Hannah Waddingham’s Home for Christmas is hailed as ‘spectacular’ – as she reunites with West End legends and her Ted Lasso co-stars for Apple TV special
- The Christmas special debuts on Apple TV today
- READ MORE: Hannah Waddingham is the new Queen of Christmas! Ted Lasso star, 48, is the face of TWO festive adverts
Hannah Waddingham’s Christmas Special has been dubbed ‘spectacular’ and ‘sensational’.
The Ted Lasso actress stars in Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, which debuts today on Apple TV.
The special has already won a string of positive reviews from critics who say the Emmy-winner is now set for ‘world domination’ for her ‘perfectly pitched performance in more ways than one’.
Recorded live at The Coliseum in London, the one-hour special features the Ted Lasso star ringing in the season with musical performances of beloved Christmas classics.
The Independent praised it as ‘like an old-fashioned variety show’ and say it is ‘reminiscent of An Audience with’ while the Guardian said ‘not even the Grinch could bah-humbug’ it.
Hannah Waddingham’s Christmas Special has been dubbed ‘spectacular’ and ‘sensational’
The Ted Lasso actress stars in Hannah Waddingham : Home for Christmas, which debuts today on Apple TV
Joining Hannah on stage is Sam Ryder, Luke Evans, and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. as well as Phil Dunster who plays Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso and more special guests.
There are also appearances from additional performers including the English National Opera, the London Gay Men’s Chorus, The Fabulous Lounge Swingers and an 18-piece band.
Along the way, Hannah shares her personal journey to this magical moment with anecdotes and memories about her own holiday experiences.
Speaking to Forbes, Hannah said that in pitching the tone of special, she told executives that it would be, ‘somewhere between Dean Martin and Carol Burnett [shows],’ describing it as, ‘that style of having people over for the holidays, dropping in in their finery.
‘I mean, I feel like it’s a bygone era with people in beautiful dinner jackets and beautiful dresses, so I was keen for the band to be in their tuxes and my backing vocalists to feel a million dollars.’
And she certainly achieved her goal, in the show she opts for an array of red and gold festive outfits which she pairs with huge heels and old Hollywood make-up.
‘Already an undisputed legend and icon, Waddingham has ascended even further into the stratosphere with this special, something she confessed had been a lifelong dream of hers to do,’ Yahoo said of the episode.
‘She’s smashed it out of the park, proving once again why she is the bright shining star she is. As well as killer, show-stopping vocals Waddingham also brings her characteristic warmth, humour, and infectious energy to the 45-minute special,’ the review adds.
The special has already won a string of positive reviews from critics who say the Emmy-winner is now set for ‘world domination’ for her ‘perfectly pitched performance in more ways than one’
What critics are saying about Hannah Waddingham’s Home for Christmas
THE GUARDIAN
Rating:
‘I have given this three stars because I must give it a star rating, but there is no way of appraising it.
‘It exists outside of the ratings system. If you want to go to the theatre without having to leave your house or pay a lot of cash, this is a fine substitute, and if you want to watch the cast of Ted Lasso pretend they’re in Jersey Boys, at Christmas, then it works too.
‘Not even the Grinch could bah-humbug a spectacle like that. ‘
YAHOO!
‘What a way to kick off the Christmas season! Star of Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham, has a Christmas special, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.
‘And it’s the most perfect and joyous way to get you excited for the holidays this year.
THE INDEPENDENT
Rating:
‘It was a perfectly pitched performance in more ways than one: a classically trained singer, Waddingham hit all the high notes in musical segments and leaned into the competition’s inherent camp.
‘And – move over Mariah – she’s just put in a double shift as the new Queen of Christmas, lending her megawatt grin to festive ad spots for M&S and Baileys.
….’Home for Christmas sees a consummate pro get the stage she deserves. Up next? World domination, presumably, but I hope she gets a chance to have a little nap first.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘They don’t make ’em like that anymore’ is not something one would say, politely, about Hannah Waddingham, but it does apply to ‘Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,’ a very musical holiday TV special as merrily, madly anachronistic as Bing Crosby in a sleigh full of eggnog.
‘There is singing, there is dancing, there are multiple costume changes. Heralding the incipient tsunami of holiday programming, this may be the one program to watch, perhaps while preparing Thanksgiving dinner.’
SCREEN SPECK
Rating:
‘This Christmas special feels like the warm hug we’ve been needing for the last few months.
‘It’s joyful and full of talented folks giving it their all on that stage, and, most importantly – showing just how much Waddingham means to them. It’s one thing to have your own Christmas Special with talented singers and dancers who were hired just for the gig – but it’s a completely different thing when the people on stage with you are people who have been there for you throughout different stages of your life, and that’s what makes this special, so well, special.
‘Whether it be Ted Lasso cast members sharing the stage with her, Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ryder, Luke Evans, her beloved London Gay Men’s Choir, or The Fabulous Lounge Swingers, it’s clear that those who participated were the people she loves most, and love her most too.
ATTITUDE
Rating:
‘Already an undisputed legend and icon, Waddingham has ascended even further into the stratosphere with this special, something she confessed had been a lifelong dream of hers to do.
‘And she’s smashed it out of the park, proving once again why she is the bright shining star she is.
‘As well as killer, show-stopping vocals Waddingham also brings her characteristic warmth, humour, and infectious energy to the 45-minute special’.
‘Heralding the incipient tsunami of holiday programming, this may be the one program to watch, perhaps while preparing Thanksgiving dinner,’ the Wall Street Journal said.
