Light the beacons! Hannah Waddingham released a 2023 Christmas special — the season has been saved.
It didn’t necessarily need saving, but Waddingham’s recently-released Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas guarantees that, should any snags hit, they’ll be easily cured by the Ted Lasso favorite. She’s been dazzling in the seasonal Apple TV Plus release since it dropped on Nov. 22, as she bonds with a slew of celebrity darlings. The delightful special features a range of big names, on top of Waddingham’s own, including one or two Ted Lasso stars, and a major special guest requested by none other than Waddingham’s own daughter.
Who was the top request for Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas?
Plenty of people had thoughts on who should be included in Waddingham’s Christmas special, but only one opinion truly mattered: That of Waddingham’s young daughter, Kitty. Kitty had a single request for the show’s lineup of famous faces, and it was a tall order. She asked her mother to include award-winning Broadway icon and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. in the November release, and Waddingham pulled through.
She revealed that Odom Jr.’s inclusion was the result of her daughter’s request during an interview with Seth Meyers. She noted, while discussing the demanding task, that she offered her daughter the opportunity to choose one of the guests for her special, and jokingly pointed out that it could have “gone horribly wrong” asking a child to select a special guest. Starkly opposing what Waddingham feared, however — no giant purple alligators here — her daughter immediately exclaimed her top pick as Leslie Odom Jr.
Waddingham was hesitant to guarantee anything, considering how busy Odom Jr. is, but within no time her daughter’s request was granted. Odom Jr.’s people got back to Waddingham’s, and the star was signed onto the special. The rest can be witnessed in all its wondrous, Yuletide glory over on Apple TV Plus.