Hannah Waddingham to host Apple TV musical holiday special

Hannah Waddingham, the Emmy-winning actor best known for her role as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, is set to host a musical holiday special on Apple TV Plus later this year. Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas will be recorded live in front of an audience at the London Coliseum and will feature Waddingham performing festive classics and musical numbers alongside a big band and some “special surprise guests.” 

Big holiday-themed releases have become something of a tradition for Apple in recent years. Last year saw the streamer release Spirited, a retelling of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. Home for Christmas is being produced by Done+Dusted and will be directed by BAFTA award winner Hamish Hamilton. (Both Done+Dusted and Hamilton previously collaborated with Apple on the 2020 Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special.) Waddingham will also serve as an executive producer on the project alongside Katy Mullan, Moira Ross, Raj Kapoor, and Nick Todisco.

Waddingham has plenty of prior experience in singing and musical theatre. The three-time Olivier Award-nominated star has appeared in musicals like The Wizard of Oz, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game, and Monty Python’s Spamalot. She’s also set to co-host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest grand final on May 13th.

Apple TV Plus hasn’t mentioned a release date for the special. It’s also not clear if the show will be broadcast live on the streaming service, as the press release just says “audiences around the world” will be able to tune in to the celebrations. We’ve emailed Apple to clarify and will update this article if we hear back.