#100: The Noel Edmonds Live Live Christmas Breakfast Show 1985

"A Christmas show you are not going to be able to put down!" Clip 100 had to be something big, and it is. If you watch nothing else this festive season watch all two hours-plus of this, featuring just as an overview a race up the BT Tower, Feargal Sharkey's miming disaster on Concorde, the launch of Comic Relief in the Sudan with the aid of researcher and future diarist Helen Fielding, various drowned rats of regional reporters across the country's outposts, a suspiciously large number of plugs for BT, and Smitty linking some speciality acts, Rowan Atkinson and competitions in a field. Fun for all. Thanks for following these past 24 days/100 posts, and a happy Christmas to all our readers!

#99: Alas Sage And Onion

Another Smith & Jones special, this from 1988 with a supporting team including Lindsay 'GBH' Duncan, Clive Mantle and Tony Slattery, and an all-star writing team including Hugh Grant's revue group Jockeys Of Norfolk.

#98: Minder On The Orient Express

ITV's big hope for Christmas Day 1985 in full. The first extra length episode was George Cole's favourite of all, apparently, but Only Fools And Horses' To Hull And Back trounced it in the ratings battle.

#97: All Star Record Breakers, 1981

Tap dancers and Kenneth Williams aside (qv) very little of the children's unit variety extravaganzs have made it online as yet but for, oh, some reason Sarah Greene's moments are well represented. In fairness she always seemed to pull out the stops when it came to the big event, here issuing a lusty performance of I Can't Do It Alone from Chicago. Though obviously what we really want to see from that show is Mark Curry singing Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs to Tony Hart.

#96: BBC1 Christmas Day trailer, 1977

We all know by now that Yarwood actually got the bigger viewing figures, right? OK, just checking. Anyway, this is how the biggest of big days for British festive TV was trailed the previous evening.

#95: Thames, Christmas Day 1979

A trailer for the evening - that was the last George & Mildred thanks to Yootha Joyce's death, by the way, and Morecambe & Wise was a clip and chat show because of Eric's health problems - followed by adverts mostly for sales but also Patricia Hayes, Barry Sheene and an in-character Michael Crawford plugging Texaco. It's Peter Marshall inviting us into his festive drawing room introducing the news with Anna Ford, who gets thrown by the bulletin ending, and then doing the world's slowest 3-2-1 gesture.

#94: Thames, Christmas Day 1978

A trail for The Day Of The Jackal is followed by adverts, including Jaws 2, Ronnie Barker dressed as a hula girl and a vertical hold-buggering Listermint to introduce the concept of 'the sloosh', before Peter Marshall gives a big introduction to Morecambe and Wise’s big day debut for commercial TV.

#93: Children's ITV preview, 1987

"It's mentioned in the TV Times!" Gary Terzza and Debbie Shore preview the shows you could have expected over the Christmas and New Year morning blocks and associated programming, something which apparently includes Ghostbusters. Shore at one point seems to assume a young audience would know who Dylan Thomas is. Our favourite blurb: "a fascinating film about puppets called Here Come The Puppets". Well sold.

#92: ITV entertainment trailer, 1985

Sonny Hayes was evidently no Wayne Dobson.

#91: LWT, 1984

Thinking of you with the Christmas Line and a couple of the Entertainers personally wishing you the best. Meanwhile the flashy New For '85 trailer promises the mixed bag of The Price Is Right and All Star Secrets.

#90: Tom Noddy... at Christmas!

The bubble man is utilised by Channel 4 as startup entertainment for their first festive season, on 27th December 1982.

#89: Parkinson, 1980

Once James Galway, Penelope Keith and Ben Vereen are done - Galway and Vereen duet on Silent Night, because that Parky team knew light entertainment - some Christmas Day big band fun as Harry Stoneham and his orchestra burst into Sleigh Ride to close.

#88: BBC1 news and continuity, Christmas Day 1982

Surely the highlight of this package (apart from the visit to the Knotty Ash jam butty mines, which has unfortunately been tarred by programme association) is the glimpse of the tinsel and raincloud bedecked weather forecast tree.

#87: BBC1 continuity, 1989

Features tempting top and tail clips of the Telly Addicts special on Christmas Eve and among other things a Children's BBC clip from the 28th which includes Andi Peters stumbling over every sentence and contriving to look at the wrong place in a studio with a single camera setup.

#86: Morecambe & Wise, 1979

The 1979 Eric & Ern Christmas show was a hodge-podge, largely because Eric was still recovering from a heart attack earlier that year, leading to a mixture of clips, variety routines and a chat with David Frost. Arthur Tolcher still turns up, as does Eric's paper bag.

