The Vicar Of Dibley is as much of a part of Christmas as turkey and mince pies, despite the fact the final full episode aired 14 years ago.
Each festive season, repeats of Dawn French’s iconic BBC sitcom make their way into the TV schedules, and unlike most other repeats, we’re not mad about it.
This year in fact, a classic episode is set to round off Christmas Day on BBC One, following last year’s series of mini-Christmas specials that saw Geraldine Grainger delivering sermons via Zoom.
Here, we look back at Geraldine and her parishioners’ most memorable moments ever...
1. Alice and Hugo’s wedding
With Teletubbie bridesmaids, a wedding crasher and Jim over-enthusiastically belting out the Spice Girls’ 2 Become 1, Alice and Hugo’s nuptials were every bit as chaotic as you’d imagined them to have been.
2. Geraldine performs with Darcey Bussell
After meeting Darcey Bussell during an appearance on Radio 2’s Pause For Thought, Geraldine persuades the prima ballerina to perform at the village charity gala. What the villagers are not expecting though, is that Geraldine will be joining her for the performance, with hilarious consequences.
3. Four Christmases
Vince Vaughn and Resse Witherspoon may have starred in a whole film about having four Christmases, but it was our Geraldine Grainger who was the first to experience it on screen.
After being invited to multiple dinners, she’s determined not to let anyone down, leading to the moment she finds herself in a Brussels sprout eating competition while extremely full.
4. Kylie makes a cameo
After Geraldine books Alice’s uncle to appear at the village fete after mistaking him for Elton John, the vicar’s prayers are answered when a certain pint-sized Australian popstrel presents herself at the vicarage. Now that’s Magic.
5. Alice gives birth
As the residents of Dibley attempted to put on a nativity, it was inevitable things were never going to run smoothly. But probably no-one was expecting Alice to give birth to a real baby while playing a heavily pregnant Mary.
6. Radio Dibley
Long before Gerdaline was addressing her parishioners via Zoom during this year’s lockdown specials, she found another way of connecting with them via the Radio Dibley station back in the 90s. But her first broadcast didn’t exactly make for the most professional broadcast, thanks to Jim, Owen et al.
7. Alice has a buttery concern
Alice worries whether I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter might actually be butter in one of her most memorable scenes. Quite how Emma Chambers managed to remember her lines here is a miracle.
8. Jim’s best man’s speech
Jim pays Geraldine a visit in order to test out his best man speech on her, which just so happens to be a rendition of the Abba classic Knowing Me, Knowing You. And if you know anything about Jim, you’ll know it’s a recipe for laughs.
9. Geraldine’s jokes
Geraldine’s post-credit jokes were a main-stay over all of series of the show, as she regularly left Alice confused with some of the most simple of punchlines.
There’s many to choose from, but this one never fails to make us laugh.
10. The puddle
And of course, no round up of The Vicar Of Dibley’s classic moments would be complete without this, would it?
