Advent Calendar 2019 Day 9: Do Not Adjust Your Stocking

In this year of the fiftieth anniversary of Monty Python it feels right to feature the Christmas special from one of its two direct antecedents, the supposed children's show where Cleese and Chapman first saw the other four at work. From 1968, in between Do Not Adjust Your Set's two series, this was where Terry Gilliam entered the equation with The Christmas Card being his first work for the show. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band do I'm The Urban Spaceman which had peaked at number 5 the previous week, there's an episode of Captain Fantastic - weird to think David Jason was a key part of Pythonic lore - and the whole thing ends with assorted company round Neil Innes' piano. Nine months later most of the key cast had moved from teatime to late night and were better off for it.

PYTHON PLUNDERING: Eric Idle had a Christmas Rutland Weekend Television featuring George Harrison, while Palin and Jones wrote for Christmas Night With The Stars 1972