#85: Tomorrow's World Christmas Quiz, 1988

Following on from yesterday comes the subsequent year, where the first surprise is that the presenting team going up against the audience is led by Sylvester McCoy in character as the Doctor in all but name. As with 1987 it's a multiple choice quiz to determine what an object's intended use is, with guests Derek Jameson in plus-fours, Hinge & Bracket, Tessa Sanderson, Rory Bremner and Spike Milligan as Father Christmas.

#84: BBC1 closedown, Christmas Day 1984

Including the Boxing Day schedule they changed after Radio Times had gone to press - the news was originally at 10.45pm - to get one up on the Minder that went out opposite Dallas. Nothing is surely more patriotic than clockwork snowmen and their three-way cracker.

#83: Anglia, Christmas Eve 1988

Paul Lavers... at Christmas! Anglia late night continuity covering the night before the big day, where having mocked viewers for starting their celebrations early he promptly stumbles spectacularly over Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and barely looks in control for the rest of the time.

#82: Tomorrow's World Christmas Quiz, 1987

Every year between 1986 and 1992 the team would kick off their tight shoes for a Christmas Quiz with an eclectic guest list and a chance to have fun with science. This year Bob Symes, who died in January, gets to stay at home for his parts while ion the studio unlikely inventions are put to the test to determine what they're actually for, in the company of Moira Stewart, Rod Hull and Emu, Keith Chegwin, George Takei and Patrick Moore.

#81: Noel's Christmas Presents, 1994

Noel and his heartwarming touch managed a whole decade on BBC1 of emotional surprises, journeys and reunions just after the Queen's Speech. This is from right in the middle of that run.

#80: Generation Game, 1973

The final game of the 1973 Christmas show was a Cinderella pantomime, with Lynne Frederick as the titular lead, Bruce as Buttons and, in something of a magnificent booking, Frankie Howerd as the Baron. One suspects he and Frederick hadn't attended rehearsals together. Here's how the couples did, while here another surprise guest appears, Howerd doles out the points and then it's the conveyor belt.

#79: BBC ephemera, 1985

It's that man David Baldwin again, this time putting together the bits on the end of tapes everyone else leaves behind from 1985. Telling to note Morecambe & Wise had such nostalgia pull already that the 1973 special was shown in prime-time on the 23rd; as for the contemporary there's a merest glimpse of the Breakfast Time production of Cinderella, Bill Giles appears in a flat cap and scarf, and right at the end it's a jump into the new year and something everyone remembers as Noel blows up the robins.

#78: Anglia, Christmas Day 1985

Half an hour of it, including the 5.30pm news with incongruous waving cartoon snowman alongside the credits. Michael Speake dons a bow tie for continuity duty, and note prime-time is full of cheap local advertising.

#77: The Big Match, 1974

The Big Match's Christmas week shows were usually an excuse for players and stars to take over from Brian Moore in the studio, and 21st December 1974 was little different. QPR's Terry Mancini hosts, promising "hilarious frivolity", with guests Rodney Marsh and Terry Venables, the latter mocking the former's lack of socks immediately. Chelsea vs West Ham, Grimsby vs Charlton and Newcastle vs Leeds, with the guests analysing as they would full-time after retirement, are the meat of the matter, but in between we get Venables impersonating Johann Cruyff, the guests attempting to guess current players from youthful photos and 46 minutes in a classic 1970s ITV Sport shuttling-one-second-of-footage-back-and-forth-from-whence-humour-then-arises montage.

#76: Saturday Superstore, 1982

A full 79 minutes of the Christmas week show. While Cheggers is out in Durham with such kid-friendly features as handbell ringers and Lindisfarne, Dexys and Torvill & Dean are in the studio. Tony Hart designs Christmas cards, All Star Record Breakers is previewed, John Craven links with Brian Hanrahan in the Falklands and Mike Read pops into the gallery, as all live shows do when short of proper content. Inevitably, Read has invited his band in too.

#75: Round Robin

A rather lovely change of pace and some prime Cribbensania to boot as he writes and narrates a year in the life of the titular seasonal bird, shown on Christmas Eve 1979.

#74: All Star Comedy Carnival, 1973

We've already seen All Star Comedy Carnival 1972, so here comes the next one, the last time they ever did it as BBC dropped Christmas Night With The Stars and instead concentrated on their individual shows. Tarby hosts, dropping into his introduction an amazing Watergate-related prop joke followed by a pointed barb at Ted Heath. It's the most mixed of bags, as Man About The House, Sez Les and Doctor In Charge specials rub shoulders with the long lost Billy Liar (starring Jeff Rawle), My Good Woman with Leslie Crowther and Sylvia Sims and Spring And Autumn, a Jimmy Jewel vehicle that plays out to near silence. Bob Todd does a spectacular job as a drunk butler, with fellow guests Bobby Moore, Henry Cooper, Val Doonican, Fyffe Robertson and very briefly popular ventriloquist Neville King and Grandad, plus the repetory company from Jimmy's very shortlived sketch show Tell Tarby, Lynda Bellingham, Kenny Lynch, Frank Williams, Josephine Tewson and Hugh Paddick. And then right at the end Tarby and Kenny indulge in a dance-off over Wandsworth Boys School Choir's rendition of Walking In A Winter Wonderland.

