Christmas Special 2025

Finales, faves, and festive chaos: we’re wrapping up 2025’s TV comedy with laughs, tears, and a slightly judgmental cup of tea.

Merry Christmas, comedy nerds.

In this end of year special, Amanda Davies and Jacquie J Sarah wrap up 2025 with a shiny sitcom-covered bow. We’re talking new favourites, surprise obsessions, the shows we lost (RIP), and the comedy moments that made us properly laugh… plus the ones that had us wondering if this is still a comedy or we’re quietly crying into a cup of tea.

We also get stuck into finales. The good, the bad, and the ones that leave you yelling at the telly like Uncle Bryn explaining a fishing trip. Expect strong opinions on how endings should land, a proper chat about the Gavin & Stacey 2024 finale, and a heartfelt appreciation of what a great send-off looks like.

And because it wouldn’t be Christmas without chaos, we finish with the quiz. Secret Santa gifts, sitcom trivia, festive specials, and at least one moment of “I swear I knew that”.

In this episode:

What we watched in the last twelve months (new shows and comfort rewatches).

The comedies that ended and why it still hurts.

What makes a perfect finale (and what absolutely doesn’t)

Our Top 5 comedy moments of the year (including Abbott Elementary, Only Murders in the Building, It’s Always Sunny, Gavin & Stacey and the unstoppable brilliance of Hacks)

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Excuses
• 4:15 What We've Been Watching in the Past 12 Months
• 11:45 Deliciously Bright & Co
• 13:02 Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special 2025 Breakdown
• 22:07 Our Favourite Comedy Moments (okay episodes too - we cheated) over past 12 months
• 35:34 Christmas Comedy Quiz
• 36:40 Thanks for joining us and Merry Christmas

Transcript

Christmas Special 2025 Final 11.12.25

Amanda : 

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to that TV comedy podcast, Christmas special 2025. My name is Amanda Davis and my co-host is 

Jacquie: 

Jacquie J Sarah. 

Amanda :

Today we are wrapping up the year with a shiny comedy covered bow. We'll talk about the earing TV comedy, the best episodes, the biggest laughs, and those moments that made us go, wait, is this in comedy or am I quietly crying into a cup of tea?

And because Santa loves the dramatic ending, we're also diving into those finales, the good, the bad, and the ones that left us shouting at the screen. Like Uncle Brynn trying to explain what happened on that fishing trip. Hello, Jackie. Hi. That was a lovely introduction. So [00:01:00] Jackie, what have you been up to this year?

Jacquie:

It's been a long time. Yeah, we haven't put out any other episodes this year. For my part. I was seriously incapacitated at the beginning of the year. That's hands up my fault. 

Amanda : 

What happened then? Do you think that the year is just absolutely flown by? I just seem to have been really busy. I've been watching tv, obviously, the comedies working.

Yes, and spending time on my other Great Love, which is theatre, as you know, and to tie it all together. I was lucky enough to see one of my favourite dark comedies on stage this year. The Wonderful Inside, number nine. 

Jacquie:

I was there too. Your big face. And it's not a big face by the way. Only anyone can't see her.

She hasn't got a big face at all. But it was looming at me on the middle of a stage. Yeah, in inside number nine. That happened, didn't it? 

Amanda : 

They [00:02:00] did film the audience and, 'cause we were in the front row. Yeah, it did sweep across and I was on screen, on stage for a little bit. We were really lucky to get tickets.

Jacquie: 

Yeah, really lucky Romesh Raganathan. I was so excited to see Ramesh, which is ridiculous because I never knew I was a fan of his until they pulled that mask off and he was sat there in front of me and then all of a sudden I was like, oh, I really like him. Oh, it is so funny. It's because it's miserable. I like miserable people.

Amanda :

Yeah, you have enough of them in your life. 

Jacquie: 

I have been blessed and cursed with the screensaver miserable face. I can be sat there really happy and then somebody say, why are you so miserable? Oh, I'm not. No. So that's why we didn't recall any episodes this year. I wasn't capable of doing podcasts at the beginning of this year, and Amanda's got a bit busy and she wanted to go to the theatre instead.

