BBC Studios Scotland / Graeme Hunter
Beth (Arabella Weir), and Eric (Alex Norton) are trying to get their Christmas started in the new episode of Two Doors Down
When the beloved co-writer of Two Doors Down, Simon Carlyle, died in 2023, the cast thought the show had come to an end.
But the sitcom about Scotland’s favourite neighbours in suburban Glasgow is making a bittersweet return in a Christmas special on BBC One.
The slow-burn hit starring Arabella Weir, Alex Norton, Elaine C Smith, Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson started as a one-off special in 2013.
It was commissioned in 2016 and evolved into a nationwide hit, with Carlyle writing with long-time collaborator Gregor Sharp.
The two had been working together for 23 years on shows such as Happy Hollidays and Thin Ice when Carlyle died, aged just 48.
Writer Simon Carlyle died in August 2023, aged 48
As he reckoned with the loss of his friend, Sharp thought he had written his last script for Two Doors Down – but in the end there was appetite for more.
“It was obviously a terrible time after Simon passed,” he said.
“So it took a bit of time and then the idea of doing maybe a single episode came around and that felt like something we could try.
“Once we talked to the producers and the cast and all the people that make the show, everyone was in and wanted to do it, so that’s where we are now.”
Speaking from the set of the Christmas special, which leads the Christmas Eve schedule on BBC One, Sharp said having the cast and crew around him has been a comfort.
“I think we all felt we wanted to make sure that Simon would have approved,” he said.
“That was something we all had to sort of, like, wrestle with and I think we all have come to the conclusion that we definitely like this.
“The togetherness that everyone’s shown has really helped us all just get through it and it’s made this quite a happy and joyous experience to be back together again.”
BBC Studios Scotland / Graeme Hunter
In the Christmas special, the neighbours – as usual – descend on Beth and Eric’s house
Carlyle’s death was a shock to the industry – he wrote more than 40 episodes of Two Doors Down and more recently co-wrote comedian Alan Carr’s autobiographical sitcom Changing Ends.
His other screen credits include Boy Meets Girl, Psychobitches and No Holds Bard.
Arabella Weir, who plays Beth in the Scottish comedy, was ready to step back into Beth’s comfortable shoes.
“I very much wanted it to happen again, but I just didn’t know,” she said. “I was so thrilled when I heard it was happening again. And it’s a very, very good script.”
She said Sharp had managed to evoke a lot of memories with his new writing, and that Carlyle’s presence was felt amongst the cast.
“I think what Gregor’s done is sort of made fruit of the memories and brought it together. Simon was, of course, omnipresent but in a joyful and celebratory way.
“He’d be delighted we were doing the show again, as, of course, are we all.”
BBC Studios Scotland / Graeme Hunter
Arabella Weir said she hoped to return to the role but was never sure it would happen
Elaine C Smith echoes the sentiment.
“I thought we’d never do another episode and to be honest after Simon died I couldn’t face the thought of it,” she said.
“But it was wonderful to see everyone – cast, crew and production – and everyone was so pleased and proud to be back – and it felt as if Simon was there with us – and it was so good to really laugh again.”
During the hiatus, she said she realised how beloved the show and its characters had become – even her own alter-ego, Christine.
“A friend of mine said that one of her pals said, ‘Oh, I can’t watch Elaine in that, she’s so horrible’.
“Which she sort of is, but that’s the joy of playing a character like Christine. Everybody seems to know someone like her and that thing of a woman of a certain age with no filter, no radar – and yes, the beautiful outfits, as you can see.”
Behind the scenes of the Christmas special, Elaine C Smith admitted it felt good to be back with the cast and crew
Smith said she had to just let her vanity and her ego go, and concentrate on being funny.
“Over 40 years I’ve done this, that matters more, being funny rather than being beautiful or attractive.
“Although there’s some times I look at myself and think, forget it.”
So what can the audience expect from the return to Latimer Crescent?
“It’s Christmas,” Weir said. “And there’s no big surprises – that’s one of the things I love about the script.
“It’s not like suddenly we all move to Australia or we’re going to, you know, Bali on a Christmas holiday. It’s very much what you’d expect, but with some twists.”
Sharp gave a little bit more away.
“Well time has moved on a little bit so some characters have had some life changes since the last time the show has been on air – so that’s something that we will keep secret until the show goes on air,” he said.
“But the rest of the time it’s just a typical Christmas round at Eric and Beth’s with everyone descending on them and disrupting their plans for a tranquil time.”