#73: Fry & Laurie host Christmas Night With The Stars

Christmas Night With The Stars was revived in 1994, which proved controversial to some when it turned out to be more a Fry & Laurie vehicle and all that alternative comedy than the default expected LE extravaganza. Still, it's a fairly rare set of Fry & Laurie material with assistance Paul Whitehouse, Reeves & Mortimer, Felix Dexter and assorted Real McCoy colleagues, Sandie Shaw and Ronnie Corbett, we're not going to pass that up.

#72: Tyne Tees, Christmas Day 1982

Colin Weston opens up with the jauntiest IBA announcement ever and then a little local technical difficulty.

#71: Last Of The Summer Wine from The Funny Side Of Christmas

Our final Funny Side Of Christmas offering, and a very strange downbeat episode in which Clegg and Foggy are insistent on not joining in with the celebrations so Compo brings three women round to help change their minds, somehow.

#70: The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin from The Funny Side Of Christmas

Perrin actually finished three years before The Funny Side Of Christmas and there's an air of getting the catchphrases in and bringing the band back together for one last go. At least it keeps continuity with the end of the series.

#69: Yes Minister from The Funny Side Of Christmas

Basically one Sir Humphrey joke, but that's all you need to get the character interaction and gag across sometimes.

#68: Open All Hours from The Funny Side Of Christmas

The Funny Side Of Christmas, broadcast on 27th December 1982 - and if you think putting a Christmas special out two days late is odd timing, it was repeated the following August - was an eighty minute compendium of specially commissioned festive comedy shorts, much like the Christmas Night With The Stars idea but as seperate pieces with with Frank Muir linking. Today we're spotlighting some of the evening's entertainment, beginning in the corner shop.

#67: Little & Large Christmas Special, 1980

Yes, Eddie does a Jamaican accent and there's a Savile impression, but those may be the least of this grimly fascinating show's problems. Eddie starts with an Eamonn Andrews impression, which has to be specified given how little it sounds like him. Syd Little seems to think the entire purpose of a straight man is to read the set-up lines, but the audience are in hysterics when he walks on "as" Olivia Newton-John wearing a dress. There's a heavily sub-Two Ronnies comedy song featuring the pair dressed as Noddy and Andy Pandy, immediately followed by an inexplicable second comedy song about horror movies. Dallas and Barbra Woodhouse sketches, resident dancers, Lena Zavaroni with closing credits announcement about which theatre show she can also be seen in... this is 1980 light entertainment. Also a gag about Splodgenessabounds, which is less so. And if that weren't enough, they previewed the show on Top Of The Pops the previous week to no audience reaction whatsoever, including the incongruous sight of Eddie coming up with a line to introduce the Specials.

#66: Christmas TV Times advert, 1987

"So much more than TV times" - report

#65: Gus Honeybun, Christmas Eve 1991

Bunny hops and the magic button alongside all Gus' TSW friends, Sally Meen, Ruth Langsford and Ian Stirling. Gus and Ian seem to have a difficult relationship.

#64: Emu At Christmas, 1984

The prime Christmas Day morning slot too. Well into the Pink Windmill era, unfortunately, with stage school kids in their primary coloured finery and Carl Wayne from The Move in an undignified side role. Carol Lee Scott is now- well, then - appearing at the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury.

#63: BBC ephemera, 1984

More from the VCR and editing equipment of our favourite ephemera collector David Baldwin, this time 1984, featuring Newsround reporting on a carol concert in a swimming pool, Noel dressed as a fairy promising "pop videos" as the main draw of the Live Live Christmas Show, Orville in a UFO, a remarkable looking Pebble Mill At One title sequence, Olympic yachting as Christmas Eve BBC2 entertainment and Mike Smith seemingly playing a keyboard. From his second selection we find BBC2's idea of a major Christmas film premiere is different to everyone else's and at 8:05 a tantalising, tiny minute and a bit of the start of The Noel Edmonds Live Live Christmas Breakfast Show.

