Published31. December 2023, 7.23pm
New Year’s classic: five curiosities about “dinner for one” that you don’t know yet
In this country the English sketch takes place practically on a continuous cycle on New Year’s Eve. Did you know the 2021 classic broke a record?
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Here’s what it is
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“Dinner for One” is the New Year’s classic par excellence.
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The sketch has been broadcast since 1963.
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The short film is still seen today and even broke another record in 2021.
“Dinner for one” is as much a part of New Year’s Eve as fireworks and table bombs. Since 1963, millions of people have watched the sketch about Miss Sophie (May Warden) and her butler James (Freddie Frinton) every year. Celebrate her 90th birthday as every year with her deceased friends Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr. Pommeroy and Mr. Winterbottom. The 18-minute sketch will be broadcast on loop on December 31 on almost all German-speaking TV channels. Here are some facts you didn’t know.
The most watched television production
“Dinner for One” entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1988 as the most watched television production in the world. In the period from 2017 to 2022, the Corona year 2020 is the year with the highest number of viewers. Around 8.06 million people watched the sketch on German television. In 2021, according to Guinness World Records, the sketch broke another record for the most annual broadcasts between 1972 and 2021 on Norddeutscher Rundfunk (-).
There is a Swiss adaptation
SRF filmed its own version of the sketch in Zurich in March 1963; also in this version the protagonists were the actors Freddie Frinton and May Warden. The Swiss version is eleven minutes long and some details were also left out. Missing among other things are the white tablecloth, the candlesticks and the incident in which the butler James snatches Sir Toby’s cup during the last round. There are also individual gags and details such as the question “Is this a dry sherry?” to miss. This is why the Swiss version is perceived by critics as “loveless” and “styleless”, for example according to “schnittbericht.com”.
“Dinner for One” is completely unknown in its country of origin
“Dinner for One” is almost unknown in Great Britain, the birthplace of its protagonists, Miss Sophie and Butler James. In 2007, journalists from the “Daily Telegraph” saw the sketch and recommended that it also be broadcast on British television “since distinctively British humor deserves the favorable attention of the English”. In March 2023 King Charles in a speech to the German Bundestag said: “It’s nice of you not to have left me alone with a ‘dinner for one’!”, which made him laugh. He also noted that Miss Sophie “does not represent an accurate impression of modern Britain”.
High amount of damage
In 2016, Allianz Insurance estimated the estimated damage at approximately 2,120 euros, or 1,998 Swiss francs. The insurance company hypothesized that the most serious individual damage would concern the tiger skin: the cleaning costs could amount to around 2,000 euros, or 1,885 francs.
Temporarily banned in Sweden
“Dinner for One” is considered a New Year’s classic in Switzerland, South Africa, Germany, Austria and Sweden. The piece was banned in the Nordic country for a total of six years because the country was bothered by excessive alcohol consumption. From 1969 onwards it was again broadcast regularly on television.
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2023-12-31 18:23:46
#Dinner #dont