Our reporters hit the streets to talk to the public in our major cities across the UK about Christmas, including advent calendars, hangover cures, Yorkshire puddings, presents for pets and much more
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00:00 [Music]
00:10 Welcome to a very special festive edition of The Verdict on the Street,
00:14 the show that listens to its audience.
00:16 [Music]
00:18 We're going to take some crucial Christmas questions out onto the streets of Britain
00:22 and ask you what you think.
00:24 [Music]
00:26 We want to know all about your pet hates, your pet presents, your family traditions,
00:30 your favourite drinks and more importantly, your hangover cures.
00:34 [Music]
00:35 So for those and many more yuletide yarns,
00:37 stay tuned as we thrust the microphone into the face of the unsuspecting public
00:41 and ask all the important questions.
00:44 [Music]
00:45 Like for starters, how old is too old for an advent calendar?
00:49 [Music]
00:54 Absolutely.
00:56 My mum bought us an advent calendar this year so we're ready and waiting to go.
01:01 Do you think that's something you should carry on all through your life then?
01:04 Absolutely. It definitely makes the mornings easier in December.
01:12 Yeah, I wouldn't say no to chocolate.
01:14 What advent calendars have you got?
01:16 I've got a chocolate one this year, a nice hotel chocolate one from my mum.
01:21 For my daughter, yeah, she's got one.
01:24 But she doesn't know what's going on.
01:26 She's just opening any box that's closest to her hands.
01:30 Yeah, but she likes it. I mainly celebrate for her now.
01:34 Do you think that adults can enjoy an advent calendar as much?
01:37 100%. I think a quirky one though, an adult one or maybe an advent calendar.
01:44 Each day has got a shot in.
01:46 Something more than chocolate, something a message or a, I don't know,
01:51 something that's more adult themed, 100%.
01:54 To the point where I want to look online to see if they've got one now because, yeah.
01:58 Actually last year I bought myself one.
02:00 It was a chocolate one made by a very special pupil of mine.
02:05 I used to teach her when she was very little and she did a fantastic advent calendar.
02:13 It was amazing. Not something everyone could afford but it was delicious.
02:19 Otherwise that's the first time I've ever had one I think.
02:23 I think the little ones have them.
02:27 I think I had to buy that myself as there was no one around to buy it.
02:32 We usually do. I'm not sure we've actually got it yet.
02:36 I can't remember whether my wife's bought it yet but we always do, yes.
02:39 Quite often we buy one with the serenity eyes on it but my wife also has one which is made of fabric
02:46 with pockets in it where she puts chocolates in the fabric.
02:49 It's the same one every year just with different chocolate or whatever in it.
02:54 Which is nice.
02:56 Advent calendars are fun aren't they? They should be carried on through adulthood and all the way through.
03:00 Yeah and that's a tradition that's been there since the kids were small.
03:04 You just carry it on and it becomes part of what you do at Christmas.
03:08 I need to buy one for my little brother as well.
03:12 I do need to get one. I do have one every year but I usually eat it on the first day though.
03:17 I got it. I got it. I got it out.
03:19 Christmas spirit, innit?
03:21 Yeah and my stocking on Christmas morning. I still have those.
03:25 I think it's my last year where I'm getting all the stockings and Advent calendars now as you grow.
03:30 It grows but yeah.
03:32 I don't think you can ever have Advent calendars.
03:34 You can but it's more for something when you're younger, innit?
03:39 It's like a trick and you wake up and you're a child and you're like, "Oh, my chocolate every morning."
03:44 I got a pop one. She's got a gin one.
03:48 I got one from the cat protection.
03:50 I've got a gin one.
03:53 From adults.
03:54 Yeah, of course it is. It's adulting.
03:57 [Music playing]
04:01 Now we all know it's not actually Christmas until Noddy Holder says so.
04:05 But does he have to say it quite so often?
04:08 Over and over again the same old tunes get wheeled out and you don't know if you're feeling festive or frustrated.
04:14 On the radio and in the shops there's just no escape.
04:17 So what's the one that you love to hate?