#62: Dallas comes to Wogan, Christmas Eve 1986

Given the do-whatever-you-want-Val's-not-here slot of 10.10pm, and notably directly after a standard episode of Dallas, Tel welcomes his hardy perennials Larry Hagman, who evidently enjoyed their part-time double act, and Linda Gray to verdant Shepherd’s Bush Green, with input via satellite from Omri Katz (JR III), Hagman's Broadway star mum Mary Martin and Gray's daughter Kehly Sloane, who would appear in later episodes as Sue Ellen's secretary and then give up acting straight afterwards. Yes, Larry does the stetson-full-of-money bit right at the start.

#61: Dexys Midnight Runners - Merry Xmas Everybody

Dexys were of course big news in 1982, which gave them carte blanche to have a fair stab at the Slade standard for ITV's Pop Goes Christmas that year, introduced by a distracted David Essex.

#60: Steptoe & Son, 1973

As is traditional with 1970s sitcom specials, there are plans for a main character to go abroad. Uncharacteristically, he doesn't. Frank Thornton makes an excellent early turn as an obsequious travel agent.

#59: Telly Addicts, 1991

Sadly not the special where Michael Grade joined Nina Myskow, Larry Grayson and Barry Took to take on series winners the Pains (as The Aches, see?), nor the 1988 version with Grade vs Bill Cotton, and it's a year too early for Danny Baker's appearance wielding Noel's Raleigh Bikes advert. Still, traditional pan-sofa shouting is comfortably in place in a BBC vs ITV contest, Suzanne Charlton, Mike Reid, Carmen Silvera and Les Dawson taking on Matthew Kelly, Sarah Kennedy, Bob Holness and Geoffrey Durham. Also the introductory Magic Moment has seemingly been requested by Donal McIntyre.

#58: Runaround On Ice

No, really. From 1980, Runaround On Ice! All the kids and Mike Reid are on skates and Mike is even less in control of proceedings than usual. A very much lackadaisical Madness are the musical guests.

#57: On Safari, 1982

Still with Gillian Taylforth helping Biggins out, and with a guest list that would seem out of date for light entertainment, never mind kids' TV - the contestants are the 1982 children's favourites Shirley Anne Field and Melvyn Hayes with their children, joined by Lynsey De Paul, Kenny Lynch, Suzanne Danielle, Billy Dainty and Jeannette Charles in her expected role.

#56: Central, Christmas Day 1984

Coming after an Eric Morecambe tribute show from the Palladium, hence the announcement over the Thames slide. Future face of Children's ITV Gary Terzza promises us Raiders Of The Lost Ark will be "the best film you've seen so far", which sounds ambitious.

#55: ATV, 1981

This was ATV's last Christmas, and indeed the start of their last week before Central took over. From the evening of 6th December Mike Prince does his in-vision thing after ITV preview their festive films.

#54: BBC1 closedown, 23rd December 1985

With a bad segue into previewing Telly Addicts and a PIF reminder to look after your elderly relatives.

#53: BBC1 promos, 1987

Look at that clash of fonts. Featuring an array of stars wishing complements of the season including Angela Rippon on the set of Masterteam and a whole Kilroy audience.

#52: Stanley Baxter's Christmas Hamper

Stanley Baxter essentially stopped making Christmas extravaganzas because the BBC couldn't afford to pay for their high production costs and spectacular set-pieces any more. His 1985 show, the penultimate he made for the Beeb, is a prime demonstration of the lengths LE would go to, with The Wizard of Oz and The Jewel In The Crown spoofs and the usual involved song and dance production to close.

#51: Tyne Tees, Christmas Day 1989

Bill Steel is our linkman. This includes a trail for Comedy Christmas Box, an understandably shortlived experiment in adapting Christmas Night With The Stars for a Jim Davidson linking vehicle. Bob Todd is one of the trailed highlights!

#50: BBC ephemera, 1983

Rocky on Boxing Day. Of course. Courtesy of the great David Baldwin, the pick of another year's continuity. The highlights here are clearly the clips from several breakfast shows from the week leading up to the big day, including a feature on the BBC VT archive and Christmas ident at 9:26 on the first video. Francis' Window On The Weather has snow on the Breakfast Time sun. How does that work? Also, Ian McCaskill's Blue Peter Weather Beater badge and more "holidays"-themed muzak to back various slides than you'll ever know what to do with.

#49: David Essex, Christmas Top Of The Pops, 1974

Amid the standard issue BBC LE glittery Christmas trees our man delivers Gonna Make You A Star, the Rubettes on lusty "I don't think so" mimed interjection. At least they seem to understand the rock media.

#48: Christmas promos, 1980

A slew of trailers and bits of continuity from 1980 across all three channels. You get an idea of how far ITV were trailing behind at this stage when you see the films being advertised - BBC1 have The Towering Inferno and Bugsy Malone (albeit with Airport '75 as the Christmas Day premiere), BBC2 boast The Godfather and Midnight Cowboy, ITV trail The Man With The Golden Gun and the film version of The Sweeney. And then just to make sure their superiority is evident, BBC1 bring out the animated one man band snowman.

