Why Specials?

[bigcat]

Certainly not exclusive to Last of the Summer Wine, but I've noticed that many regular British series do fairly long and often rather different specials for the holidays. They stand out from the regular episodes.

The TV makers on the other side of the pond part ways. We do have holiday episodes but they are generally the same length as the regular episodes and mostly blend in with the series. Specials are usually stand alone films or episodes that aren't part of any particular series except for the dreaded reunion specials which are usually cash grabs made long after a series is off the air.

Does anyone have insight into why holiday specials are so popular in England? Or how or why they started?

 

[wstol]

In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, there would be the occasional special Christmas episode made that ran to 45 or 50 minutes. Hancock, Steptoe, Till Death, and The Likely Lads being the more obvious examples.

Bill Owen was a fan of the original Last of the Summer Wine novel, and basically pressured the BBC to make it into a 'film'.

The BBC responded by stating that they 'don't make films'.

Eventually, the BBC caved in - and Getting Sam Home was the first BBC film, running at 90 minutes.

The next BBC comedy films to follow were a feature length Just Good Friends the following year. And the next year, Only Fools: To Hull and Back, and a few days later, LOTSW: Uncle of the Bride.

All of these were done without audience laughter - as was Dream Acres.

It has become usual for BBC specials to revert back to shorter Christmas specials of around 45, 50, or 60 minutes.

Sometimes a year goes by, and there is no new series of a favourite comedy, and a Christmas or holiday special is made instead, and we have to settle for that.

It is a big event to have a special, longer length episode of your favourite comedy series.

 

[bigcat]

Thank you for that great explanation and something of a history of these specials. I had no idea that Last of the Summer Wine played such a big role in the overall making of comedy specials.

 

[wstol]

That's not to say it's not unusual to just have Christmas specials of popular comedy series running at 30 or 35 minutes, with a Christmas theme.

LOTSW has cheated many times too, by taking a regular 30 minute episode with absolutely no Christmas theme at all, and calling it a Christmas special.

Quite a lot of those - in fact I don't know of any other programme cheeky enough to do that.