04:20 [Music playing]
04:24 What is the most annoying Christmas song ever?
04:28 God, Why Christmas? I don't like Why Christmas. No, it's annoying. I don't like it.
04:33 Is that because it never snows?
04:35 Probably, yeah, but I don't like it.
04:37 So, annoying Christmas songs.
04:40 Definitely Slade.
04:42 So, Here It Is Merry Christmas.
04:44 You can't go into a shop without hearing it.
04:47 It's... I mean, they must have been on all sorts when they recorded that.
04:52 It was that bad. It was good at one point.
04:55 Mariah Carey. Oh, it's so annoying.
04:58 It's almost as bad as Slade, but I think Mariah Carey takes number one slot.
05:03 When it comes to Christmas songs, we all have our favourites and we all have the ones we just can't stand.
05:08 It might differ from person to person, but there's some consensus to be had on the best,
05:12 according to Smooth Radio's ranking of all the more than 70 Christmas number ones so far that is.
05:18 Their top three included Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody with the bronze medal,
05:22 Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas in second place
05:25 and Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens Taking The Crown.
05:29 Is there a Christmas song that you find particularly irritating?
05:33 Is there any guys you think raise you when you listen to them?
05:36 Not particularly, but I would say about 80% of them, yeah.
05:40 Oh, I don't think you can hear too much of any of them, really.
05:43 No, they're all pretty good, aren't they?
05:45 They're all familiar and remind you of lovely Christmases, don't they?
05:47 Shakin' Stevens, yeah, he was good.
05:49 Yeah, he was good, I'm very good at Shakin'.
05:52 I think if it starts, I mean you know what it's like in the supermarkets and stuff,
05:55 the Christmas decorations come out in like September, October time and it's like,
05:59 I think it's way too soon and Christmas songs should be December only.
06:04 Sorry, I do apologise.
06:06 Really annoying, no.
06:08 You like all of them?
06:10 Yeah, you've got what's it called, the only dog you want, I think, is Jonah Louis.
06:17 Oh, God, I wish I was that old for Christmas.
06:20 [Laughs]
06:22 That does get a lot of people.
06:24 [Hums]
06:28 That one.
06:29 [Laughs]
06:31 Ariana Grande, Santa, whatever it's called.
06:34 Santa, tell me, bro.
06:35 Dead.
06:36 I like that one.
06:37 It's overused, it's overplayed.
06:39 I like that one.
06:40 Overplayed, every year, same, on repeat, it's annoying.
06:43 I hate all the Christmas films, all the Christmas songs, it's annoying and boring.
06:49 Very, very boring.
06:51 Every shop, you know what I mean, it's just nonsense.
06:54 You know, they make a mockery of Christmas with that stuff, really.
06:57 Do you think Christmas music burn out at the end of the festive season?
07:02 No, I don't think I get burnouts.
07:04 I must say, I don't.
07:05 No, I like music whenever, yeah, yeah.
07:07 No, I think we should have it, we should have music, whether I like it or not, no, we should have it.
07:12 I think they start November, to be fair, and I would happily sing them until September.
07:18 Let Halloween people have their thing, let Halloween people have, you know, one month.
07:23 The rest should be Christmas.
07:24 The rest is all Christmas, I like that.
07:25 Now, our pets are part of the family, right?
07:31 But according to a new survey, one in five Brits are set to spend more on their pets this Christmas than their partners or children.
07:38 Are you?
07:40 What do you think about pets getting Christmas presents or advent calendars?
07:46 We get our more, see a little something, but it's usually just like a little treat, it's not an overboard, no one spends thousands on it or not.
07:54 A little five pound token.
07:56 A token of your appreciation.
07:58 Yeah.
07:59 Not me, actually, but when my daughter lived with it, quite a long time ago, nearly 20 years ago or so, we had two cats.
08:07 And at Christmas she bought them some cat treats.
08:10 A pet? No. I don't agree with all that.
08:15 But then again, I don't have a pet, so I wouldn't know.
08:18 Some people, it's a member of the family.