#47: Tiswas, 22nd December 1979

"This is why John Gorman's just fallen over!" The team (minus Lenny) produce a not necessarily accurate version of A Christmas Carol, Chris drags on a cow, the Barron Knights get the full treatment, Chris and John lead everyone into the balcony in a full orgy of what-they-wanting, Frank Carson helps blow up the Christmas tree, The Bucket Of Water Song is delivered alfresco and the Phantom Flan Flinger marks the festivities at 18:14 by slipping over on his own mess.

#46: Southern, Christmas Day 1977

A Stanley Baxter trail followed by in-vision continuity from Bill Flynn promising fun for children later on, which seems about right given kids were rarely interested in Just William actually on next.

#45: All Star Comedy Carnival 1972

Jimmy Tarbuck dons his best mustard-coloured jacket and invites the viewers into his TV studio soundstage house for ITV's portmanteau centrepiece. Alongside the jokes about Sir Gerald Nabarro and duet with a moustachioed Tony Jacklin comes special episodes of Love Thy Neighbour, Nearest And Dearest with the cast dressed as children to an alarming audience reaction, Father Dear Father, Thirty Minutes Worth, On the Buses recorded on handheld film as if it’s The Thick Of It or something and The Fenn Street Gang. The absolute highlight, though is surely the festive version of Lunchtime With Wogan, in which Terry’s "thrilled skinny" to act as straight man in an extended and involved routine variously involving Noele Gordon, Lynda Bellingham, Leslie Crowther in a yellow stetson, Peggy Mount, Sylvia Sims, Hugh Lloyd, Larry Grayson and Anne Aston. Also happening by: the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Rod Hull and Emu, Moira Anderson, The Wandsworth School Choir, David Nixon, Les Dawson, and a climactic chorus of White Christmas during which Tarby passes out drinks for the house.

#44: BBC2 trail, Christmas Eve 1987

BBC2 at its most giving towards alternate entertainment for the season.

#43: Woolworths advert, 1983

Ringmaster Joe Brown, in many ways the male Lulu in terms of availability for 80s light entertainment, leads us into the last of their extravaganzas, this first one featuring Geoff Capes, Peter Powell, apparent gymnast Lennie Bennett, Sandra Dickinson, Eric Bristow, Daley Thompson... and is that Leslie Crowther again? Did he owe them money? The second version adds Rula Lenska.

#42: Kenny Everett's Christmas Carol

The clockwork robins! Not posting just for that, obviously, but for Cuddly and co from Christmas Eve 1985. Eclectic guest list in rough order of appearance: John Humphrys, BA Robertson, Rory Bremner as Bob Geldof, Spike Milligan as Marley's ghost, John Wells, Anneka Rice, Michael Barrymore, Francis Wilson, Willie Rushton, James Hunt, Tessa Sanderson and Peter Cook in EL Wisty mode.

#41: Scottish, Christmas Day 1992

A festive morning in an era of weaponry safety PIFs and Disney At Christmas getting its own locally adapted title sequence.

#40: BBC News, Christmas Day 1985

Moira draws the short straw for the 9.50pm bulletin. Don't worry, we'll get back to that Sudan broadcast in time. Followed by Bill Giles in in a flat cap and scarf, which seems to have been his "thing" around this season.

#39: Woolworths advert, 1982

Alice In Wonderland was the overarching theme of this Christmas campaign. The clip isn't great quality but you can make out the perennial Leslie Crowther as the Mad Hatter, John Inman as the March Hare, David Jensen as a playing card, Tony Blackburn as a jester, Bill Owen and Peter Sallis as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Windsor Davies, June Whitfield and King of Hearts Chris Tarrant.

#38: Do They Know It's Christmas?, Christmas Top Of The Pops, 1984

Nearly everyone involved was on the show anyway to attempt a full scale replication but playback miming was in force, and more importantly note that crucial word 'nearly'. The incapacitated George Michael is replaced by a Sting who clearly isn't concentrating, and that pretty conclusively isn't Bono delivering the key line - not to mention Black Lace and Slade among others getting onto the end of the group chorus and that, even though Culture Club were on the show, Boy George clearly isn't ready to join in with the onstage frivolity along with everyone else. No wonder Bob looks bashful.

#37: Christmas With The Carringtons

Robin Day hated this 1985 Terry-and-Dynasty talk-in because, as he told reporters, Wogan "was talking to people as characters. He was speaking to fictional people who don't exist as if they were real. It was appalling." It ended up being a press cause celebre and Day was invited onto the first live Wogan of the new year to tell Tel his issue with the show face to face. In fact Wogan later revealed in one of his many autobiographies that he didn't much care for the finished product either - it had been pitched as a fully set up Christmas Dinner With The Carringtons but when the BBC team got to America they found Aaron Spelling had changed all the plans on them and ended up having to snatch interviews and set visits instead. Still, the festive titles are a treat.

