Okay, first of all, yes, this article is about TOWIE, but we want to stress right from the beginning that we will be also be talking about Christmas over the next 500 words or so. It's September, and if we weren't being paid to do this, we'd roll our eyes, too. But stick with us if you can, because this is all about the prospect of the TOWIE Christmas special returning to our screens once series 34 is all wrapped up.
Okay, you're still with us - thanks for being so open minded.
When you think of Christmas, you probably don't immediately think of TOWIE, do you?
Well, we do. Here at Closer HQ we immediately think of that iconic Last Christmas cover sung by the OG TOWIE cast in 2011 and, of course, the axed Christmas special concept.
We loved the iconic TOWIE Christmas special, 'The Only Way is Essexmas'. It popped up in series one, three, seven, ten, 13, 16, 19, 21, 25, 26, and 28, and always involved a drink being poured over someone’s head, a dramatic exit no one saw coming and that's all before we've even mentioned the glitz and glamour of our favourite Essex stars' outfits. For a decent amount of time, we couldn't get into the festive spirit without it.
That's why we were left crying into our eggnog when it was revealed that The Only Way is Essexmas wouldn't be returning for 2022, or the inevitable future, for that matter.
But wait, what's this? A Christmas miracle on the horizon...
TOWIE star Jodie Wells recently spoke out about the possibility of a TOWIE Christmas special actually happening in 2024, and Santa, if you make this happen, we promise to be oh so good next year – it's a bit too late for this year.
During one of the regular Instagram Q&As Jodie was asked whether there would be a Christmas special in 2024, and to our delight she didn't ignore or shut down the question. Instead, she responded, 'With how the series ended I feel a Christmas special would be amazing.'
So, not just a glimmer of hope, but a finale teaser, too – we'll take what we can get.
What have the TOWIE said about losing the Christmas specials?
During a Q&A on Instagram in 2022, a fan asked Ella Rae Wise, "Is there a TOWIE Xmas special this year?"
Ella replied with four words we most certainly did NOT want to read.
"Unfortunately not this year 💔💔💔."
Heartbreak, indeed.
Just before that, Ella's co-star, Diags chatted to us about the TOWIE Christmas special and he is clearly on board with the festive episode even if the ITV big wigs are not.
When we quizzed the fan favourite about the potential of The Only Way is Essex's making a return for 2023, Diags was none the wiser.
'We don’t get told anything, so I wouldn’t know,' he explained.
Diags also added, 'I always love a Christmas special. I like to get in the Christmas spirit, so it’s nice. If it was to happen it would be lovely. I leave that up to everyone else, that’s not down to me.'
The Only Way is Essexmas is basically a festive staple but it was reportedly axed in 2021 due to a lack of budget.
It was claimed at the time that the news left the cast worrying for their jobs, with some said to be concerned that the Christmas special being axed could signal bad news for the future of the ITVBe show.
A telly insider explained, 'The cast were floored by the news as TOWIE's Christmas specials are something of a tradition, so none of them were expecting to not be filming this time around.
'They were all told that the scheduling didn't work out and the budget is being spent on other things, but it's left them all feeling really nervous about the future for the show.'
The source told The Sun, 'It's not a good sign for the series in general if bosses have decided it doesn't make financial sense to film the celebratory one-off.
'Many of them rely on the Christmas special for additional work, and also because it helps maintain their profile as the regular show doesn't air as frequently throughout the year anymore.'
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Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Island and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