The One Ronnie (2010)

Yesterday being Christmas Day, I found myself glued to the TV for a chunk of time, between making a delicious lunch for the two of us, opening presents and playing board games, and Lego Harry Potter on the X-Box. After lunch I half-watched Top of the Pops, and then paid full attention to The Queen as I feel that it's an integral part of the day to see what Her Majesty has to say for herself. This year's speech was about sport, so it didn't do a lot for me, but she was wearing a fetching purple outfit that very much suited her. 

Come evening time and I settled down to watch The One Ronnie, a special one-off show featuring 80 year old Ronnie Corbett, with support from the likes of Miranda Hart, Lucas and Walliams, Rob Brydon, and James Corden. This turned out to be a highlight of the schedules, small and perfectly formed, like Corbett himself. A format that could have been a bit desperate and twee turned out to be witty and infused with a spirit, particularly in the Harry Enfield 'blackberry' sketch and the Catherine Tate 'pub' sketch, of Corbett's classic partnership with Ronnie Barker. There were chair monologues and a less than exciting musical interlude from Charlotte Church, and up-to-date references to Apple computers, Lady Gaga and Eminem that could have been cringey, but were delivered with such expertise and sparkle, there was not a dud line in the whole show. A gem.

Just a quick mention too about another good show I caught on Thursday, The Two Ronnies: The Studio Recordings which played like a DVD extra of special features and behind the scenes secrets, featuring unseen sketches, fluffed lines and Barker and Corbett being hilarious. The wordplay on display from Ronnie Barker was as astounding and mesmerising as expected and the whole felt so cosy, old-fashioned and fun it made me look forward to The One Ronnie all the more, while feeling the loss of Ronnie B.