#36: Zoo dance to Laurie Anderson, Christmas Top Of The Pops, 1981

A remarkable clip wherein after some light badinage between Peter Powell and Dollar the only recently inaugurated Zoo dance to... O Superman. There's a judge, of course. And a mom and dad. And, remarkably, an actual attempt at putting a routine together to an atonal tone poem, Flick Colby in excelsis. Afterwards John Peel pops by, months before making his first regular hosting appearance on the show, to make an erroneous prediction.

#35: Woolworths advert, 1980

Just the one celebrity this year but one that brings their A game, Harry Secombe in full voice as Ali Baba. Some of the presentation is of its time, maybe.

#34: BBC ephemera, 1982

Another of David Baldwin's magnificent compilations starts with the Saturday Superstore team awkwardly shuffling on the spot in Santa costumes. That may seem too high a water mark to continue from were it not followed variously by a trail including the Team Disco Dancing Championships and the Men Vs Women golf challenge, a festive IBA Engineering Announcement introductory slide, a Christmas Radio Times advert, too short a clip of Ceefax at Christmas, Cheggers Plays Pop with Madness messing about in the background to the evident displeasure of Kevin Rowland, the Blue Peter Review Of The Year trailed with Chas & Dave's rendition of Roll Out The Barrel, the same pair's Crackerjack theme and the trail for British TV premiere of Grease.

#33: Granada, Boxing Day 1987

With "the junior Fluff" Colin Weston introducing the network premiere of Ghostbusters in the way only an in-vision continuity announcer with VT effects to play with can.

#32: ATV Christmas week trail, 1981

From ATV, the last knocking of the franchise that would close come New Year's Day. Nice To See You looks half-baked even by the standards of ITV Brucie specials, Harry H Corbett, Faith Brown and Marti Webb being the guests alongside Lionel Blair, while their Thames contract means Morecambe and Wise have to be relegated to the 23rd, Alvin Stardust chosen as the star guest in a gag-free clip to be specifically trailed ahead of Ralph Richardson. Imagine the big film on 22nd December being Sweeney 2. And if you've never seen apparent Christmas Day highlight (though its competition was The Muppet Movie, Game For A Laugh and a forgotten Michael Caine film) It'll Be Alright On The Night 3 here it is, notably without the clip in the trailer.

#31: Woolworths advert, 1978

What sounds like a shouting Bernard Cribbens presides over Jimmy Young proffering Quality Street, Windsor Davies getting excited by his Binatone and Harry Worth being confused by a digital alarm clock. Pat Coombs, David Jacobs, Pete Murray, Henry Cooper, Barry Sheene, Nicholas Parsons, Sheila Bernette, Anita Harris, Georgie Fame, Tim Brooke Taylor, Stirling Moss, Busby, Tony Blackburn and Leslie Crowther also pop in.

#30: The Kenny Everett Christmas Show 1982

28th December, to be exact, going big on its cast - Billy Connolly, Lulu, Geoffrey Palmer, Janet Street-Porter and Pamela Stephenson as duelling Janet Street-Porters, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Barry Cryer sharing a sketch, the cast of Tenko, Ultravox and Russell Harty. But not Terry Wogan, who's been sent to Alaska.

#29: Thames, Christmas Day 1987

Including Trevor McDonald on news duty and Philip Elsmore in the in-vision chair. The Christmas Line advert is the highlight if only for the stamp-sized cartoon mascot.

#28: Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue

The video for a Christmas hit that never was, coming in the Captain's agreeable but unseasonal peak cynicism/Dolly Mixture phase, which peaked at 79 in 1984.

#27: The Curious Case Of Santa Claus

Here's a curio from Channel 4's first Christmas of 1982. Santa, played by Oscar nominee and Emmy winner James Coco (St Elsewhere, Murder By Death) goes to psychiatrist Jon Pertwee to understand his identity crisis - why did he have so many names, where did he come from and why are there so many of him?

#26: Woolworths advert, 1977

Woolies every morning this week! Starting with their first festive extravaganza, starring Derek Nimmo, David Hamilton, Leslie Crowther as Dracula, Anita Harris, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Magnus Pyke, Ed Stewart, Jimmy Young, Kenny Everett, the truck driver from the Yorkie advert and Sheila Bernette, a "token woman" comedy sketch regular and Candid Camera cast member. Think we can assume given how many Woolies ads she prominently appeared in that she knew someone.

