Christmas Radio Comedies

100+ Broadcasts

BBC Radio Shows for the Festive Season

English · Humor, Dramatic Readings, Anthologies

A festive collection of British radio comedy, bringing together Christmas editions and seasonal episodes from a wide range of programmes. Familiar performers include Barry Cryer, John Junkin and Tim Brooke-Taylor in Hello Cheeky; Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell in Steptoe and Son; Ken Dodd in The Ken Dodd Show; and Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and June Whitfield in Take It From Here.

The selection ranges from sitcom episodes and comic pantomimes to standalone seasonal plays and compilations. Among the described highlights are Crisp and Even Brightly, Alick Rowe’s comic reimagining of the story of Good King Wenceslas, starring Timothy West, and And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree, Brian Sibley’s cautionary Christmas tale inspired by the carol. There are also festive editions of The Random Jottings of Hinge and Bracket, including a village pantomime, and a Barry Cryer-hosted selection of comedy favourites.

Across the collection, Christmas provides a setting for affectionate character comedy, seasonal satire, theatrical spoofs and familiar sitcom mishaps. The variety makes it well suited to dipping into: one programme may offer a full festive story, another a comic take on a traditional tale, and another a gathering of memorable moments from British radio comedy.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.