AC14: Top 10 Christmas Specials

So as it's the holiday season (and I never actually got around to doing this last year), seems only fair that I do a top 10 of my favourite Christmas Specials whether it be films or TV, anything that we sit and watch, counts. So let's begin the list:

10: Merry Christmas Mr. Bean

Being one of my favourite childhood shows, Mr Bean is a unique show that needs no translation and was one of Rowan Atkinson's most loved characters and is a true testament to his work in Comedy. You have Bean conducting a street orchestra, messing around with a Nativity scene in a shop and possibly the funniest bit of it all, Bean getting his head inside a Turkey's A**. I love every single moment of it and that's why it's on my list.

9: A Muppet Christmas Carol

Now there haven't really been that many adaptations of Charles Dickens's novel that I like or have even watched. The one I do like, is the Muppets take on it. You get music, Gonzo and Rizzo narrating, Kermit married to Miss Piggy (although we know that any way) and one of the best British actors out there, Sir Michael Caine as Scrooge. What more could you ask for. The story is done well, the Muppet's take on it is great and it more or less, beats most other adaptations of the story by a mile. Love it.

8: Nan's Christmas Carol (Catherine Tate Show)

A number of us were expecting something like this to happen and well it's happened. We all know what Nan is like around people on The Catherine Tate Show, so it came to no surprise that she would experience what Scrooge experienced, but in a slightly different way. We see Nan's past, her present and future, all presented by a bunch of comedic actors who all want to impress her, but fail to do so. Its very funny and I enjoy it a lot.

7: A Tale of Two Santas (Futurama)

Playing the part of Santa Claus can be very hard work, but have Bender play that role, and you get a very funny and sometimes violent, Christmas Special of Futurama. Xmas could look like this in the future, should some idiot decide to create a robotic Santa, but for now, we have this. Its fun and enjoyable to watch and I enjoy every minute of it.

6: Road to the North Pole (Family Guy)

Now I may not be a big fan of Family Guy (especially as it tries it's hardest to be like The Simpsons, but fails on all levels apart from the humour  and I really didn't expect this to be great. I watched it and I was pleasantly surprised. The series of Road to the Something episodes on Family Guy have always tried out new things and they succeed every time. If Santa was real, this is what a real life Santa would be like, so bear that in mind folks that if you attempt to try and find the real Santa, he may look a lot like the one in this special.

5: The Christmas Lunch Incident (Vicar of Dibley)

So Mr. Bean is one of my favourite childhood characters that's based in the UK, but what I like even more, is Dawn French. Since her show French and Saunders, she's gone on to do other work in comedy and I can safely say that this was one of her best. This believe it or not, was the first ever Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley and you can see that it's full of laughs, especially with the whole bad idea of going to everyone's house for a Christmas meal and getting stuffed while doing so. It's very funny and one of Dawn's best work, so far.

4: Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)

Now it was very difficult for me to choose a Doctor Who entry into this list, so I ended up choosing this one. Now it's not on here because of Kylie Minogue  it's on here because it's the closest that you're going to get for a Doctor Who episode that is all about Christmas. It's funny, epic and combine's elements of the real Titanic's end with Christmas and there is some very good acting in here as well. It's also the longest Doctor Who special to date, running up to 75 minutes (that excludes The End of Time which was a 2 parter but not really focusing on Christmas that much).

3: The Snowman

Even though I feel that this is more of a short film than a Christmas Special, it does have some Xmas elements thrown in and it's been part of a holiday tradition that many of us would do. It's mostly famous for the music, but it's overall a very good film. It shows what happens if your imagination comes alive and it's definitely the best (or rather decent) film where a snowman comes alive.

2: Simpsons Roasing on an Open Fire/ Simpsons Christmas Special (1989)

Now believe it or not, this was actually the first ever Simpsons episode that was broadcast. It was initially meant to be the 8th episode in the show's first season, but the other episodes never saw the light of day (from what I know any way). this epsiode properly introduces us to The Simpsons and just shows us a typical Christmas where you go shopping and cause mischief (hence the war that happens in the shopping centres at this time of year) and also try to be the best Santa possible. But what really made the episode great was the outcome of the Christmas present, which ended up being a dog for the family, which I thought was very sweet. It's the best Christmas Special of The Simpsons so far.

1: Wakko's Wish (Animaniacs)

This really became an obvious choice as I love the Animaniacs and this was the closest we get for a feature film. All the gang are in it including The Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister), The Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel and more. Even though it doesn't focus that much on Christmas, it show what the true meaning of it is, especially when it comes to wishing for things beyond your wildest dreams from a star. It's a very good film with slapstick humour throughout and is what fans of the show, have been waiting for.

So that's my top 10 Christmas Specials. Next week, we look at films of 2012.