What ingredients create a truly great Christmas episode of a sitcom? Gregor Sharp, having written five holiday specials for his Scottish comedy Two Doors Down, has some thoughts on the matter. He explains to RT that the audience watching at Christmastime is a bit different than usual.
You’re attempting to capture the special feeling of Christmas. It’s a delicate balance – you want to evoke warmth and emotion without being overly sentimental. We’re also mindful of avoiding clichés. For example, we previously created a scene centered around a Christmas dinner, but it now feels hard to approach that topic in a fresh and unique way.
This year’s holiday special takes place in late November, not December. Beth and Eric Baird, a long-suffering couple, spontaneously decide to decorate for Christmas early, which immediately draws the attention of their difficult neighbors. The neighbors want to know why the Bairds are starting the festivities so soon and, naturally, ask for a mince pie.
That’s just how the show usually is,” explains Sharp. “It’s in those scenes that should feel peaceful, but things get a little strained when people start talking about what they want for Christmas.
He observed that some shows lend themselves particularly well to Christmas specials. He feels ‘Two Doors Down’ happens to be one of those shows, simply because its setting is so focused on everyday home life – it doesn’t require any forced festive additions.
This year’s Christmas special is a heartwarming comeback for the show, which many feared was cancelled after the sad passing of its co-creator, Simon Carlyle, in 2023.
At first, nobody seemed interested in pursuing the idea,” Sharp explains. “But as time went on, I realized there was still creative potential to explore.”
We’re thrilled to have a Christmas special! We’re not sure if we’ll do more episodes beyond that right now, so it really depends on how viewers respond.
Two Doors Down returns to BBC One this Christmas. Stream old episodes on iPlayer.
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2025-11-25 03:34