08:21 So I can't really have an opinion on that, what other people do is entirely up to themselves.
08:27 But me personally, I wouldn't have pet presents, even if I had a pet.
08:32 There are around 17 million households in the UK with pets since the pet baby boom we experienced during the pandemic helped to boost the number.
08:41 And it seems despite the cost of living crisis, we're not being put off spending on our furry friends, especially over the festive period.
08:48 According to a study from Pets at Home, a quarter of owners will be spending just as much on the animal members of their household as their human counterparts.
08:57 Yes, they're part of the family.
09:00 Ours have Christmas jumpers and we'll be getting a stocking, albeit full of sweets and biscuits, but they will be getting presents.
09:08 Yeah, I mean, it's a bit OTT, but yeah, I think it's...
09:11 They only think it's another day, but they get lots of sweets that day.
09:14 And why not, yeah.
09:15 Just like a child, it's another day, you get lots of sweets until he realises Christmas and Santa's coming.
09:19 I think it's the feel good factor, because you're giving something, even though it's to a creature who doesn't understand.
09:26 Yeah, but they do understand love and affection, don't they?
09:29 Exactly, they like the...
09:30 And I think you just feel better that you've included your pet because it's part of the family.
09:35 I think it's brilliant.
09:36 You know, they're like your baby, they're like your child.
09:40 I mean, I've got a son and the dog, he's just like a child.
09:43 He gets everything.
09:44 I mean, he gets Christmas presents, he gets sweeties, he gets the lot.
09:48 What my son would get, my dog gets.
09:50 So you've said you do all that.
09:52 What do you think is the perfect pet present, sort of like, you know, something to wear, something to eat?
09:59 Do you know what? It gets on people's nerves.
10:01 And I know when you buy a dog this, they always say, "Oh, what is it?"
10:05 Squeaky toys.
10:06 The dogs love it.
10:07 I've even actually had a bazooka, which fires tennis balls.
10:12 So what can the pups and moggies of our nation be expecting to unwrap this December?
10:17 A quarter of owners plan to get their pets a Christmas jumper.
10:20 Just over 50% will be treated to a Christmas dinner and half will even get their own stocking.
10:26 I have a black Bombay cat called Elga.
10:29 Love her to bits.
10:30 She will be getting spoiled at Christmas, just like my two children and their children, my grandchildren.
10:36 Christmas is a time to celebrate, not just for humans, for pets as well.
10:41 They're all God's creatures, so are we.
10:43 It's been another tough year financially.
10:47 Rampant inflation is seeing Britain's consumers planning to downsize their Christmas spending on gifts.
10:53 Many are expecting to spend less on groceries and dining out during the festive period.
10:58 Britons are expected to buy fewer and cheaper items, especially online.
11:03 More than two-fifths of the population say they feel worse off this Christmas than last year.
11:07 And as a result, many will cut back where possible.
11:11 So what's Christmas looking like for you?
11:14 So when it comes to Christmas this year, the industry that I work in is currently suffering a huge slump.
11:20 So lots of people are out of work.
11:22 So personally, myself, I'll be not spending a lot of money this Christmas,
11:26 just to make sure that I've got enough to tide me through until my industry picks up again.
11:30 I mean, I don't usually spend that much on Christmas.
11:33 I usually just stay with my friends and family.
11:35 But the minimum I could spend is like just under 100.
11:39 It depends on what.
11:40 But usually, like, my max is probably 60.
11:44 We're definitely cutting back this time.
11:46 Yeah, it's a fine balance, isn't it?
11:48 I think, you know, everyone's looking at the bills and stuff like that.
11:51 So it's a bit of a reality, isn't it, nowadays?
11:54 I'm trying to, because I know, especially around this time of year,
12:09 everything's twice the price, if not more.
12:13 Am I cutting back? I'm trying to.
12:15 Like I said, I'm trying to.
12:17 I'm not cutting back.
12:19 I'm not, but when I say I'm not going mad,
12:22 because you kind of look at it now and think, I'm really not going to waste money.
