Fresh from his Strictly Come Dancing victory, Chris McCausland is going back to his comedy roots in Sky’s festive film Bad Tidings, which sees him partnering up with Not Going Out star and panel show regular Lee Mack.
Full of Christmas cheer, the heartwarming one-off special follows grumpy home-security expert Neil (Lee), whose petty feud with his blind neighbour and nemesis, Scott (Chris), triggers a power cut on their Stockport cul-de-sac, forcing the entire street to evacuate.
But as Neil and Scott agree to stay behind and keep watch, a local crime family helmed by the fearsome Stacey Brennan (Raised by Wolves star Rebekah Staton) is planning a flurry of ho-ho-me invasions.
Here, What to Watch chats to Chris, 47, and Lee, 56, about what to expect…
How did this fab-yule-ous collaboration come about?
Lee: "Chris said he’d leak some photos of me to the press if I didn’t agree to do it! No... I’d worked with Chris on panel shows over the years, but we did a speech at the Baftas in 2022 that seemed to go down well, which led to Chris starring in Not Going Out. Then Chris had this idea…"
Chris: "Yes, I had an idea about a Christmas heist involving a blind character taking down the villains, with lots of visual comedy and action. So I thought, ‘Let’s get that idiot involved, too. He’s the best in his price range.’"
What’s it like playing the leads in a Christmas film?
Lee: "I trust Chris, so I agreed to get onboard without reading the script. Well, almost. I’m at that age where I have to check if there’s any nudity. But fair play to Sky to have two leads from a stand-up background."
Chris: "I can’t believe they’ve got confidence in the two of us to pull it off, although they did get me an acting coach, so they had slightly less faith in me! I love Christmas films, though, so it’s amazing to throw something into that pile."
Why are your characters feuding?
Lee: "Scott is the new player on the cul-de-sac and Neil’s status is diminished because of him. But Neil is also going through a tough time with his wife, Laura, played by Sarah Alexander, and his business partner has left him, so he’s out for a scrap anyway. But when Scott leaves his Christmas lights on all-year-round, is Neil overreacting, or is Scott trying to goad him?"
Chris: "They’re both really petty and more alike than they’d like to admit. Scott is also going for a position on the Neighbourhood Watch just to show Neil what an integral part of this community he is, which Neil just can’t allow."
But they join forces to take on the Brennan crime family with Home Alone-style boobytraps?
Chris: "I would like to go on the record as saying that this is an entirely original idea, with no borrowed parts! Any similarities to existing films are purely coincidental, ha! It’s slapstick, and also non-stop action. I do all my own stuntwork, whereas Lee gets a double in whenever he can."
Lee: "It does have a Home Alone vibe, and we’re like the adult Macaulay Culkins. The baddies are very likeable, too. I think the Brennans could have a spin-off film."
Is this the start of many projects together? A sequel, at least?
Chris: "Well, after two weeks of night shoots in Romford, Essex, we’ve decided the sequel will be a road trip to Miami. We do work well together, though: we’re both a pain in the bum and we tolerate each other."
Lee: "I’ve got one eye on retirement and a greenhouse now, so if you’re interviewing us on Bad Tidings 9 and I’m back in Romford for the ninth year running, I might be slightly irritated."
Bad Tidings is available on Sunday 22 December at 7.30pm on Sky Max & Sky Showcase.
