It's the time of year when TV promos either leave you bawling or feeling all warm and fuzzy inside — and, surprise surprise, the latest BBC ad does both and then some. The clever creators of all your favorite British TV shows put together an animated holiday trailer featuring figures from BBC shows like Doctor Who, Luther, Sherlock, The Graham Norton Show, and The Great British Bake-Off all making friends with a Christmas sprout. Dubbed Sprout Boy, the little Brussels sprout gets mocked by gingerbread cookies, shunned by a snowman, and rejected by a toymaker because "nobody ever liked a sprout," until he runs into animated versions of the Doctor, Sherlock, John, Luther, Mary Berry, and a whole bunch of other stars of scripted and unscripted British TV. Narrated by Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, the adventure of Sprout Boy is designed to hit you right in the feels.
Seriously, someone get Sprout Boy his own special. I never knew I could feel so strongly about a Brussels sprout that wasn't braised with butter and covered in bacon. His journey to find someone to spend Christmas with nearly tugged my heart strings right off, and that was way before he encountered basically every amazing British TV character to hit the screens in the last decade. Of course, the Doctor is the first to invite Sprout Boy to join the festivities because the Doctor is a friend to everyone, even vegetables kids and adults try to avoid eating by hiding them in their napkins.
Stop for a moment and appreciate just how adorable the Doctor, Sherlock, and Luther (yes, Luther!) are animated. Can this be a show? Because I would watch this show. It would be like the coolest Rankin/Bass special ever made. Imagine angry animated Luther flipping tables while John and Sherlock psychoanalyzed Sprout Boy, and the Doctor tried to recruit the little guy as his next companion. Also, in case you were wondering, the guy in the sunglasses is an animated Will.i.am just casually hanging out with Luther and Great British Baking Show maestro Berry. Yes, the BBC is coolest of all the networks.
Setting aside the cute factor for a second — I know it's hard to do when faced with an animated Benedict Cumberbatch — the trailer is also a reminder of the bounty of TV gifts coming your way in December. Happily, many of the BBC holiday specials will be airing stateside on the same day they premiere in the United Kingdom because the world is a magical place these days. The Doctor will reunite with River Song Christmas night on BBC America, Luther 's three-hour Season 4 special airs December 17 (also on BBC America), while the Sherlock special airs New Year's night on PBS. While not included in the animated trailer, Call the Midwife's Christmas special will be airing on Christmas night on your local PBS station as well.
The promise of so much British TV goodness over the holiday season almost makes me happier than seeing Sprout Boy being invited to hang out at the cool kids' table. Check out the full trailer below for maximum warm and fuzzy holiday feelings.
Images: BBC/YouTube (4)
