Hannah Waddingham’s ‘Home for Christmas’ Special Is the ‘Ted Lasso’ Musical You Didn’t Know You Needed

Anyone else regularly missing Ted Lasso? We are, which is why we found ourselves drawn to the brand-new Hannah Waddingham Apple TV+ holiday special, Home for Christmas.

A bit of background first about Waddingham’s musical abilities. Of course, we’re no stranger to the myriad episodes of Lasso where she delighted us with her abilities to belt out a treasured tune. (#TBT to the karaoke bar scene in season one where her character Rebecca surprises everyone with Let It Go.) But Waddingham’s also the daughter of a professional opera singer and no stranger to Broadway and London’s West End stage. As she recently told Today, she’s in fact performed as a leading lady for 22+ years.

Back to her Christmas special: Not only does it feature Waddingham showcasing beautiful renditions of holiday classics ranging from “O Holy Night” to “The Man with the Bag,” she somehow found a way to gather almost every member of the Ted Lasso cast to cheer her on and even sing with her. (Feels like a Rebecca-approved coup.)

Case in point: The moment when Jamie Tartt, er, we mean Phil Dunster, joins her—and the Fabulous Lounge Swingers—on stage at the London Coliseum to sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” He (and she) knock it out of the park, harmonies and all.

Other participating cast members include Nick Mohammed (Nate), Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent) and—spoiler alert—even Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso himself) shows up. As it turns out, it’s the Ted Lasso reunion you didn’t know you needed. Major props to Waddingham (and Apple) for that.

Beyond that, Waddingham holds her own alongside musical talents ranging from Leslie Odom Jr. (together they sing “Please Come Home for Christmas”) to Luke Evans (the pair duet on “Winter Wonderland”).

As for her Lasso pals, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic watching them all pal around together again. Definitely makes you believe in holiday magic. (See what we did there?)