Amanda Holden and Alan Carr return to the sun-drenched village of Moclín in southern Spain, the same spot where they rolled up their sleeves for their summer renovation, to throw a spectacular festive party as a heartfelt thank you to the locals who helped them along the way.
In this very special Christmas edition of Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job, the pair dive headfirst into Spanish Christmas traditions, serving up their trademark mix of warmth, laughter, and delightful chaos. From baking seasonal treats and sampling traditional delicacies to embracing local customs with gusto, Amanda and Alan serve up the ultimate festive fiesta.
Watch Amanda & Alan's Spanish Christmas on BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Monday 22 December
Interview with Amanda Holden and Alan Carr
What was the inspiration to do Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas back in Moclin?
Amanda: We always wanted to revisit a build and so we had the idea to go back at Christmas and do a special to thank everybody that helped us and see what the difference was between a British and a Spanish celebration of Christmas.
Alan: Also, after every renovation our hearts always break and we say every time, oh can't we buy it? Can we move in? We love the finished houses. So when we heard that we were going back to live in it and to celebrate and entertain in it, oh we couldn't believe it.
Amanda: It was brilliant to see that the heating and the water worked and the oven worked and all of those things… And it's now an Airbnb, fully functioning!
What was your favourite festive decoration or piece that you sourced for Casa Alamanda?
Alan: The Belen, which is a Christmas tradition over there of a Nativity set, so we had that next to the foyer where the residents to check in. It was religious and festive and beautiful - it did make me feel nostalgic, like when you used to be part of the school nativity. It takes you back.
Amanda: We painted that ourselves. That was really nice. We also had mistletoe and a traditional Christmas tree with beautiful baubles, dried oranges and cinnamon sticks tied with ribbon which is very British as well.. Alan favours tinsel…
Alan: She (Amanda) hates tinsel! I love tinsel, I'm quite retro!
Did either of you pick up any Spanish traditions that you'll now adopt?
Amanda: I might make a Roscón de Reyes, this Christmas, because it's basically like a big doughnut. It's a big brioche. It's really simple and I even bought the little ceramics that you can hide in it.
Alan: A lovely man and sherry expert Juan did a guided tour for us in Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job - so I will be drinking Juan’s sherry from Jerez this Christmas!
How does celebrating Christmas in Spain differ from celebrating in the UK?
Amanda: I think even though every family in the UK will have their own little traditions, it’s just like a blanket tradition in Spain, it was just phenomenal.
Alan: What we loved about Spain, and not even just with the Christmas show, but when we were there filming Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job, is the sense of community and family. It was like that in summer, so you can imagine in Christmas, where everyone's coming together, we loved it. It was as if we had two Christmases, wasn't it?
Amanda: Yes and another thing we recognised was how they have so many big traditions there where they were able to still include the kids in them. The children were all part of it, they had music, singing and traditional dancing, they're all dressed up in costume and they were all willing to take part!
The light switch-on in Malaga was magical!
Alan: I love how the Spanish embrace Christmas. There is no shame. It is Christmas. They go large and I love that.
Amanda: It was expensive and it looked good. The best thing about it is how over here Christmas ends for us, really, on Boxing Day, and then you sort of have that lull…whereas in Spain they continue all the way through to January. New Year's Eve is almost bigger than Christmas and then on January the 6th is the Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes), a major celebration that people fly out for.
Alan: When we saw the lights turn on in Malaga - the electricity bill must have been through the roof - but we were just so emotional!
And what are your plans this Christmas?
Amanda: I'm with my family for Christmas this year.
Alan: I'm with my family, we've all had busy years, so I just want to spend it with family. I'm spending New Year's Eve with my second family… Amanda's family! We're spending a New Year’s Eve together.
Amanda: - And he’s bringing his Traitors cloak!
What do you hope viewers will feel when they watch Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Christmas?
Amanda: Warm and tingly and slightly drunk. It's like a little prawn cocktail to Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job which is coming out in January.
Alan: It's like an amuse-bouche. It's tapas. It's a little bit of tapas before you have the main taramasalata!
I love the fact that people will have been doing exactly what we’ve been doing - prepping the food for Christmas, shopping, getting gifts ready, wrapping, and they’ll watch the show and say I’ve just done what Amanda & Alan has just done - let’s celebrate Christmas, it’s time for Christmas!
Image: BBC/Voltage TV
Interview supplied by publicists.
