Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont to host Christmas special on Channel 4

Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont are to host a Christmas getaway on Channel 4 this festive season.

Jon & Lucy’s Christmas Sleepover will be a one-off special featuring the pair looking back on the year with some comedy pals.

Those joining the husband and wife comedy duo for a country house getaway will be Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett.

Channel 4 tease: “There’ll also be a few surprise guests along the way as the gang reflect on the highs and lows of 2021 and enjoy a boozy festive feast guaranteed to lead to misbehaving and chaos.”

Jon said: “I think Channel 4 wanted a hard-hitting, topical review of the year but because we haven’t seen anyone, we wanted to have a few drinks with friends.

“It’s ended up being a sort of hostage situation where we’ve taken Channel 4’s money and locked our friends in a cottage and made them drink with us.

“I hope people will get a warmth from it, it is almost like watching a family reunion – there’s some tension, some people who are late, people who are angry about the food, people who want to play games and people who don’t. There’s a real traditional family Christmas vibe.”

Lucy added: “That’s a dig at me when he says people who don’t want to play games. His family are like The Waltons, it’s not about presents or whatnot, it’s about them just playing board games with each other. Whereas I want to sit and watch telly on my own.

“I find it hard how nice they are to each other, that’s not what Christmas is about, you’re meant to be stressed and anxious and drink a lot on Christmas Eve then have a hangover and an argument.

“Like Jon says, you very rarely get to do stuff with your mates, so it was like a love-in. We’ve all known each other for a long time, Jon and Roisin used to gig together when they started out and me, Rob and Romesh did. With comedians, you don’t get a works night out, so this was like an office party.”

Jon & Lucy’s Christmas Sleepover airs Monday, 27 December at 9PM on Channel 4 & All 4.