All Star Comedy Carnival, 1969
ITV’s answer to BBC’s Christmas Night With The Stars. It ran along similar lines to the BBC offering, but had a much heavier emphasis on the comedy element (although other genres were included).
It ran on annually on Christmas night from 1969 – 1973. During this time there were four hosts. The 1970 edition was recorded and broadcast in black and white due to an ITV colour strike.
Summary
The show offered a selection of specially written Christmas sketches of ITV’s most popular sitcoms. These were mixed with light entertainment and musical interludes.
Among the shows to feature were: Man About The House, Love Thy Neighbour, Nearest and Dearest, Sez Les and On The Buses.
Sadly like so many shows of the time only 2 editions still exist in the archives these are the 1972 and 1973 editions. These are available on DVD from Network On Air
Clips
Presented By
Des O’Connor – 1969
Max Bygraves – 1970
Mike and Bernie Winters – 1981
Jimmy Tarbuck – 1972 and 1973
Details
Channel: ITV
Originally Transmitted: Annually 25th December 1969 – 1973