Amanda :

People would say that I was incapable of doing podcasts at any other [00:03:00] time of the year. 

Jacquie: 

I'm sure that's not true. 

Amanda :

So what have you actually been up to to fulfill this need to discuss Comedy Jac? 

Jacquie:

I've got my own blog and website called Write to Comedy, W-R-I-T-E to TO, and then comedy. So it's a play on writer comedy, which is me, a writer of comedy. But you weren't so busy that you didn't write a piece for the blog.

Amanda :

I did actually write a piece about and just like that, and sex and the City about the theme of friendship. I think you look at things from an angle that people might have not have expected. You've done some really good blogs. On how perceptions have changed over time.

You've even done a comparison of how to perfectly time comedy with one of our favourite musicals and favourite films [00:04:00] back to the Future. 

Jacquie:

It was the four years anniversary of the film being released, and I, I wanna talk about comedy as a broader subject, and of course the comedy structure in Back to Future 

Amanda : is so tight.

Jacquie:

Yeah, it's ridiculously tight. Welcome to our Christmas special.

Amanda :

I started to make a list of TV comedies I watched this year. Right. And I thought, oh, I just keep watching the same things because I've got my favourites, as you know. Yeah. And I was really surprised when I started writing this list of just how many different comedies that I actually watch. And I've picked up some new ones as well.

So for example, taskmaster, I'd never watched that before. Abbot Elementary really got into that as well. And there were obviously some new shows that came out. For example, the studio. 

Jacquie:

Yeah, that was great. The [00:05:00] Studio. Yeah, really good. Too Much. I kind of made a list of things that were new out in 2025, Only Murders in the Building.

Yeah, I got that. A man on the inside had a new series, which I enjoyed. Hacks, continued Daddy Issues, continued Mammoth. I've met that man as a child. I met that man, Tony Mammoth as a child. Yeah, because he's a 1970s bloke living in Royals, living in Cardiff. Of course. I met that man lots of times. Mandy came back.

Obviously our favourite comedy of all time. The Bear. It makes us roll with Laughter The Bear. It's so funny. 

Amanda :

It's so funny, isn't it? I love the bear.

Jacquie:

I do too, but it isn't a comedy. We had a new one from the creators of The Office. The Paper, Mr. Big Stuff, and Brassic came back on Sky, Running Points on [00:06:00] Netflix the new Mindy Kaling comedy Fisk.I think it was out in Australia about two years ago, but we finally got the season

Amanda : 

Murder Bot. 

Jacquie:

I loved Murder Bot that was on Apple tv, and I'm feeling cheeky to even include this, but Daisy May and Charlie Cooper's Night Watch. I would argue a lot of that was scripted. It might have been improv scripted.

Amanda : 

Just shows sibling relationships. Yeah. Doesn't it? The nice stuff, but generally being horrible to each other and making fun of each other, but always loving the person at the same time. Shrinking. 

Jacquie:

Shrinking was not back this year.

Amanda : 

Wasn't it? A 2024 That was, I have read the, the new series is due in January.

Jacquie:

We're concentrating on the last 12 months. But Mand, we also lost comedies this year. 

Amanda : 

We did RIP.

Jacquie:

RIP for [00:07:00] the following comedies, The Change on Channel Four. 

Amanda : 

Such a shame.

Jacquie:

Absolutely ridiculous. Upload from Prime. That was quite good. Mythic Quest ended. Ended one way, and then a couple of weeks later it ended a different way completely.

So when Apple TV cancelled it. They changed the last scene of the last episode so it didn't end on a cliffhanger. Brassic finished. It's not quite a comedy as in a half hour sitcom. That is comedy drama. That was on Sky and that was out over a few years as well. 

Amanda : 

Brassic ran for about six seasons, didn't it?

Jacquie:

It was really good. They cancelled Frazier, the reboot. So sad that one hurt. I think they were in such a good place. The characters were working. Everything was into place [00:08:00] for a really good third, fourth, fifth season. And Paramount to pull the plug. 

Amanda : 

What do you think a good finale should be? 

