Holby City, BBC1

9:23am Friday 28th December 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

IT'S amazing what you can get away with at Christmas that you would never even attempt at any other time of the year.

Everyone, perhaps appropriately, seems a little more forgiving.

Clearly the bosses at the Beeb decided to test this spirit of goodwill with last night's special edition of Holby City.

How else can you explain the decision to base an entire edition on the greatest Christmas film of all time, It's A Wonderful Life?

It would be so easy to pour derision on a show in which former EastEnders actor Paul Bradley was shown the error of his ways - not taking the Albert Square job would have been a good start! But I digress. Somehow, and against all logic, the whole thing worked, and worked really well.

The premise was simple, poor old Elliot (Bradley's character on the UK's answer to E.R.) - he'd decided to end it all when up popped Richard Briers to show him that he would genuinely be missed.

Ahh!

At any other time of year, I suspect viewers would have been left thinking what on earth was going on, but surrounded by remnants of leftover turkey, it proved to be perfect festive viewing.

Perhaps more of our popular dramas should have a go at something a little different for Christmas next year.