Opening as a pastiche of 1970s Play for Todays as an English family arrive in an Austrian chalet for a skiing holiday, all plummy accents and stilted camera moves, the first rug pull comes with the arrival of a director's commentary over the top, arch remembrances and bloopers pointed out in real-time. And as the folktale horror of the story kicks in, based around the legend of Krampus, actual horror replaces it, more than once.
I don't think I've seen a review that hasn't just spoiled the plot wholesale - I won't be following suit. Suffice to say that Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's writing was brilliantly layered and very amusing, and along with Graeme Harper's direction, stuffed full of
Acorn Antique-y details of fluffed lines and continuity errors.
Both writers also starred in the piece, along with the genius casting of Rula Lenska, a veteran of Play for Today first time round and very archly funny. Raine continues to prove herself a consummate actor of real intelligence and Derek Jacobi was great value for money as the director, full of drily scathing remarks and unexpectedly dark right to the end. A neat counterpoint to your usual festive programming, and I might well track down the earlier episodes in advance of the third series starting in the new year.