Jacquie: 

Oh, okay. I think the main story should be finished off, for example, Friends.Okay. They had the babies, Monica and Chandler, but we didn't need to know what was gonna happen next to Joey. We didn't need to know the next steps for Phoebe.  We didn't know that Ross and Rachel would have another break in the next month. We didn't need to know any of that. All we needed to know is the friendship group would change because Monica and Chandler were in the immediate setting.

That is a good ending because we know their lives are gonna go and take a different direction now, but we don't know what really what that direction is. It’s got to be Friends, I would set up as a good finale. Okay. 

Amanda : 

What do you think my [00:09:00] measure of What's a good finale? 

Jacquie: 

You wanna laugh and you wanna cry. 

Amanda : 

Well, I wanna laugh. I wanna cry. I want to blub blub blub. 

Jacquie: 

Yeah. So for you, what was, what was good final? 

Amanda : 

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

Jacquie: 

Oh, that was such a good finale. 

Amanda : 

There you go. Oh my goodness. Yeah, blub, blub, blub. You're not wrong. But that is how you write a finale. It acknowledged the friendship between which, and Susie, it showed the story of their life, so you couldn't actually, or talked about.

What happened in their life. So no ambiguity there. And the other thing that I've noticed about really good finales, they extend, they do a proper send off for the characters. And there's no surprise that particular episode was the highest rating episode of the whole series of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

And it got a 9.5 on IMDB. 

Jacquie: 

Oh, it's a 10 Mand, it's a 10 for me. 

Amanda : 

It's a 10 [00:10:00] for me. And the final, it didn't work for you. Well, this year Just Like That. 

Jacquie: 

Go on. 

Amanda : 

It felt like they gave up, as you said, they, the writers did give up halfway through. I think something happened. 

Jacquie: 

I don't think they did. 

Amanda : 

No. Officially, Michael Patrick King wrote while I was writing the last episode, and just like that season three, it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to start.

Mm. And why would they pull the plug? Because the ratings were not good. It was getting lots of criticism. He loved the characters, he loved the show. Why would he have the very last episode of Sex and the City? And just like the whole lot with that toilet overflowing in your finale of a much loved series.

Jacquie: 

Well I take a different route from it than you do? I loved Carrie's ending. Generally don't [00:11:00] know about ratings. I've not seen the ratings, and the ratings don't actually matter as much as are advertisers paying for slots in that program. And is it being sold? It's about money. It's never about ratings.

Amanda : 

I was disappointed as somebody loved the series that it ended in that way. As you said, Carrie's story perfectly ended. I feel that they dropped everything else to concentrate on getting a good end for Carrie. 

Jacquie: 

Mand, you're just gonna have to get over it. That was the ending. Get over it. 

Amanda : 

No, no, I'm speaking my truth. And quite frankly, I find your abusive tone triggering and it's damaging my mental health.

Jacquie: 

Fair do’s love.

Amanda : 

This episode is sponsored by Deliciously Bright and Co. The Creative Studio helping you get Deliciously Done by turning bright ideas into beautifully finished projects. 

Jacquie: Okay, hang on. [00:12:00] Studio. It's just me. I am the studio. I am the staff. I'm the entire payroll and HR department. 

Amanda : Yes. And what a department you are at Deliciously Bright and Co clients get clarity, momentum, and a general shove.

Jacquie:

Don't forget the shove. Very supportive. Very Welsh. Slightly bossy.

Amanda :

Indeed. Through one-to-one sessions, accountability and the occasional reality check. Jacquie helps creatives actually finish what they start exactly. 

Jacquie: If you've got a brilliant idea hiding in your notes app, I'll help you rescue it. If you've got 12 brilliant ideas, well you really need to pick one.You could try the creative, unpack it, which is for all creators… 

Amanda :

DeliciouslyBrightco.com to get Deliciously Done. Link in show notes 

Jacquie: and yeah, it's still just me. But I do excellent work for one [00:13:00] person. 

Amanda :

The other supposed finale that failed the cry test was the Gavin and Stacey Special Christmas 2019.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the, the program, but it, it just didn't feel like the end. 

Jacquie:

It wasn’t the end, Mand.  I hate to break it to you, but there was a further finale and it was at Christmas 2024 in the last 12 months, and we have time to talk about it. Let's talk Gavin and Stacey finale 2024.

