Finding Father Christmas cast: Full list of actors in Channel 4 special
Lenny Rush and James Buckley lead the cast of a brand new festive feature.
Channel 4 is marking the festive season with a brand new feature-length comedy special, which brings together a number of comedy icons as well as experts to assemble a unique answer to the Father Christmas question.
Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?) leads the cast as Chris, a 16-year-old boy who still believes in Father Christmas, despite his own dad feeling that it's about time he left such notions behind.
But Chris's belief runs too deep to be shattered by a few naysayers, so he sets off on a fast-paced adventure to prove his dad wrong, relying on insight from academic minds including Stephen Fry, Professor Hannah Fry, and Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Together, will they discover that there's more to the closely-guarded story of Father Christmas than meets the eye? Read on for your introduction to the key characters in Finding Father Christmas, which premieres tonight at 7:30pm on Channel 4.
Read more: What's worth watching on Christmas Eve?
Finding Father Christmas cast: Full list of actors in Channel 4 special
Here's an overview of the key players in Finding Father Christmas – read on for more details on each character and the actor playing them, including where you might have seen them before.
- Lenny Rush plays Chris
- James Buckley plays Chris's dad
- Ele McKenzie plays Holly
- Stephen Fry as Himself
- Rochenda Sandall as Georgina
- Professor Hannah Fry as Herself
- Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock as Herself
- Jason Fox as Himself
- Greg Davies as Father Christmas
Lenny Rush plays Chris
Who is Chris? Chris is a 16-year-old boy, who still believes in Father Christmas. He is distraught when his father tries to tell him that Father Christmas isn't real, so he sets about proving him wrong by reaching out to a series of famous experts.
What else has Lenny Rush been in? Rush is best known for his roles in BBC comedy-drama Am I Being Unreasonable?, for which he earned a BAFTA TV Award, and sci-fi favourite Doctor Who (appearing in seasons 14 and 15). He has also served as presenter for Children in Need, among other television appearances as himself.
James Buckley plays Chris's dad
Who is Chris's dad? Chris's dad is a postman who has been raising his son alone, following the death of his wife a couple of years earlier. She is still dearly missed, but Chris has encouraged him to get back on the dating scene.
"Nick's at a point where everything's gone wrong for him, and he's probably the least Christmassy person on the planet," said Buckley. "But it's fine, because his son is probably the most Christmassy person on the planet.
"And I would genuinely say, if Christmas was a person, it would be Lenny Rush. He's the happiest fellow I've ever met in my life, and brilliant at what he does."
What else has James Buckley been in? Buckley broke out in the cast of Channel 4 sitcom The Inbetweeners. He went on to bad further roles in Only Fools and Horses prequel Rock & Chips, White Gold and, most recently, 5's Finders Keepers.
Ele McKenzie plays Holly
Who is Holly? Holly is Chris's cousin, who is quick to be convinced by conspiracy theories.
What else has Ele McKenzie been in? McKenzie has previously appeared in comedies Funboys and Everyone Else Burns.
Stephen Fry as Himself
Who is Stephen Fry? Stephen Fry appears as a version of himself in the special. He applies his academic knowledge to a working theory of how Father Christmas operates.
What else has Stephen Fry been in? Fry recently appeared as a contestant on The Celebrity Traitors, where he was considered a 'big dog' by his fellow participants.
Previously, he has acted in the likes of Gosford Park, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and the final two movies in The Hobbit trilogy. Fry is also known as an author and for his 13-year stint hosting panel show QI.
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Rochenda Sandall as Georgina
Who is Georgina? Georgina is a neighbour of Chris and his dad. She is also one of Chris's school teachers.
What else has Rochenda Sandall been in? Sandall currently stars in BBC One comedy Amandaland, where she plays Fi. Previously, she has taken roles in Line of Duty, Small Axe, Doctor Who: Flux and Apple TV thriller Hijack, among other credits.
Professor Hannah Fry as Herself
Who is Professor Hannah Fry? Hannah appears as herself, a prominent mathematician (and podcast fanatic).
What else has Professor Hannah Fry been in? Fry has presented various factual television shows, and recently became the co-host of Goalhanger podcast The Rest is Science.
Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock as Herself
Who is Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock? Dame Maggie appears as herself, helping Chris in her role as an esteemed scientist and educator.
"I was a little out of my depth," said Dame Aderin-Pocock, of working on the feature-length special. "I am used to filming documentaries but dramas are on a different level.
"Although I was playing myself, some acting was involved. I have always loved acting but doing it professionally was a bit nerve wracking. Also, as a dyslexic, remembering exact lines in a script is hard for me.
"But everyone was brilliant, making me feel relaxed and supported, [and] letting me put things into my own words. So 10/10, would love to do again."
What else has Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock been in? The academic has made television appearances on CBBC and CBeebies as well as guest spots on the likes of Would I Lie to You?, Richard Osman's House of Games and QI.
Jason Fox as Himself
Who is Jason Fox? Fox also appears as himself, with guidance for Chris on his search for the truth.
What else has Jason Fox been in? Fox is best known for Channel 4 competition series SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Asim Chaudhry as Garden Centre Father Christmas
Who is Garden Centre Father Christmas? A Father Christmas impersonator, who has grown tired of Chris's questions.
"He's hungover and doesn't have time for people," said Chaudhry of his brief role.
What else has Asim Chaudhry been in? Chaudhry broke through in the cast of BBC sitcom People Just Do Nothing, where he played self-described entrepreneur Chabuddy G. More recent credits include The Cleaner, The Sandman, Industry, Black Mirror and Apple TV's The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.
Greg Davies as Father Christmas
Who is Father Christmas? The man at the centre of this mystery.
What else has Greg Davies been in? Davies starred alongside Buckley in The Inbetweeners, where he played intimidating headteacher Mr Gilbert. More recently, he's become best known as the Taskmaster in Channel 4's comedy game show of the same name, which he co-presents alongside Alex Horne. Other notable works include Cuckoo, Man Down and The Cleaner.
Finding Father Christmas premieres on Channel 4 at 7:30pm on Christmas Eve.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
