From festive insults to ropey charity singalongs – all clearly shot at the wrong time of year – seasonal specials from the likes of Towie are a comical joy. Hopefully their days aren’t numbered …
For superfans of The Only Way Is Essex, Christmas was cancelled months ago. In October it was announced that due to budget concerns, the annual Towie Christmas special, The Only Way Is Essexmas, had been axed. For 11 out of the 12 years the show has been broadcast, the special has aired, and its cancellation has raised questions about the show’s future, amid declining ratings and a shrinking cast.
Though I stopped watching Towie some time ago, I too felt saddened by the news. In the same way lapsed EastEnders fans dip back into the show on Christmas Eve, I like to check in on what the Towie lot are up to once a year. Watching Chloe Sims and her sisters pretend to open presents in matching pyjamas is as synonymous with the season as putting up the tree. The Christmas episode has always been one of its standouts; Towie broke the mould with a notoriously dire live recording in 2012 and cemented their status as a festive harbinger in the public imagination by recording a Christmas charity single covering Wham!’s Last Christmas. The cancellation of its festive special might mark the beginning of the end of the series, but I hope it doesn’t mark the beginning of the end of something far bigger: the reality TV Christmas special.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QEI0lT5
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