12:26 I'm going down the lines of maybe giving them cash in the hope that,
12:31 I mean, the youngest granddaughter, no, she gave me,
12:34 she sent me pictures of what she wanted from River Island.
12:38 I went, "Any one of these, Nan, no one full well, I'm getting them all."
12:43 I think they have to. I'm going to have to.
12:46 Yeah, especially the industry that I've been working in has, like, completely died out.
12:51 What is that industry?
12:52 I work in film and TV as well.
12:54 So, yeah, there's been no work in TV at all.
12:59 So I've had to find other work for the time being.
13:02 So that's hit me.
13:03 I mean, that's slightly related, but it's made it even harder,
13:06 because, you know, things are more expensive.
13:08 I'm trying not to be stressed about Christmas,
13:11 because that just takes away the joy.
13:14 And what I've been doing is, as I've seen gifts that I think my nearest and dearest would like,
13:22 just buying them without sort of having one big glut of spending
13:26 when it gets really stressful and you're trailing around the shop.
13:30 So buying little bits here and there just to spread it so it's not horrible.
13:36 I suppose just trying to be sensible.
13:39 Because normally what happens is I buy presents and then I'm like,
13:42 "I'll just get a few extra little bits."
13:44 So probably trying to be a bit more organised with what I'm buying for who.
13:49 Yeah, and we have looked at buying some pre-love stuff, to be honest.
13:55 I haven't done that yet, though, because I haven't found what I want.
13:58 I haven't looked at that, whereas I maybe wouldn't have looked at that in previous years.
14:02 So just some of your thoughts there on the matter.
14:05 But what is the data telling us?
14:08 Well, market research suggests that a lot of us are turning to bargain hunting
14:12 and taking out credit to cover Christmas expenses this year,
14:16 and that roughly 51% of households are expected to stick to a stricter budget.
14:21 And from what we've heard from you, it sounds like many of you could well be doing the same.
14:26 But if you do plan to overspend and overindulge, there are consequences that aren't just financial.
14:33 So when the kids get up at 5am, fizzing with noise and excitement,
14:37 how do you cope with that dreaded morning-after hangover?
14:41 My hangover cure for Christmas, probably--
14:47 Well, I'm working Boxing Day this year at Spoons,
14:50 so probably a kind of Monster and a fry-up from Spoons.
14:56 That would be my hangover cure.
14:59 I just keep drinking, honestly.
15:02 Yeah.
15:04 It's not time to be hungover if you just keep drinking.
15:08 Don't get hangovers. Shut up.
15:11 Sorry, I'm just better than everyone else.
15:14 I think water, lots and lots of water, is very important,
15:18 and preferably before you go to bed.
15:21 And maybe eat.
15:24 Even though you don't feel like eating, I think it's good to eat some carbohydrates,
15:27 because I think that settles your stomach after.
15:30 But however, I know the government and other people worry about the costs to the NHS.
15:35 However, I really do think a little bit of festive spirit is a good thing.
15:40 I don't get hangovers. I don't get them. I never, ever get them.
15:45 Even if I drink, I don't get them.
15:47 I wake up and I'm frightened clean like that.
15:51 What's your secret, then?
15:53 I just eat what I'm drinking.
15:57 Maybe that's what it is.
15:59 Because every time I drink, I eat.
16:01 And because I'm eating all the food, so bringing the alcohol up as well.
16:08 I do drink.
16:10 I would say water in the morning, water at night,
16:14 and a cup of Paracetamol in the morning.
16:17 Do you think we drink too much in the UK?
16:20 Yes, we do. Yes, we do. Definitely.
16:22 I don't drink a massive amount.
16:26 I usually have something like a Baileys, or partial to gin and tonic,
16:33 and pina coladas, something like that.
16:37 We only have one or two. We don't go mad.
16:40 We've always got lots of drink, but it never seems to get drunk.
16:45 Well, some of it does. The beer.
16:47 We're not regular drinkers, so the drink we might have at Christmas,
16:51 if we do have a drink, would be a little bit of cider,
16:54 and perhaps a little bit of wine.
