“The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie? Same procedure as every year, James!” Anyone can say these iconic lines. Dinner for One is as much a tradition on New Year’s Eve as raclette, sparkling wine and lead pouring. The sketch about the 90th birthday of the very rich Miss Sophie and her drunk butler James has been an absolute cult in Germany for decades and there is still no end in sight.
Year after year, the 18-minute humorous fireworks display attracts millions of people to their televisions. That’s why the British sketch is one of the most repeated shows of all time and even held the world record for years! We’ll tell you 5 curious facts about the sketch.
Fact 1: Nobody in England knows Dinner for One
Strange, but true: The New Year’s Eve classic is completely unknown in Great Britainalthough the sketch was filmed with British stars. The classic with Butler James (Freddie Frinton) and Miss Sophie (May Warden) has had a cult following in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia for decades, but there was no success in its British homeland and the USA. The sketch was only shown in England on New Year’s Eve in 2018, but it was over again in 2020.
Fact 2: Dinner for One was banned in Sweden
Dinner for One is almost as popular in Scandinavian countries as it is here. Curiously, the sketch about Butler James was banned in Sweden for many years: The reason is the excessive alcohol consumption that is shown in the sketch. Butler James reaches for the glass an incredible 18 times, because he slips into the roles of the deceased guests and has to toast with the hostess again and again. From 1969 onwards the sketch was allowed to be shown and immediately became a cult!
Fact 3: Joko and Klaas parodied Dinner for One in an unusual way
Because they lost to ProSieben, Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf had to re-perform the popular New Year’s Eve sketch as punishment. They came up with a strange twist for the shoot: The set was recreated entirely in black and white and Joko and Klaas were painted from head to toe with gray make-up. Even though the sketch was shot in color, it looks like the old black and white shot from the 60s. You can see the reenactment here:
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Fact 4: Pure coincidence: This is how the tiger head came to Dinner for One
Actor Freddie Frinton has been performing the sketch in British theaters since the 1940s, but the plot changed bit by bit. One of the funniest running gags in Dinner for One is the moment when the butler James keeps tripping over the tiger skin’s head. This tripping hazard wasn’t originally part of the script, but was only added after Frinton accidentally tripped on the carpet during a performance. The audience couldn’t contain themselves and the cult moment was born.
Fact 5: Nobody knows why Dinner for One is on New Year’s Eve
Why is Dinner for One actually a New Year’s Eve classic? Nobody really knows the answer. In any case, the sketch was never planned to be broadcast on New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t until a decade after it was first broadcast that the sketch became an integral part of the New Year’s Eve program in 1972. It is believed that the quote “Happy New Year, Miss Sophie” could have contributed to the decision, but that is considered pure speculation.
Dinner for One: When does the classic New Year’s Eve come?