Watch the Two Doors Down Christmas Special from 10pm on Christmas Eve on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
When Eric and Beth put their tree up earlier than usual, they unwittingly kick off the Christmas season in Latimer Crescent. What begins as a labour-saving convenience quickly turns into a flurry of festive activity as neighbours gear up for the holidays in their own unique ways.
Colin and Cathy are considering the perfect gift for each other, while Ian and Gordon plan a quieter, scaled-back Christmas. Meanwhile, Alan and Michelle face transport issues that threaten to derail their festive plans, and Christine is arranging a very special trip, ensuring the season is full of surprises, laughter, and the kind of neighbourly chaos that only Latimer Crescent can provide.
©️BBC Studios Scotland/Graeme Hunter
Q: What can you tell us about the Christmas special?
Arabella (Beth) – It’ll be Christmassy, but probably not filled with a whole load of Christmas spirit, except the kind Cathy likes!
Doon (Cathy) – Expect a gathering with bad behaviour and a few surprises!
Elaine (Christine) – Very little – sorry – can’t give the game away but there’s Christmas and fun and laughs and music and awkward aggro – perfect Two Doors Down!
Alex (Eric) – I wouldn’t want to spoil the viewer’s fun, but let’s just say – Eric and Beth decide to put up their Christmas tree a little earlier than usual this year. Unsurprisingly, the neighbours are keen to know the reason why…
Jonathan (Colin) – Yes, it all kicks off when Christmas decorations are put up earlier than usual.
Q: How early do you start decorating your homes for the festive season?
Elaine – Not until the 1st of December at least – it used to be later, but I’ve got grandkids now, so they love getting the decorations done! I love Christmas, so it takes about two days to decorate the place, and I like all the lights in the garden too!!
Jamie (Ian) – I try to get my tree up a little bit earlier in December, but it just depends on whether I get around to it. But I’ve got a wee Santa gnome that I sometimes keep sitting in my living room for months afterwards. I feel guilty putting him back in the cupboard straight after I’ve had my use of him… gnomes have feelings too!
Jonathan – We usually put up the decorations in the first week of December.
Arabella – As I have a December birthday and spent my entire life being told ‘we won’t bother with your birthday as it’s so close to Christmas’, I don’t do any Christmas decorating, and that includes the tree, until my birthday is over – I want full birthday acknowledgement before going Christmassy!
Q: Jamie, what’s your favourite Christmas song?
Jamie – Oooft, hard one, Christmas songs are the best part about it… I’d say it’s between Slade and the two Beatles ones (Lennon’s ‘War Is Over’ and McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’…. although my mate recently introduced me to one called ‘Keeping The Dream Alive’ by a German band Münchener Freiheit… wasn’t sure of it at first, but now it’s up there in my top 5.
Q: What was it like being back on the set together?
Doon – Amazing to be back with the ensemble, if not a wee bit sad, as there was a big Simon Carlyle-shaped hole.
Arabella – Just wonderful – it was fantastic to see everyone, be back as the Latimer Crescent gang and be back in character – Simon was, of course, omnipresent but in a joyful and celebratory way. He’d be delighted we were doing the show again, as, of course, we all are.
Elaine – Very emotional on many levels. I thought we’d never do another episode, and to be honest, after Simon died, I couldn’t face the thought of it. But it was wonderful to see everyone – cast, crew and production – and everyone was so pleased and proud to be back – and it felt as if Simon was there with us – and it was so good to really laugh again.
Alex – Once we were back in our costumes and sitting in Eric and Beth’s living room, it felt like we’d never been away.
Q: Elaine, what would be Christine’s perfect Christmas?
Elaine – It would be her daughter, Sophie, and granddaughter, Madison, visiting from Wales and going to a carvery, but making sure they pay for any food and drink and probably stay in a hotel rather than with her. And that Beth and pals would turn up with gifts for her, and that would allow Christine to show off too!
Q: Jonathan, what would be the best Christmas present Colin could buy for Cathy?
Jonathan – A never-ending vape.
Q: And finally, Arabella and Alex, are you anything like Eric and Beth at Christmas?
Alex – I hate to admit it, but there’s more than a little about Eric that chimes with me. Although I always look forward to Christmas, the palaver of sending cards, shopping for presents and preparing for Christmas dinner gets me more than a little grumpy with each passing year. Still, I always glow with pleasure when the family sit down together for the annual festive dinner.
Arabella – I am more like Beth at Christmas than at any other time of year, as I tend to do the cooking, cleaning, and organising for everyone, which I try not to do the rest of the year!
Watch the Two Doors Down Christmas Special from 10pm on Christmas Eve on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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