16:56 But because we don't drink excessive, we can't give a cure for a hangover.
17:00 But my advice for a hangover, don't get drink excessive,
17:04 and then you won't need to cure yourself.
17:07 I remember terrible hangovers, but I think I've got wise enough
17:11 to avoid them for a decade or so.
17:14 There's quite a few people that drink too much. Quite a few.
17:19 Whether they'll happen this year, I don't know,
17:22 because money's so scarce, isn't it?
17:25 But they find money from somewhere, don't they?
17:27 Gin or Bacardi. OK, nice.
17:30 And then I'll also have the fruity cider and Guinness.
17:36 Yeah. Not all in one glass, of course.
17:39 That might be a trial.
17:42 How about you, Paul? Any Christmas tipples you've got for us?
17:45 Cider or whiskey, I suppose.
17:47 Now, the Yorkshire pudding first appeared in the 1700s
17:51 and was intended to dull the appetite,
17:53 so diners wouldn't eat so much of the expensive turkey.
17:57 But does it still belong on your Christmas dinner?
18:00 I would have Yorkshire pudding every night,
18:04 because I love roast dinners, so I'd have roast dinner every night.
18:07 Christmas dinner is a perfect time to gather with family
18:10 and tuck into delicious roast potatoes,
18:13 a vegetarian or meat-focused centrepiece, vegetables and gravy.
18:17 But there's still one item that remains a little controversial -
18:21 the Yorkshire pudding.
18:22 For some, the Yorkshire pudding is a staple of any roast dinner,
18:26 a tradition.
18:27 For others, the common British side dish
18:29 does not make an appearance alongside Christmas celebrations.
18:32 Oh, yeah.
18:34 All day long.
18:36 Yorkshire pudding with anything.
18:38 Yeah, definitely with a Christmas dinner.
18:40 OK.
18:41 Yeah.
18:42 What about you, Gillette?
18:43 I'm a bit indifferent to it.
18:44 I can take it or leave it, but if it's there, yeah, fine.
18:48 Yeah, I'm happy with it.
18:49 I think it's because we don't necessarily always have turkey,
18:53 so, you know, if we have beef, we might have both.
18:57 If we have both, it's nice to have the Yorkshire pudding with the beef.
19:00 Yeah, the Yorkshire pudding as well, yeah.
19:02 And it adds more to your plate as well.
19:04 There's more to eat, isn't there?
19:06 No, definitely not.
19:07 It just doesn't seem right.
19:08 Yorkshire pudding's for a Sunday roast, but not Christmas dinner.
19:12 Yes, but it's not my favourite.
19:14 Sprouts, roast potatoes, turkey, Yorkshire pudding.
19:23 It's not from Manchester, is it?
19:25 I can see where they're coming from.
19:27 I'm just not crazy about Yorkshire pudding.
19:29 If it's on my plate, I'll eat it.
19:31 I'll eat almost anything that's put on my plate, and I'll eat Yorkshire puddings.
19:35 But they don't strike me as traditional Christmas, no.
19:38 I always put a Yorkshire pudding with my Christmas dinner.
19:41 It's one of the things that is a tradition,
19:44 and we don't tend to have the traditional turkey.
19:48 We tend to have other meats, so sometimes it will be roast pork,
19:52 sometimes it will be roast beef, but those things go well with Yorkshire pudding.
19:58 It's just a staple.
20:02 My mother came from Yorkshire, and she made the very best Yorkshire puddings ever.
20:07 So we never, ever had a Christmas dinner without a Yorkshire pudding.
20:12 It was part of her family tradition, so we've kept it going.
20:17 I would love that. My favourite.
20:20 We were just talking about Christmas dinner, and we've left that off the list.
20:23 Yes, we probably will do Yorkshire puddings.
20:25 We've talked about exercising the pigs in blankets, because they're also a favourite.
20:29 So just going for a whole sausage.
20:31 Everybody likes those, rather than the miniature ones.
20:34 But we love Yorkshire puddings, yeah.
20:36 Yes. I always do.
