Written by Chris Hyde
And now the day has come and gone, another Christmas to be thankful for. Seeing those you love, exchanging gifts and celebrating the occasion with a roast dinner and your favourite beverage.
Christmas is special for all of us and for our own individual reasons whether it be religious or not. What matters is that you have fun. Now that we are drawing ever closer to 2025 it's a good time to begin a reflection on the year we've had. From major elections to the Olympics, this year has been a busy and somewhat chaotic one.
So I'd like to start by extending a thanks to everyone who has supported Keziah Hyde Media over this last year. The work we do is out of passion for the arts. Without your support we are nothing.
Without further ado, let's get stuck in.
Firstly, the entertainment. Not only did we have another Doctor Who episode but we also had a brand new Wallace and Gromit film titled Vengeance Most Fowl and it was perfect.
It's been over a decade since the last Wallace and Gromit outing in A Matter of Loaf and Death, as much as it was great to hear Peter Sallis (original voice of Wallace) before his passing in 2017, it wasn't quite what we had hoped for, relying on Wallace's constantly failing love life. This entry however changed the game.
Not only did guest stars Reece Shearsmith, Diane Morgan and the one and only Peter Kay (reprising his role from Curse of the Were-Rabbit) smash it out of the park, it was a thrilling adventure with a unique premise.
A sequel to the 1993 short film The Wrong Trousers, this film brings back the iconic villain Feathers McGraw and introduces Wallace's new creation Norbot.
The film was fantastic as ever, Aardman have truly mastered the craft of stop motion animation with a smooth and seamless animation style. The sets look amazing with Wallace's contraptions getting evermore elaborate. We also get some great shots of the town including a chase sequence involving narrow boats (canal boats), something I have been dreaming about putting to screen for a long time. I'm glad to see Aardman use it to it's advantage both being a thrilling sequence and one peppered with jokes.
The jokes are one of the best aspects of the film with gags both subtle and obvious.
My only gripe is when Wallace's contraptions are taken away from him. It is a great aspect to focus on especially how it is Wallace's core motivation in life. Like Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, we see the man without the machine. I felt like that would have been better explored as an A plot rather than it being a consequence.
Other than that it is still a standout film and an amazing performance by Ben Whitehead (the second actor to take on Wallace). I definitely give it a 9.5 out of 10.
Will it sweep the awards? I can expect a BAFTA and possibly a Critics' Choice Award but I'm not expecting it to win an Oscar.
Next onto the Doctor Who Special: Joy To The World.
So, what can I say about this episode that possibly hasn't been said already? Well it's fun, adventurous and a classic timey wimey feel which is always present in Steven Moffat's writing. Ncuti carries the episode with his charm and charisma, despite the plot feeling a little bewildered at times. Is this a Doctor stuck on Earth story or is it about Christmas? Joy is underutilised which is a shame given Nicola Coughlan's a rising star. It was nice to see the Silurians come back for a cameo.
The conclusion (which I will not spoil for those who haven't seen it) is expected. It will definitely offend a certain demographic of the Christmas audience but it doesn't feel overly convoluted.
All in all it was a good Christmas special I'd give it a 6/10.
And last but not least we have the finale everyone has been waiting for, Gavin and Stacey.
It's the end of an era. A comedy/drama series that began life in 2007 has concluded with a feature-length episode. What a finale it was. If you are a fan of the show then you know how important this episode was to wrapping up everything and it did. The jokes were as good as ever. The acting from the cast superb. Allegedly according to overnight figures it pulled in the biggest audience of the Christmas period.
A well deserved send off for the characters too. The titular Gavin and Stacey having relaxed into married life, enjoying every second. I guess you're wondering what about Nessa and Smithy? Oh well you'll have to find that out for yourself!
Neil (the baby) although underused puts in a great performance of Blackbird by The Beatles, a moment that drives the story to its conclusion.
I didn't want to go too much into this episode as we are starting a new series of British Comedy Greats with Gavin and Stacey being the first episode (So tune into that in 2025).
Stephen Fry's Alternative Christmas Message: 2024
In the last couple of years, Channel 4 has brilliantly provided an alternative to the Monarch's Christmas Message for those who don't believe in the Monarchy.
Stephen Fry is a national treasure. A man who has brought wonder and laughter to our screens for over 40 years. He has fought adversity, prejudice and stood up for the voiceless time after time. So it's quite fitting that his message resonates with those who feel squeezed by the pressure of everything. The ever worsening political landscape with each passing year becoming more and more extreme. He reflects on how in the short amount of time (according to him) he's been alive, he's seen how homosexuality has been gradually more accepted, something he never thought would happen in his lifetime. I do agree with this to a degree. But I also see a rise in hatred, aggression and vilification of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are inching ever closer to the conditions minorities in Nazi Germany had to experience. He also addresses his Jewish heritage. Stephen notes that although he was aware that his grandparents who escaped the horrors of Nazi Europe to emigrate to the UK, his father wasn't aware of his heritage. To me, Stephen's heritage is respected but doesn't change him one bit. To me he is still the lovable, clever, witty man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the weird and wonderful (although that could've been the elves at QI).
I'm proud of Stephen's message, of respect and acceptance of all religions and orientations. It may fall on deaf ears, those who want to ignore out of ignorance. A rallying cry to speak up for those who may not be able to speak up for themselves. In this time of ever growing uncertainty I believe this is the right thing to do. We need to push back against the hate, the ignorant, the bullies who believe their way is the best way or only way.
At least Stephen has the moral and ethical high ground on this one.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you for reading. As we transition to 2025 we are beginning to plan our schedule for the next 12 months. We will be releasing a full schedule on New Year's Day but if you'd like to support our work you can so by going to www.keziahhydemedia.com/donate and become a member for less than it costs to buy a cup of coffee.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our efforts. Thank you to our members and an extra special thank you to the KHM team.
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