As for freshening up Christmas Day I do think this year with them starting the new series of Call the Midwife on New Years Day perhaps the opportunity was there not to do the Christmas Day special, but as much as I'd rather they aired something else in the absence of a big comedy special and with EastEnders not being the guaranteed pull it once was I don't really see what they could have done other than airing Death in Paradise on Christmas Day, which then leaves a hole on Boxing Day - especially with no Agatha Christie style three parter in the schedule this year.