Camp Christmas was a TV special featuring comedy sketches and Christmas songs, all featuring a largely homosexual cast. This would have been considered fairly bold at the time and it is unlike anything I have seen. I think it has become fairly famous in recent years for featuring on the '100 Greatest Christmas Moments' documentary on Channel 4.
Looking at IMDB I couldn't believe the cast. It pretty much reads as a whose who in terms of some of the most influential names of the time. I have to say most are wasted on this TV special. Pedro Almodóvar I didn't even spot. Derek Jarman looks incredibly ill and while it's good he appeared, he wasn't given much to do. Ian McKellen sends a Christmas postcard from America, this section is fairly poor, this is no reflection on McKellan's acting abilities just a poor script and filler segment. Julian Clary plays a talking wall-mounted Rudolph head with a light-up nose, as predicted he cracks innuendo - this seemed toned down compared to most of his stand-up. Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage is always good value. Lea DeLaria gets a decent bite doing jokes. Stephen Fry has got a lot of praise for being Santa, who cracks lots of one liners with good timing. Andy Bell and Melissa Etheridge have good chemistry and sing Christmas carols.
To be honest it's a mixed bag. It is unlike anything I've seen before or since. I think it was intended to be a sort of camp panto or variety performance, but it just feels like a wasted opportunity. That said I wonder if it paved the way for So Graham Norton and Eurotrash on Channel 4. I would recommend seeing it, but don't expect too much. I also think being included on the '100 Greatest Christmas Moments' shows how difficult Channel 4 found it to get a list of 100 items.
Looking at IMDB I couldn't believe the cast. It pretty much reads as a whose who in terms of some of the most influential names of the time. I have to say most are wasted on this TV special. Pedro Almodóvar I didn't even spot. Derek Jarman looks incredibly ill and while it's good he appeared, he wasn't given much to do. Ian McKellen sends a Christmas postcard from America, this section is fairly poor, this is no reflection on McKellan's acting abilities just a poor script and filler segment. Julian Clary plays a talking wall-mounted Rudolph head with a light-up nose, as predicted he cracks innuendo - this seemed toned down compared to most of his stand-up. Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage is always good value. Lea DeLaria gets a decent bite doing jokes. Stephen Fry has got a lot of praise for being Santa, who cracks lots of one liners with good timing. Andy Bell and Melissa Etheridge have good chemistry and sing Christmas carols.
To be honest it's a mixed bag. It is unlike anything I've seen before or since. I think it was intended to be a sort of camp panto or variety performance, but it just feels like a wasted opportunity. That said I wonder if it paved the way for So Graham Norton and Eurotrash on Channel 4. I would recommend seeing it, but don't expect too much. I also think being included on the '100 Greatest Christmas Moments' shows how difficult Channel 4 found it to get a list of 100 items.