#25: Smith & Jones' The Home-made Xmas Video

Fondly remembered but never repeated after 1987, especially as concept Christmas specials are something you don't see as much these days and this is a fine example of that brief genre. Nigel Harman's TV debut too.

#24: George Cole and Dennis Waterman on Harty

No Dennis Waterman Band in sight. Musical differences, evidently. This is their 1983 number 21 festive smash What Are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors?, and as Russell suggests at the end they've worked around the published and recorded lyrics a little, just as they would on Top Of The Pops. And unfortunately yes, Waterman did write it, although shared credits with both Cole and Gustav Holst given the interpolation of his setting of In The Bleak Midwinter.

#23: T'Pau on Christmas Top Of The Pops 1987

Ignore Carol Decker, watch the back of the studio decorated with inflatable snowmen, one of which has come partially free from its moorings and is waging war with the drummer.

#22: BBC News, Christmas Eve 1988

The 4.55pm bulletin with Lisa Davidson, understandably muted for the most part with the Lockerbie disaster having happened three days earlier and the Armenian earthquake rubble still being cleared through two and a half weeks on. There's still room for the traditional reports on drink-driving figures and the festive getaway rush, and Bernard Davey's weathermap has a Santa bringing his own tree.

#21: Granada commercials, 1978

Two festive breaks (despite being broadcast on 24th November) taken mid-Muppet Show, including an alternate shorter version of that year's Woolworths advert - don't worry, we'll come back to it - and an early sighting of the classic Asda jingle.

#20: Radio Times advert, 1985

The Christmas RT for this year being published from today, let's celebrate its most self-reflexive advert ever as Del, Rodney and Albert discuss the Christmas double edition they themselves were on the cover of.

#19: Double Dare, 1987

From the Boxing Day 1987 Going Live!, Little and Large vs Bread's Gilly Coman and Jonathon Morris. Obviously everyone is in pantomime costume, Peter Simon inclusive, and Eddie and Syd leave their younger, fitter opponents to do the climactic obstacle course while naturally making sure to get as messy as possible themselves.

#18: Saturday Banana, 1978

Not a lot of Southern's Bill Oddie-fronted Saturday morning show, with regular guest Metal Mickey long before his own series, survives, but they clearly regarded it enough at the time to allow it to change the title sequence to mark the season. Roger De Courcey and Nookie Bear play onlookers.

#17: BBC ephemera, 1981

From the desk of YouTube's continuity king David Baldwin, whose work you'll be seeing a lot of on here in the coming days, BBC1's festive promises for 1981. Judith Hann pretends to stick her finger into a CGI Christmas pudding which is bigger than she is, the cast of M*A*S*H send a greeting, the late period Nationwide theme, Russell Harty At Home accidentally invents Knowing Me Knowing Yule, John Simpson reads the news, Zoo lead a conga line to Yellow Pearl in the Top Of The Pops studios. Most interestingly is the Christmas Eve debut of the Kenny Everett Television Show, a lengthy trailer about halfway through being followed by its opening seconds right at the end, and the choice of publication replicated for last of the introductory comedic spinning headlines is quite telling.

The second video features more of largely the same, including Ceefax, the Christmas Eve closedown, a trail including K9 & Company and Look North's once seen never forgotten take on the Prince Charming video at 9:35 - lowering yourself forgetting all your standards indeed. We think the sound has been dipped for copyright reasons but it's much more satifying to think it was like that on the original broadcast when VT decided to cut their losses.

#16: Spitting Image, 1987

It's quite telling how many song spoofs - Macca, Doonican, Springsteen - pad the show out. Most interestingly there's a very brief Snowman skit which features what appears to be very close to original Raymond Briggs artwork, and while he isn't credited Aardman Animations are. Plus a post-credits sketch about idents, which is all you want. And on top of all that, at 12:03 is Peter Capaldi (and Punt & Dennis) in a Whitbread Bitter advert.

#15: adverts from Thames, 1984

Partly to trail the Christmas Day showing of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, but time and place isn't important as much as it's a chance to recall the compilations the Country Life Buttermen would put together of their year's four part dairy harmonies. Plus the original UK TV trailer for the cinema release of Ghostbusters, if you're into that kind of thing.

#14: Rainbow's first Christmas

1972 was Rainbow's first year, with a cast including David Cook (who went on to write the acclaimed novel and Channel 4 adaptation Walter) as house human, cutaways featuring intended early stars Sunshine and Moony, Telltale as the house band, no George and the nightmare fuel of original Bungle, with John 'K9' Leeson inside. A week of festive fun alights on food, singing, Christmas post and trees, including appearances by semi-regular characters that have not a single online reference, Zippy's gruff dog Duffy and stop-motion aided storytellers Bramble and Logan. There's also a couple of storytellers, and in the first programme Zippy does his own zip up at one point, which begs the question of why he was later never able to unzip himself when Geoffrey forced his mouth shut.