20:38 It's not the same without a Yorkshire pudding.
20:41 The judges have always had a Yorkshire pudding.
20:45 I don't have a Yorkshire pudding with Christmas dinner, much as I like them.
20:50 And it's not because they're not traditional, it's because I think the food is too much.
20:55 Let's fast forward now to the big day itself.
20:58 And it's a day full of traditions, from meal times to speeches, family games and the Royal Speech.
21:04 How does your Christmas day play out?
21:07 We all have our own personal idea of festive heaven and festive hell.
21:14 Nostalgia is a huge part of what makes this time of year feel so magical.
21:20 The sound of festive tunes playing on the radio, the taste of your first mince pie
21:25 and the sight of fairy lights on the Christmas tree.
21:28 With that in mind, we have been on the streets of Liverpool to ask
21:33 what are your Christmas traditions that you simply can't do without?
21:38 Well, I remember we're sisters and there were six of us.
21:43 Six girls.
21:45 And we'd all go up to my mum's Christmas day with all our children.
21:50 Yeah.
21:51 And my mum would dress up as Santa.
21:54 She dressed up as Santa.
21:56 She was on her own, wasn't she, because my dad passed away years ago.
21:59 I know, and we'd do the usual things every time.
22:03 Or she'd come to the door, dressed as whatever, a reindeer or...
22:08 My mum always used to tell us a little story, a really sad story
22:14 about the little tin fairy, was it?
22:17 And she dies in a fire, it was really bad, it was really sad.
22:21 But she was a matchbox, the little matchbox fairy.
22:25 And she used to tell us that Christmas Eve and we'd all sob.
22:29 So I'm going to carry on the tradition and score my children.
22:34 I do it with my family.
22:36 Yeah, we do it with ours as well.
22:38 We do it the same, they all come to mine and we dress up
22:41 and they all think I'm crackers.
22:44 I know.
22:45 Do you send Christmas cards, do you receive many Christmas cards?
22:48 No, I don't anymore, I used to, but it's just a bit of a waste of paper, I think.
22:52 And I don't want them round my house, don't tell anyone.
22:55 I really don't want them, where do I put them? No.
22:58 We play games and afterwards family fortunes, we've got that and other things.
23:04 Just the normal what families do, only ours was a bit mad.
23:10 We're the quiet ones, aren't we?
23:13 My missus passed away in 2015 and me and Rhys, we get ten balloons
23:20 and we send one up every day up to Christmas Day,
23:24 just wishing her a happy Christmas and things like that.
23:27 Whether it's the food, the presents or the decorations that do it for you,
23:33 we all have our own way of getting into the spirit of Yuletide.
23:38 The City region is full of sparkle and you shouldn't have to look too hard to find it.
23:46 And let's face it, we could all do with a shimmer of joy in our lives now more than ever.
23:53 [Christmas music]
23:59 [Christmas music]
24:06 Who secretly sheds a tear at the John Lewis advert every year?
24:09 How many Kevin the Carrots can one house cope with?
24:12 This year Graham Norton, Rick Astley and Michael Bublé got in on the act,
24:16 but what's your favourite Christmas TV ad?
24:19 I don't think I've watched a lot so far, but I don't know what the company is that did the elderly ladies who get the sledges.
24:27 Amazon.
24:28 Amazon?
24:29 Yeah, it's Amazon.
24:30 And I think heartwarming. Yeah, I don't mind.
24:32 If you're going to be forced to watch adverts, I would like to watch a Christmas advert.
24:38 [Christmas music]
24:47 I mean, I'm looking at them and I'm thinking, oh, here we go again, Kevin the Carrots.
24:50 Apparently they were queuing up outside Aldi because they do a different Kevin every year.
24:56 And I'm kind of thinking, I'm sick of looking at these jingle bells and everything's wonderful.
25:02 People are going through a cost of a living crisis.
25:05 Make it logical for where we are now as a country.
25:09 As far as the M&S advert goes, I did see it and I was absolutely baffled by it.
25:16 And it was instead of celebrating Christmas, they were trying to destroy it.