Now, that definitely passed the cry test. Did you cry, Mand? 

Amanda :

Yes. And you know, I cried again when I watched it again. 

Jacquie:

How many times you've seen it then? 

Amanda :

I've seen it about four times now. It's made me cry every time. Yeah. So should we have a little chat about the finale, Gavin and Stacey 2024? The actual finale 

Jacquie: Yes. The story that Ruth Jones and James Cordon wanted to tell. Right. 

Amanda:

And it was really interesting when looking at the book about the series by James Cordon and Ruth Jones, that I'd always assumed that he was the one. Was holding it back and not writing it. That because he was so busy but was shocked. It was the other way around.

Jacquie:

No, he asked her and asked her to do it and she was popping him off all the time. 

Amanda:

The open. Stacey's walking up that hill in Barry Island. She's talking to Gavin Atworth. But this, again, this scene tells you everything you need to know. 

Jacquie:

Yeah, just like that very first scene did. In the very first episode all those years ago.

Amanda:

Smithies getting married, the first twist in the finale.Six minutes, 15 seconds in, yeah. Big reveal. It's Sonia, it's, it's not necessary. Sonia, they had kept that so well [00:15:00] hidden. 

Nessa is on the front on a bike. Oh, she's, she's driving the old petty cab. 75 quid for two minutes. It's got Bluetooth in a bra, Bluetooth in a bra. Well, the woman, quite rightly, yeah, says they've only go in a few minutes and then says, I'm speaking my truth.

I am. And I find your abusive tone triggering and damaging my mental health. 

Jacquie:

Oh, deja vue. Anyway. How long she been working at the slots? 

Amanda:

Apparently 47 years. She didn't wanna go to the wedding? No, but she, it agreed to go to the Hen night. 

Jacquie:

Cringe, cringe, cringe. Oh, it, it was worse cringe for me than any episode of the office. Both sides of the Atlantic. Yes. We've gotta talk about the stag and there's a pub crawl, but the biggest thing is Mick’s speech. About Smithy. Oh, so [00:16:00] Mick tells Smithy that they always wanted another child and they never did. And then Smithy turned up at their door one day with Gavin. He just started showing up the house more and he said the pain started going away.

And I just thought, oh yeah, 

Amanda : but we'd go back to the KFC. Oh yes, the corn on the cob innuendo. Yeah. Smithy admitted he wanted a corn on the cob with Nessa. We just can't, can't just can't do it, which is lovely. But we also find out that Nessa's leaving, 

Jacquie:

She's only 29. She's been on the slots for 47 years, but she's 29 now. She needs to move on with her life. 

Amanda :

Six months on a cargo ship. Yeah, and then there's another big reveal land in there, Gwen and Dave. Coaches, who saw that one come in? I didn't. I love a surprise. I do, yeah. 

Jacquie:

Acceptable package though. So good luck to Gwen. And then [00:17:00] it was, bye baby Neil. Bye baby Neil. You only going to his dad's.But Nessa was acting like she'd never seen him again. 

Amanda :

Well, she was going away for six months. Good for Ness. 

Jacquie:

Did you see Nessa was so pared back on that scene. It was. It was really good to see. Yeah. The range. 

Amanda :

Yeah. Brynn's gonna be rattling around Barry like a bat in a boot. Cut the long story short.

Jacquie:

Well, we've gotta mention Pam's life after Mick. She's obviously put a lot of thought into, well, yeah, Pam's life after Mick, because she's definitely gonna live longer. She's gonna sell a house and buy a flat and she's gonna get a toy boy in and then she won't have to work. You won't have to work because they got the money from the house.

Oh, happy days. Yeah. I love that. 

Amanda :

So who did Gavin and, Smithy look like when, when Bryn  arrives? What, who does he compare them to? [00:18:00] Oh, oh, I should get this as a quiz question. She, yeah. 

Jacquie:

You should have done, 'cause I don't remember. 

Amanda :

He says they look like Robson and Jerome. So we we're getting vibes from everyone that they're not fussed on Sonya.

