Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Bryony Corrigan, Dave Hearn, Chris Leask, Henry Lewis, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields.

The Spirit of Christmas is such a dichotomy of appreciation, a split personality of complete embrace or the careful shun avoiding infection, that in the modern age it can leave you cold and wanting to leave the conceit of life behind, it is in this that the feelings of emotions can become overwhelming, that they can uplift to the point of ecstasy or plunge the soul into turmoil; the only reasonable course of action to take is to find something to laugh with and see the whole period for what it often is, a cosmic farce given the chance to smile.

The best Christmas plays, and television shows derive from that place of farce, of observing what can go wrong and extending it to the point where it will pop, like an overblown balloon stretched to its limits, the fun comes from seeing just where the point of maximum velocity will explode; and for the creative team behind The Goes Wrong plays, Christmas is the ideal place to showcase a new series of half hour productions for television, the perfect setting to see their version of the festivities become gossamer thin and with superb humour thrown in for good measure.

To have seen this incredible team on stage is an honour, to watch them put themselves through a series of mishaps on television is to embrace the idea of admiration, after all on stage you can get away with pushing the boundaries of destruction, the small screen dictates a more measured sense of self, of being hemmed in by what the picture will allow; to break that barrier, to punish the script to its absolute maximum whist embracing the rules of the medium, that takes true panache, and even in a self-deprecating series of disastrous events, it can lead to the best possible mayhem.

It is in the team ethic that brought the team to national recognition, and it is the team that makes this first story of the series a triumphant exercise in style and indulgence. The Spirit of Christmas comes in different flavours, whether quiet and reflective or outgoing and demonstrative, Christmas is what you want it to be, but the essence of laughter should be given room, even in the sparsest of times.

Ian D. Hall