S3.E8

A Duty Free Christmas

Episode aired Dec 25, 1986

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Keith Barron and Joanna Van Gyseghem in Duty Free (1984)

David persuades a reluctant Amy to spend Christmas in Spain, though in a more up-market hotel than the San Remo. When Amy sees the Cochrans, who are the guests of the wealthy Stoneleigh-Jack... Read allDavid persuades a reluctant Amy to spend Christmas in Spain, though in a more up-market hotel than the San Remo. When Amy sees the Cochrans, who are the guests of the wealthy Stoneleigh-Jacksons, she regards the trip as more than a coincidence but busies herself getting into the ... Read allDavid persuades a reluctant Amy to spend Christmas in Spain, though in a more up-market hotel than the San Remo. When Amy sees the Cochrans, who are the guests of the wealthy Stoneleigh-Jacksons, she regards the trip as more than a coincidence but busies herself getting into the Christmas spirit by putting up decorations, forcing David to play Santa Claus and exchangi... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

YOUR RATING

2User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

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1nrtwrcbkv

Shot on location was a very bad idea

Obviously brought back for a Christmas Special because it was getting 20 million viewers at the time. This final episode was the only one to be shot on location in Spain but the whole plot line was just so awful. Who would leave their children at home for Christmas just to chase Linda around a hotel. Obviously they were there just for a jolly and a big pay cheque. Put me off the whole series, they were all so irritating. Just watch the series and give this car crash a miss. I mean what was David going to do in that hotel room with Amy especially as it was Christmas time and the hotel was full ! Ridiculous.

4Prismark10

A Duty Free Christmas

A Christmas special that also served as the last edition of Duty Free.

Unlike the rest of the show. This special was shot on film and on location in Spain, not a studio in Leeds.

David and Amy have returned to Spain and this time in a more upmarket hotel. He persuades Amy to stay on further for Christmas.

Coincidentally Linda and Robert are staying at the same hotel. Robert does not want to celebrate Christmas as his mother died on Christmas day the year before.

LIke the rest of the series. The episode is basically David trying to spend time with Linda while Amy is rightly suspicious. It is obvious David and Linda set up to be at the same hotel at the same time.

David has James Bond type reveries or just thinking he is the Milk Tray man. It was there to pad out the episode.

The centrepiece is Amy throws a part for fellow guests in their room but the guests prefer to be at the party thrown by the aristocratic Stoneleigh-Jackson's.

The only surprise was Robert finally showing his softer and tender side but it is to Amy after the party. It would had been a better ending if both of them run away together and left their insufferable spouses behind.

Trivia
This final edition scored unusually low ratings by the standards of the series.

Shown directly opposite L'affaire Protheroe (1986), which was 15th in the charts with 13.29 million viewers, Duty Free sank to 22nd place with 12.65 million tuning in.

The success of Miss Marple against Duty Free cannot perhaps be attributed directly to the programme itself, but the scheduled shows either side of it on BBC1 - A Royal Flush (1986), which was 3rd in the charts with 18.76 million, and EastEnders (1985), which topped the charts with over 27 million viewers.