Mandy star Diane Morgan addresses axed Christmas special

Months after the Christmas special of Diane Morgan’s Mandy was pulled from BBC schedules, the comedian has addressed the unexpected postponement.

The sitcom’s festive special, titled The Mandy Who Knew Too Much, was set to air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 22 December.

However, it was pulled from the schedule just days before it was due to air. At the time, a BBC spokesperson said the episode had been moved to 2026.

During a recent interview with Morgan, The Independent reported that she couldn’t say much about the schedule change other than it being “because of world events”.

However, the actress and comedian went on to say in the interview: “I think they decided it was for the right reasons. It was a complete accident. I’m never one of these comedians that tries to be topical – it’s just not what I do. It’s completely out of keeping with me.”

The synopsis for the episode had said: “Mandy rarely dabbles in global diplomacy, especially over Christmas when it’s so cold out and there’s good telly on, but when she does, you can bet that she makes a real difference to the balance of power in the world.”

Mandy first aired in 2019 and follows Morgan’s eponymous and hapless heroine as she embarks on various daft adventures. It soon garnered praise amongst viewers and critics alike for its subversive and absurd humour and last year it returned for its fourth season.

Morgan is also known for a wealth of other comedy roles, including Philomena Cunk and Liz in Motherland, and, alongside Sarah Kendall, has created upcoming sitcom Ann Droid which is due to air begin on 17 July.

Mandy is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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