Jacquie:

Then it's the wedding. Do you remember what's telling Gavin to do something? Oh, Gavin, I really felt for him. Gavin? Yeah, I was it Gavin? Why’s it down to Gavin to tell Smithy not to do it. But do you remember what Sonya walked down the aisle to what song? 

Amanda :

Oh, I've forgotten. 

Jacquie:

It was somewhere only we know a musical.

Oh cute. The music over. But she just wants the attention, doesn't she? She wants to be the princess. She's smiling away everyone. She's gonna get even care that Smithy’s at the end of it. All she cared about is you could put the wrong shoes on. So I know straight away awful. But we had a nice celebrant and a Maxwell Martin [00:19:00] Gavin steps up.

Finally when it comes to the, finally he says something, oh, and then he says that everybody agrees with, but everybody just sits there. Oh, they sit there. I've had that moment how many times in my life where I've stepped up, I've done this, what everyone told me to do, they'll back me up and then all of a sudden you stood there and the are the L Wolf, the one that everyone can hate, but then eventually Bryn stands and then they all follow.

They see Pam. Few people on the other side. 

Amanda :

Yes. And that was an accident, wasn't it? Yeah, the two extras just good upon themselves and they decided to keep it. It was perfect, wasn't it? 

Jacquie:

But there was one person who didn't stand up initially, and this is the most important one for Smith. 

Amanda :

Yeah. Yeah. He kept looking at him, Mick. Yep. Understand and eventually he stood up and Sonya loses it and tells him, everybody says, you're marrying up. And he [00:20:00] says, not everyone, just her. And that's when he breaks. 

Jacquie:

Yeah. So we love a race against time. Who doesn't love a race against time in a program. Absolutely. They go to get Nessa before she gets on that boat and disappears out their life for six months.

They managed to get to Newport Docks, but it's supposed to be Southampton now. I dunno if you've ever been to Newport Docks, it's not quite on the same level as, no, it's smaller. They wanted to film it in an airport. They wanted it to be getting on a plane, like a race through an airport, which everyone loves.

Everyone loves an airport chaser  in a Romcom. Absolutely. But Cardiff Airport wouldn't let them film there unless they said they were at Cardiff Airport. So they had to say no, because they're supposed to be in London. That's what they said, didn't they? Ruth Jones and James Corden. But they were upset that they couldn't do the airport, so they went to docks instead.[00:21:00] 

Smithy gets down on his knees. One knee, I should say, say it's a different story. 

Amanda :

He's not praying 

Jacquie: and he asked Nessa to marry him. 

Amanda : And then they cut to the wedding, both in black, and then they shake hands and hug because they never kiss. Because they never kiss. But it was a, it was a nice last joke, wasn't it?

Yeah. And then they had the Gavin and Stacey theme and it was all over. And it was lovely that they had like the party afterwards. You could see how happy everybody was. Yeah. But there was no speaking. Yeah, it was just about them. There was music playing over and then there was the photo at the end. Oh, I loved it.

Genuine. Like genuine. Like genuine. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm not gonna lie to you. Is that it? 

Jacquie: You don't get many things that anticipated and watched by so many on Christmas Day anymore. That was, that was event TV and but it lived up to the hype.

Amanda : Yeah, it lived up to the hype. And then I [00:22:00] think it says a lot that that finale got an I-M-D-B rating of 9.1, which I think is an amazing.

Considering it's not big in America. 

Jacquie:

And now we finally stop talking about finals. Let's talk about our top five comedy moments of the year. And I'm gonna say moments, but we can include episodes. My fifth one was changing the ending of Myth Quest. I've not seen that done before. It might have been done before that they put the audience first and changed the ending so it didn't finish on a cliffhanger. 

Amanda : Excellent. Fair play. So my moment comes from Abbott Elementary. It's from episode 17 of season four. And it, it's the episode Karaoke. Jacob's a bit annoyed. He starts singing a Nu Metal song. Totally unexpected. Yeah. But the, the funniest part was one that they're all there at the end of the [00:23:00] night singing What Would You Do by City High?

And then you could see Barbara. She's singing a little bit in disbelief at the lyrics. What would you do if your son was at home crying all alone on the bedroom floor because he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man for a little bit of money. She's crying there, hearing this, and then the lyrics are continuing coming outta lockdown.