‘Waddingham doesn’t need to prove herself to anyone anymore. Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas makes that clear,’ Screen Speck said.
‘If this special proves anything it is that Waddingham is the very definition of star quality. Let’s hope for another one in our stockings next year!’ The Gay Times said.
Hannah said it ‘was uncommonly sweaty in London,’ when she filmed in May.
Speaking to the Associated Press, she said: ‘There was us putting out an invitation saying, “Please wear your Christmas finery.” So many of my friends rang me, were like, “Dude, really?” I was like, “Yes, get your Christmas sweater out. If I´m going to be sweating, so can you.”‘
The show is a dream come true for the performer, an Emmy Award-winner and three-time Olivier Award nominee.
Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer and Waddingham says she essentially spent her childhood at the Coliseum.
Even the royals are fans! Hannah recently joined Prince William for the Earthshot Awards in Singapore
Hannah’s Ted Lasso co-stars joined her for the show, as well as National Treasure Sam Ryder
Hannah opted for an array of stunning dresses for the day out
‘I’ve run around those corridors since I was 8 years old. The reason why I am who I am as a performer is from sitting in that theater watching the great opera singers of the day. … And then, of course, you know, my mother I didn’t mention it in the special, but my mother is heavily afflicted with Parkinson´s disease and is in a wheelchair.
‘So the fact that she was even able to be there, my father sitting next to her, who had had quintuple heart surgery while I was shooting Ted Lasso… and to have my little girl, who by some quirk of the universe was 8 years old when we were shooting it, is unbelievable. Kismet.’
The special caps off an eventful year for Waddingham.
Besides “Ted Lasso” airing its third season, and taping Home for Christmas, she hosted the Olivier Awards, and also co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest and the Earthshot Prize in Singapore alongside Prince William and actor Sterling K. Brown.
‘2024 is really going to have to go some because 2023 has been insane,’ she said.
It comes as FEMAIL dubbed Hannah ‘the Queen of Christmas’ a moniker that has now been widely used to describe the star.
As well as her Apple TV special, Hannah is starring in Christmas adverts for Baileys and Marks & Spencer.
The rim of the martini glass is dipped in chocolate sauce, then coated with shortbread crumbs, before the indulgent cocktail is poured in
And it seems Hannah, who has also had roles in Sex Education and Game of Thrones, has always loved the festive season.
Speaking about her Bailey’s advert, the 48-year-old said: ‘Christmas is my favourite part of the year; a time to get together with my friends and family and indulge in our own festive traditions.
After getting her big-break on Ted Lasso in her mid-forties, the starlet has gone from strength to strength, from wowing Eurovision audiences to now nabbing the Christmas advert crown.
Fans have been raving about the Ted Lasso actress, with one declaring: ‘Christmas 2023 belongs to Hannah Waddingham only.’
Her appearance in Ted Lasso’s Christmas episode, which first aired in 2021, has become a firm fan favourite too, scoring and impressive 8.6/10 on IMDB with one fan dubbing it ‘their favourite Christmas episode of any show, ever’.
But the Emmy-Award winning actress’ recent string of success did not happen overnight.
It was only three years ago that the born-and-bred South-West Londoner believed she would never achieve the current adoration she has been drowned in, during 2023.
Waddingham spent decades playing various roles on television and the bright lights of the West End, touring across the country with Spamalot, as well as appearing as Tonya Dyke in the ITV hit series, Benidorm.
Although the starlet achieved a success many only dream of, she only achieved her big break in her mid-forties.
The Emmy Award-winning actress has had a successful 2023, leaving fans enamoured with her witty banter and masterful French skills while hosting Eurovision 2023 (Pictured: Hannah Waddingham during the opening of the grand final for the Eurovision Song Contest final)
A match made in Eurovision heaven? Hannah Waddingham pictured alongside Graham Norton at the singing competition finals on Saturday evening; the 48-year-old star proved a huge hit with fans – and even celebrities, with Nigella Lawson saying: ‘Just need to say I love Hannah Waddingham with every cell in my being.’
In 2019, Waddingham became a household name in the UK and across the pond after landing a role of Richmond FC owner Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, a show that has since bagged 11 Emmys.
Waddingham, who shares a daughter with her former love Gianluca Cugnetto but is apparently happily single, has bagged two Supporting Actress Emmy wins and met President Joe Biden since appearing in the hit Apple TV+ series.
The Christmas season has not been the only time of the year where the actress has dominated.
The 48-year-old host’s eternal joie de vivre captured the hearts of Eurovision fans when it aired in May.
Waddingham earned herself the new shiny position of Eurovision heiress apparent from Eurovision hero, Terry Wogan, after she swooned fans across the world.
Fans of the singing contest, with a global audience 160 million, declaring ‘my douze points go to Hannah Waddingham’.
The London actress, who present presenting alongside Norton, Alesha Dixon and Julia Sanina, enamoured the Liverpool crowd with her masterful French skills, lively dancing and witty banter.
In the months following the singing contest, her Instagram following has grown 667,000 to nearly a million.
It wasn’t just ordinary folk who expressed their adoration of the starlet, celebrities were also just as charmed.
Carol Vorderman wrote: ‘Can I just vote for Hannah Waddingham to be on everything on the telly at all times please?’
Nigella Lawson declared: ‘Just need to say I love Hannah Waddingham with every cell in my being.’
When asked by a journalist in a press conference prior to the competition final about her plans ‘for world domination’, Waddingham modestly answered: ‘Oh my God! Can I just digest that for a moment please?!’
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