Hannah Waddingham is Here For the Holidays
Hannah Waddingham in 'Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas'
Apple TV+
Christmas creep is a real phenomenon, but once Halloween passes, the Holiday special announcements start piling up to the point that covering them requires one to admit that the most wonderful time of the year is coming, whether we like it or not. Part of this is simply due to holiday movies and specials being one of the last reliable sources of appointment television left in the decimated streaming landscape. So with Thanksgiving rushing at us faster than the turkey will defrost and Black Friday sales filling up the spam filters, the specials are scheduling themselves in time for the family gatherings, including the old-fashioned British musical special Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.
Hannah Waddingham first made an impression on American audiences as the Shame Nun in Game of Thrones before becoming everyone's favorite billionaire divorcee owner of a football club in Ted Lasso. But as anyone who tuned into Eurovision 2023 discovered, she's a song-and-dance woman at heart, a live show comedian whose best moment, hands down, was with Mel Giedroyc of Sue & Mel fame. In short, she was born to do these sorts of old-school Christmas musical performances that descend directly from the vaudeville tradition, swanning around in evening gowns, dancing with a dozen men in tuxes and tails, and generally asking us to let her make us smile.
If the first trailer is anything to go by, this is a special you can put on this holiday season and let run in the background and never once worry about offending a single soul. In fact, everyone might just wind up singing along.
Here’s the special’s synopsis from Apple TV+.
Ring in the holidays with Emmy-winning star Hannah Waddingham as she welcomes special guests for a musical extravaganza at the London Coliseum.
Waddingham will be joined by special guests, including Ted Lasso co-star Phil Dunster, Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans, Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., and Eurovision 2022 first runner-up Sam Ryder. Waddingham will also perform with the English National Opera, the London Gay Men’s Chorus, The Fabulous Lounge Swingers, and an 18-piece band. The special is directed by BAFTA Award winner Hamish Hamilton, who has directed multiple live events, including (but not limited to!) the Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl halftime show, and the London Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
Waddingham executive produced her own special in conjunction with Katy Mullan, Moira Ross, Raj Kapoor, and Nick Todisco, along with Done + Dusted.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas will premiere on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, with the soundtrack dropping on the same day on iTunes.