25:21 I just don't see what the marketing department thought that that would attract people.
25:30 I really, it just bamboozled me completely.
25:34 [Christmas music]
25:46 They were putting cards in the fire, they were putting paper hats in the fire.
25:51 And they were throwing the snowman away.
25:54 So all the lovely traditions.
25:56 There's no sign of kids opening presents, which is what it's all about.
26:01 And I think they lost a lot of business through that.
26:05 It's their own fault. Just sheer stupidity.
26:08 I haven't seen any yet. I'm starting to see some.
26:12 I know there's supposed to be a good one coming out. There's usually a good M&S one.
26:15 But I haven't seen any yet.
26:18 I haven't actually seen that many, to be honest, this time.
26:21 I've seen the Marks and Spencers one, because we actually live in Wrexham, so it's where the football is.
26:26 So I've seen that Marks and Spencers one, with reference to Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mappahenny.
26:32 So that's good. Probably that's my favourite one.
26:34 Speak to me, left.
26:36 I got snow right up my arse.
26:38 Merry Christmas.
26:39 Oh, hello. I'm right. And my damn friend here is left.
26:42 Yeah, he does that when he gets excited.
26:44 I've not seen any of them really this year, apart from the Amazon one.
26:48 I know the John Lewis one's normally good, but I've not seen it.
26:51 But I don't know if that's because we don't really watch television in the way that we used to watch it.
26:55 So you're not forced to sit through the adverts anymore.
26:58 What was it? It was the John Lewis one, wasn't it, I think.
27:02 They were always good. And I think Aldi did quite a few. You know, with the carrots.
27:06 Do you remember that one?
27:08 A magical Christmas Eve. The most wonderful time of year.
27:13 Five lucky winners waited, then William Conker appeared.
27:17 Inside, the plump deductees prepared a big celebration.
27:23 [Christmas music]
27:25 Throughout this programme, we've enjoyed views from many of our cities across the UK.
27:30 Let's now head south and see what a capital Christmas looks like.
27:34 As we go deeper into winter, Christmas edge is ever closer,
27:43 and the festive feeling is growing in the capital.
27:46 Christmas lights are on, decorations are up,
27:49 and from shopping in Soho to ice skating,
27:52 we asked Londoners what they love about the City of London in the build-up to Christmas.
27:58 There's so many great places to go in London.
28:05 I think it really does come alive during the festive period.
28:09 And it's a time to be kind, help people.
28:17 But yeah, there's loads of great places to go in London.
28:21 I don't know, if you go down South Bank,
28:24 there's a lot of Christmas shopping to be had in Covent Garden, Soho,
28:29 Oxford Street, Regent Street, and even locally,
28:33 where I live here in Angel or Stoke Newington.
28:37 A particular place? I think Leicester Square is nice.
28:41 St Paul's is nice. Not a lot of people go to St Paul's, but I think St Paul's is lovely.
28:45 Trafalgar Square, all the regular ones, they're nice, aren't they?
28:48 I just think all the lights and everything,
28:51 and the ice rinks and all that kind of stuff that goes on,
28:54 like the festivity, going down Regent Street, all the lights lit up.
28:58 You go to Fortnum & Mason, they've got the big display outside the windows.
29:01 Everything, you know what I mean?
29:03 Then the ice rinks, obviously, and Somerset House and stuff, yeah?
29:06 I get out of London in the festive season, if I'm honest.
29:10 I try to get as far as I want to go where my parents live in Norfolk,
29:14 because nothing worse than a city at Christmas.
29:17 [Music]
29:23 So, there you are. That's it for our little nosy around the nation.
29:27 Hope you enjoyed it.
29:28 Don't forget you can catch up with any episodes of The Verdict on the Street
29:32 over at ShotsTV.com
29:34 We'll be back in the new year with plenty more questions on the show,
29:37 which has an opinion on just about everything.
29:40 In the meantime, from all of us here at Shots TV,
29:42 we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, however you do it.
29:46 [Music]
29:56 (upbeat music)
29:58 (music)