And so they’re shouting this into a mic and then as the mic moves back to Barbara, she says, oh no, not a lockdown. Just ball it. It is just so funny. So funny. 

Jacquie:

Next again, I'm going for an episode. The reason I've gone for an episode is because I couldn't pick a moment out of it, but it's from Only Murders in the Building.

Okay. And it's called After You, and it's the Life of Lester. What Only Murders in the Building do is they take [00:24:00] a side character or the character that's the murder's about, and it goes into their life. They're able to do these amazing standalone episodes. It gives you such emotional connection to the character.

So we know Leicester's been murdered. It's really heartbreaking, his story, and because we know that we now care. 

Amanda :

So my next moment is from Season 17 of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

Jacquie:

I'm surprised you picked Sunny. 

Amanda :

Well, I am a bit of a fan. Lots of moments I could have picked, but this one came from Frank's in coma. It's just typical. Sunny, isnt it?. Is it Cake? Absolutely. They realize that Frank has passed away, so they kiss his head and they're like, doesn't he taste sweet to you, Dee. They're crying. They're all upset. And then the next thing Frank bursts in saying, haha, [00:25:00] it's cake. And when Dee's crying she's saying, why?

And he said, well, I'm just trying to show you the magic of cake technology. You cried over cake. Ha. I mean, it's so cruel, but it was so funny. 

They are cruel. I've got a adjacent one is my next one. Oh, okay. And so, and also Abbott Elementary moment. Cool. So, you know, they did the crossover episodes. There was two crossover episodes.

One was yes, it was hard to pick. Shown. Shown in a Sunny episode, and the other one was shown as a Abbott Elementary episode. Well, the Abbott Elementary episode was very PG rated. Yeah. And I dunno which order that it was supposed to be, but we saw that one first, I believe. Yeah. The Abbot Elementary. Yeah.

Jacquie:

And so they're working at the school because they've been caught up for something, but they have to do community service. Community service. [00:26:00] at Abbott Elementary. Yeah. I am actually talking about the Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That version. And Janine, how do you describe her? Straight laced.

She's, yeah, she's straight laced. She, she's very careful what she says. And she doesn't say anything bad. She doesn't swear. So there's a piece to camera and Janine's asked to say what she thinks about Sweet Dee, and Gregory says, no, no, just say it. Just say it. And you think she's gonna come out with she's a bitch or something.

You like that? And then she goes, she's a absolute. See you next Tuesday. And Gregory's eyes just like, yeah, and his mouth drops. Oh, he's funny. So funny. So funny to see a character that's never sworn to swear like that. 

Amanda :

I'm just wondering if I'm gonna be in trouble with this one because it's from Gavin and Stacey 

Jacquie:

Fine, it was the last 12 months.

Amanda :

Okay. [00:27:00] When Smithy's in John Lewis, and it's at the six minute, 15 second when. He arrives and a bride turns around and it is Sonia. That's the gasp moment. 

Jacquie:

Laughs are cheap, Mand. 

Amanda :

Exactly. The gasps are where it's at.. But I cheated and I also picked another moment from that episode.

Jacquie:

Oh, this is shocker. Go on. 

Amanda :

But we haven't talked about this one. So we've got the scene. Stacey and Ness are outside. Dawn and Pam go back inside after Pam's calm Dawn Dam. Nessa says it's freaking her out and she doesn't like it. She's not gonna lie. So Stacey immediately thinks that Nessa fancies Pete.

Okay? And Nessa says, no, but I wouldn't kick Pete out of bed. That's not the funniest part though. 

Jacquie:

No, I hope not. 

Amanda :

Nessa says, remember that, have Christmas before COVID. When me and Smithy slept together and Stacey again jumps in, oh my God, you're [00:28:00] pregnant. And Nessa just says It was five years ago. So Nessa admits she told Smithy she'd loved him and proposed.

Yeah. And that he looked at the ring and was about to speak, but Gavin came out and Smithy walked away. So Nessa told Gavin she was practicing. Her Cossack dance for went off gig on New Year's Eve to explain what she was doing and, and she says incredibly, I still had it in me. I did 5 or 6 lunge squats, made my excuses and went to bed.

