Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) — why this festive episode or special deserves a place in a Christmas television marathon.
Blackadder reverses Dickens: the kindest man in England is shown how rewarding wickedness could be. It is sharp, silly and very rewatchable.
- Year
- 1988
- Best for
- British comedy special
Why watch it at Christmas?
The best seasonal television does more than hang tinsel on an ordinary episode. It uses Christmas pressure—family, expectation, loneliness, food, gifts or forced togetherness—to make the characters more themselves than usual.
Christmas-night verdict
This one earns a place in the annual rotation. Pair it with one or two other short specials rather than letting an algorithm choose the entire evening.

