Ring in the holiday season with Hannah Waddingham

Emmy Award winning Hannah Waddingham brings Christmas early in a musical and magical extravaganza to Apple TV+.

This special invokes the feeling of home and dreams coming true. The location of the special played a vital role in this special. Before her time on the West End and Broadway, Hannah spent most of her young life in the halls of the London Coliseum. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer at the London Coliseum when Hannah was growing up. We at Geekscape spoke to the Executive Producer of the special, Moira Ross who commented that Hannah would go, “after school, weekends, school holidays, Hannah spent all of her time there, watching those magnificent singers. Learning her craft. Getting a taste for being up on that stage.”

Home is where the heart is and while home for Hannah may be the Coliseum, it’s also her family. Tucked up in the opera boxes of the theater was Hannah’s mother and father. During the special, Hannah notes that when she was 8 years old, she would sit in the opera box and watch her mother perform on stage. What made the moment extra heartwarming, was Hannah’’s daughter, who was 8 at the time of the filming, had been sitting in the very same box that Hannah once spent so much of her time in. This story comes at the beginning of a gorgeous rendition of ‘‘O Holy Night,’ in which the English National Opera Chorus joins Hannah on stage. It brought the audience, unprompted, to their feet. 

Hannah gifts the audience with little presents in the form of her duets, and the smattering of special guest stars. “We promise a lot of very interesting magical Christmas gifts within this Christmas special.” Moira Ross commented during our conversation. As the special went on, the special guest stars kept getting bigger and bigger, with nice surprises mixed in. 

Geekscape also spoke to the Musical Director of the special, David Tench. To direct the big band, “they were a joy to work with.” When it comes to the guests, David wanted “to make them feel comfortable so they could be the best performers that they can possibly be.” The rehearsal process was slowly honed in between Hannah and himself and when it came to the guest stars, it was a matter of a few days. This simply reinforced the need of David’s to ensure that everyone was comfortable and felt like they were being taken care of.

With the big band, the ensemble of dancers, the English National Opera Chours, the London Gay Men’s Choir, the special guest stars,  and Hannah at the microphone, the whole show felt like a letter to old Hollywood musicals and Christmas specials that would require a yearly viewing. Hannah’s rich voice entrances us and puts us under her spell, wanting more. This dream of hers has come true and it has become our privilege to watch it play out. Her command of the stage and the constant attention of the audience proves why she is such a presence and a force to be reckoned with. She is as graceful as she is talented. 

Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas is an absolute joyous delight that fills us with the warmth of the holiday season. Where we are surrounded by light and love, joy and celebration, against the soundtrack of a big band. This special goes on the list of “must watch” for years to come.

Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas will stream on Apple TV+. The soundtrack to the special can be found on Apple Music and Spotify on November 21st, 2023.

We at Geekscape thank Moira Ross and David Tench for their time and for a wonderful conversation. 

Happy Holidays everyone. Let us know your thoughts about the special below.