Funny, not as funny as when Nessa tells Stacey not to tell anyone. And then they cut to her. Telling Gavin, he says, I knew something was going on. Like it felt weird. But then I got distracted by some of the finest cross act dancing I've ever seen him on Nessa class. 

Jacquie:

And this one's from this program that was been on in the last 12 months, and it's called Gavin and Stacey, the finale.[00:29:00] 

Amanda :

Which bit did you pick? 

Jacquie:

Mick standing up for Smitty in the wedding. Oh, I know we've talked about it, but it's one of the best moments on tv and that's all I've got to say on that. 

Amanda :

Yeah, it was a moment. So yours is gonna be this, I would imagine we're on the same track here, the season four, episode nine of a little show called Hacks. Yeah, it, it is called a Slippery Slope. 

Jacquie:

Slippery Slope. It probably is the best episode of TV in 2025. 

Amanda :

Absolutely. Ah, and it involves dance mom. Dance mom. Yeah. 

Jacquie:

Don't do spoilers, but keep, keep going. 

Amanda :

Oh, well, I'll do around. So they've introduced dance moms because Mom, Deborah. Dance mom, because Deborah wants to appeal to female demographic.

So Kayla and Jimmy have got this. TikTok a dance mom onto the show, but she's become a bit of a nightmare. [00:30:00] She's spending lots and lots of money. She's drinking, she's taking drugs, and in this particular part, she's due on Deborah's show, but she's disappeared. Where is she, Jack? Where is she? Where's dance mom?

Where's dance mom? 

Jacquie:

Oh, she's on the universal lot, Mand. 

Amanda :

She's somewhere on the universal lot. Cue Kayla and Jimmy driving around the lot shouting. Dance mom. Dance mom. Trying to find her. Absolutely hilarious. We get the Jaws ride, we get Bates Motel from Psycho, and an interaction with a cast member whose method.

Which Jimmy complains about that they're all method. And then they find Dance Mom in Listeria Lane, but she doesn't actually wanna be in Listeria Lane, does she? She wanted a picture on Carrie Stoop from Sex and City. Jimmy tells her that that's New York and from Sex [00:31:00] and the City, and they're actually on Listeria Lane from Desperate Housewives.

Jacquie:

I know I said, no spoilers. But I do want to go to Deborah's speech at the end. So you had this bit, which she was genuinely laugh out loud with dance mom. And then Deborah does a speech at the end and it's one of the best speeches as well that's ever been, and I won't say too much, but it is to have something to go from something so funny to so serious and such a gasp moment, isn't it?

Amanda :

Yeah. What she says. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Jacquie:

You've been lulled into this false sense of security by all of this stuff. So my comedy moment of the year is the episode Slippery Slope. Sounds like that was your comedy moment of the year as well. 

Amanda :

Yeah, of 2025. Even though I love so Sunny in Philadelphia, I don't think you could top that episode.

Jacquie:

Hacks is such an amazing show, generally. 

Amanda :

Yeah. [00:32:00] We should do an episode on Hacks. We will, I can clear my busy theatre schedule. 

Jacquie:

Yeah, if you could. Yeah, you can find room for me, Mand. Please let me know. 

Amanda :

I promised that the listeners now an episode on Hacks in 2026. 

Jacquie:

Are you sure? 'cause I could just do a blog on it. If you’re not too busy sat in a theatre 

Amanda :

Now we come to everybody's favourite part of the show. 

Jacquie:

No, just yours. Just yours. 

Amanda :

It's the quiz. And this is gonna be fun because it was carte blanche. Could have been on anything. 

Jacquie:

So five questions each. Number one, what does Tim buy Dawn as a secret Santa gift?

Amanda :

Oh, it's something that says keep going. 

Jacquie:

Doesn't buy us something that says, keep going. 

Amanda :

No. Isn't it a little drawing thing? Never give up.

Jacquie:

Never give up is what is it? But when Dawn is at the office, she's absentmindedly drawing a picture of [00:33:00] Tim and then she just leaves it on the desk. So he buys her paints, I think it is, and he gives her that drawing.

