MANDY: BBC CONFIRM UNAIRED CHRISTMAS SPECIAL OF DIANE MORGAN'S COMEDY FOR 2026

The unaired festive special of Diane Morgan's hit comedy Mandy, which was pulled from the BBC's Christmas schedule last year, is still planned to air this Christmas, the BBC have confirmed to TV Zone.

The episode was pulled from schedules last year after reports the BBC wanted to 'update' parts of the episode before broadcast. Due to the time needed to make these changes, the episode was pushed back to 2026. The BBC have reiterated that the episode will air this Christmas.

The synopsis for the special read: "A seasonal comedy special that sees Mandy have what can only be described as one of the worst Christmases ever. Apart from the one you’re having right now. Mandy rarely dabbles in global diplomacy, especially over Christmas when it’s so cold out and there’s good telly on, but when she does, you can bet that she makes a real difference to the balance of power in the world."

This Summer Diane Morgan returned to the BBC with new comedy Ann Droid, starring alongside Sue Johnston (True Love, The Royle Family) who plays Sue, and Paul Ready (Motherland) who plays her son Michael.

In a world where AI is looming larger and ever present, Ann Droid asks the question: what is replaceable and what is not? As funny, as it is poignant – Ann Droid tells the story of an unlikely friendship between Sue (Sue Johnston) and Linda (Diane Morgan) a social humanoid robot, created to keep elderly people company and monitor their health.

Sue’s (Sue Johnston) husband David passed away 18 months ago and her only son, Michael (Paul Ready), is moving out – again - to try and fix his marriage - again. But the good news is he’s got Sue a surprise to help her live independently, a care provider with a difference - a second hand AnnDroid Z58/100 Basic Eldercare Robot (Diane Morgan). Created to keep the ageing population company and monitor their health, taking the pressure off the ever-stretched NHS.

It’s Sue’s worst nightmare. An overly attentive, socially inept pain in the arse. But she soon works out she can use the droid to her benefit in settling scores and doing the things her son never gets round to. What develops is a buddy comedy between an older woman and her robot who isn’t quite as advanced socially as she is technically.

Previous episodes of Mandy are available on BBC iPlayer.