{{short description|2009 British television comedy sketch programme}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox television | image = Victoria_Wood's_Mid_Life_Christmas.jpg | image_size = | caption = | genre = Comedy | runtime = 60 minutes | creator = Victoria Wood | director = Tony Dow | starring = Victoria Wood<br>Julie Walters<br>Anton Du Beke<br>Delia Smith<br>Jayne Torvill<br>Christopher Dean<br>Reece Shearsmith<br>Emily Atack<br>Tony Maudsley | country = United Kingdom | network = BBC One | released = {{Start date|2009|12|24|df=y}} | num_series = | producer = John Rushton | executive_producer = Victoria Wood | related = {{ubl| *''Victoria Wood: What Larks! Or... What I Did on My Holidays'' *''Victoria Wood As Seen On TV'' }} }} '''''Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas''''' is a comedy sketch show written by and starring comedian Victoria Wood, broadcast on Christmas Eve 2009.
The programme, Wood's first sketch show for nine years, was described by Wood as being "a whole night's telly crammed into one hour".<ref>{{cite web | title = BBC One Programmes: ''Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas'' | publisher = BBC | date = 2009-12-14 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pl0zp | access-date = 2009-12-17}}</ref> The special featured a spoof documentary titled ''Beyond The Marigolds'',<ref name="auto">{{cite web |author=BBC Press Office | title = ''Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas'' press pack | publisher = BBC | date = 2009-09-19 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/12_december/02/victoria_wood.shtml | access-date = 2009-12-10}}</ref> in which Wood's long-time collaborator Julie Walters reprised her role as "Bo Beaumont", the actress behind ''Acorn Antiques'' character "Mrs. Overall". ''Beyond The Marigolds'' saw Beaumont's foray into the world of celebrity programming such as ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', ''Dancing on Ice'' and ''Strictly Come Dancing''. The sketch included special guest appearances from Delia Smith, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and Anton Du Beke.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8da8df40|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428112121/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8da8df40|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 April 2016|title=Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas (2009)|publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> Sylvestra Le Touzel, Dorothy Atkinson, Marcia Warren, Harriet Thorpe, Jason Watkins, Reece Shearsmith, Richard Lintern and Lorraine Ashbourne also had roles.
Also featured in ''Mid Life Christmas'' was ''The Mid Life Olympics 2009'', a series of sketches that include events such as the "4 by 400 Hedge Trimming" and "Ladies Outdoor Parking", featuring Wood and Bob Cryer as the presenters.<ref name="auto"/>
The programme achieved a total viewing audience of 7.45 million viewers and was the 12th highest rated show on BBC One and the 17th highest rated across all channels for the week ending 27 December 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-30/|title = Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) | BARB}}</ref>
Contemporary and later press reports suggested that Wood was unhappy with the BBC's decision to schedule the programme for Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day as she had expected.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6867117/How-BBC-bosses-ruined-Christmas-for-Victoria-Wood.html|title = How BBC bosses ruined Christmas for Victoria Wood| date=23 December 2009 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pl0zp Official site] *{{IMDb title|1541785}} *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/12_december/02/victoria_wood.shtml BBC Press Office – ''Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas Press Pack'']
{{Victoria Wood}}
Category:BBC television sketch shows Category:Christmas television specials Category:Television shows written by Victoria Wood Category:2009 television specials