After a successful decade on London Weekend Television, in 1985, Stanley Baxter returned to B. B. C.-1 for the first of two festive comedy specials. L. W. T. Could no longer afford to give Baxter the lavish budgets he was accustomed to. Fortunately, Michael Grade ( a huge Baxter supporter ) was B. B. C.-1 Controller, and threw Stanley a lifeline. 'Christmas Hamper' was every bit as good as the L. W. T. Shows. Its highlights include a hilarious parody of 'The Wizard Of Oz' with Dorothy out to find not the Wizard, but Margaret Thatcher ( who unfortunately was Prime Minister at the time ), 'A Raj Too Far', a spoof of Peter Sarstedt's song 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely? ', and a big dance number with Stanley impersonating bathroom products such as a lavatory brush and a tube of toothpaste. Some items ( notably the Queen sketch ) later found their way into Channel 4's 90's compilation 'Stanley Baxter Is Back!'. For some strange reason, neither this nor the follow-up show enjoyed many repeats, and are not commercially available ( unlike the L. W. T. Shows ). A few years later, old-school comedy would vanish from the airwaves, leaving us with uninspired dross from the alternative crowd.
Review of Christmas Hamper
