In December 1994, Hugh and Stephen were tapped to revive an old variety show, A Christmas Night With the Stars, which had not been seen for about twenty years. Their guests included many top comedy acts such as Rab C. Nesbitt, Reeves and Mortimer, Alan Partridge and Alexei Sayle. Footage of old Christmas Night broadcasts was interspersed with the new material. The critical consensus was that the old-fashioned format was really unsuited to the postmodern, ironic tone set by the producers and carried through by hosts and performers, resulting in an uneven program at best.