It's a Christmassy story that warms the cockles

Beyond Paradise star Kris Marshall tells Rachael Popow why he’s excited about the festive special

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What do actors want most for Christmas? For Kris Marshall, the chance to star in a seasonal special is high on the list.

He says: “What's brilliant about Christmas for shows is that it's like all the best episodes are rolled into one. The writers, the producers, the actors, and the stories are all going for gold. They're often also standalone stories, nicely wrapped up in a heartwarming bow designed to make everyone watching feel good. It’s just what you want at Christmas when you're stuffed.”

He adds: “The Christmas special is a wonderful tradition. I think it's unique to the UK as well; I normally spend my Christmas in France, and they don't have anything like that there or elsewhere in Europe. It's a uniquely British thing and I think that's lovely."