2018 EDIT: These disappeared from YouTube at some point this year but we found these three elsewhere. Not sure if the self-zipping is in any of them, but it definitely existed.

#13: Slade's Okey Cokey

Obviously the one thing missing from the Slade discography is a party Christmas song, which is why in 1979 they brought out a hard glam cover of the left-foot-in standard, here promoting it on Get It Together. It didn't chart.

#12: Channel TV, 1987

With people thought to be often otherwise engaged for most of the day Christmas advertising rates used to be quite cheap, and in the smallest ITV region of them all it's particularly evident in this selection, including a set of personalised greetings. But, those of you whose heart skipped a beat when they saw a post about Channel and local advertising may ask, did the good major behind Benest's of Milbrook have a festive message to impart that year? Of course he did, first class perishables and all.

#11: Aladdin with Jan Francis and Sarah Greene

On New Year's Day 1984 the children's department replaced All Star Record Breakers by putting on a production of Aladdin And The Forty Thieves. A full turnout of stars - Cant, Ball, Biggins, Craven, Duncan, Ellis, Benjamin, Morris, Nutkins, Carty, Nicholls, Chegwin - was augmented by Kenneth Williams, Clive Dunn, Kenneth Connor, Howard Stableford and that perennial kids' favourite Barry Took, but the main two roles went to Jan Francis and the ever game Sarah Greene as lead. Here they share a touching love duet.

#10: Going Live! at the Band Aid II recording

One wintry Sunday, given two days' notice, a group of stars descended on a London studio and recorded a Geldof/Ure song called Do They Know It's Christmas? This was of course Band Aid II in 1989 and Philip Schofield got to hang around its recording, including Jason Donovan answering the phone and Pip and team wandering into an artists' green room he's not supposed to be in.

#9: All Star Record Breakers 1977

First up, one of the great reveal shots and a classic moment around a building now lost to the ages. Action Research for the Crippled Child, the charity Roy and friends were raising money for, still exists, now known as Action Medical Research. From the same year Kenneth Williams, a giant saxophone and a double entrende masterclass, though a booking he would confess to hating in his diary.

#8: Billy's Christmas Angels

Billy's Christmas Angels was a Children's BBC oddity from 23rd December 1988, around the time the strand was making quite a few supernatural dramas. This was no Moondial but it's amiable entertainment, with Fay Masterson, Daniel Peacock and Deborah Manship in supporting roles, as the titular teenager was helped in his quest to form a band with his brother by a Greek chorus of acapella next-big-things-that-weren't the Mint Juleps.

#7: Bullseye, 1992

One thing you could guarantee from Bullseye was a complete reworking of the titles and Bully animations for the Christmas special, including the giant pudding in place of the board Bully arrows into at the end. This year's pros-and-celebs theme matches Rod Harrington and the ever available Mike Reid, Mandy Solomons and Liza Goddard, and in their matching plasterer's taches Phil Taylor and Steve Wright. In place of the professional darts player challenge is a world record attempt adjudicated by Norris McWhirter himself, introduced as "one of the most popular personalities in Britain". Edit news! Listen out for the horrible audio cut at the end of Jim's intro, and watch Wright nearly ruin the closing gag.

#6: 1984 entertainment on ITV

And who couldn't go wrong with Christmas Punchlines, Kid Creole's musical comedy vehicle There’s Something Wrong In Paradise and a terrible looking Grumbleweeds Radio Show?

#5: The Two Ronnies Christmas Special 1987

The last one they did before Ronnie Barker began his long farewell.The big musical number is set in a Wild West saloon, as every LE big musical number seemed to get to before long. This is the one with the infamous, and infamously expensive and long, Pinocchio II: Killer Doll, featuring a Charlton Heston cameo (he was in a West End play at the time) alongside Frank Finlay, Alfred Marks, Denis Quilley, Lynda Baron and Sandra Dickinson.

#4: Granada closedown, 23rd December 1986

Not until previewing the following day, of course, followed by Charles Foster conveying his best wishes as only he could before a three and a half minute wintry scene stock footage closedown film.

#3: Blankety Blank, 1984

From Christmas Day itself, Les inevitably appearing dressed as a fairy shaping up to a classic panel of Harty, Madoc, Nimmo, Danielle, Dodd and Chase.

#2: BBC1 continuity, 23rd December 1983

Some time filler and a children's programming menu. The very first clip of the first trail features Syd Little dressed as BA Baracas. Proceed with caution.

#1: 1993, and BBC1 has gotta lotta fings on

We kick off this 24 day, 100 video feast of festive frivolity with the high water mark of festive promos. Shake those maracas, Clive James!