Then he tells her never to give up. 

Amanda :

Ah, so sort of there. 

Jacquie:

No, you were never there. Go on. 

Amanda :

What tattoo does Nessa have and where is it? 

Jacquie:

The one that's on her forearm is of the Welsh dragon. 

Amanda :

It's the red dragon. It's the top of her right arm. 

Jacquie:

Two in the Christmas episode. Citizen KNope. What do the Parks and Recs department create for Leslie after she suspended 

Amanda :

A miniature town? Pawnee

Jacquie:

Quite, it's a miniature town hall. It's a gingerbread city hall. 

Amanda :

I think I asked you that question last year.

Jacquie:

Oh, I don't even, Mand, I've slept since then. 

Amanda :

Well, you have you. 

Jacquie:

Yeah. Only, only once or twice in fairness. But I have slept since then, not for many hours left. 

Amanda :

No. Okay. In [00:34:00] Friends.

Who dresses up and there's what, and I'll give you the episode, the one with the holiday armadillo.

Jacquie:

Well, Ross dresses up as a holiday armadillo, and Chandler dresses up as Santa. Oh yeah. Joey dresses up as Superman. 

Amanda :

Exactly. 

Jacquie:

My third question is, what was the name of the third episode In The Only Fools and Horses Trilogy, beginning Heroes and Villains Modern Men, and, and it is related to the episode, so just think about what happened.

Amanda :

It’s not, Time on Our Hands, is it. 

Jacquie:

yeah, yeah. Time on our Hands

Amanda : Okay, so this question is about the US office, season six, episode 13, secret Santa Michael is unhappy that who has been tasked with dressing up as Santa instead of him. 

Jacquie:

Oh, it's Phyllis isn't it? [00:35:00] 

Amanda :

That's right, yeah. 

Jacquie:

My question, Mand. In the Frazier episode, Father Christmas, can you remember all of Frazier's Christmas episodes?

Amanda : No. 

Jacquie:

Here we go. Who is Alan reunited with? 

Amanda :

Ah, that was Alan isn't it his daughter? 

Jacquie:

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely right. It was in the reboot. 

Amanda :

You're not gonna believe what my next question is. In the Frasier reboot. In the Frazier episode Perspectives of Christmas from the original series. Who got stuck in a lift with a Christmas tree?

Jacquie:

Niles. 

Amanda :

That's correct. 

Jacquie:

In the Christmas episode of the Good Life, there was only one. What gift do Tom and Barbara give to the Leadbetter? 

Amanda :

Do they give them paper hats? 

Jacquie:

They made up newspapers that's in crackers. And I'll [00:36:00] tell you, hand knitted jumpers, you know those horrible green dye things. 

Amanda : Horrible.

Jacquie:

And they're still nice about the Leadbetters. They're just better people. 

Amanda :

I'll do something totally different then. So in the Gavin and Stacey Christmas, oh my gosh. Episode the finale. What we just talked about, we just talked about a little bit. Yeah. Why was a visit to Little Chef planned for Smithy Stag do?

Jacquie:

Oh, I don’t know why it was planned, but it was definitely in the planning.

Amanda :

Smithy's first job washing dishes. 

Jacquie:

Ah, okay. Well I think I won that one then. 

Amanda :

You say that every time and isn't there? 

Jacquie:

I know. Every time I win. Every time I win. 

Amanda :

Thanks for joining us. Remember we get a lot of this stuff from the internet and did you know…

Jacquie:

…the internet can lie?

Amanda :

Find us on Instagram @deliciouslybrightpod. 

Jacquie:

Or visit our website, deliciouslybright.com, 

Amanda :

Or [00:37:00] email us at that tv comedy podcast@outlook.com. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

I suppose you better go and edit this now, Jac. 

Jacquie:

It's gonna be a nightmare. But I do offer podcast services on deliciouslybrightco.com.

Amanda :

See you in 2026.

Narrator: That TV Comedy Podcast was presented by Amanda Davies and Jacquie J Sarah. It is a Deliciously Bright Podcast produced by Jacquie J Sarah.