Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham to Lead Apple TV+ Christmas Special
Two years after the Emmy-winning Ted Lasso debuted its own Christmas episode, one of the show's biggest stars will be leading a holiday special of her own. Hannah Waddingham, who won her own Emmy for her portrayal of Richmond owner Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso, is working with Apple TV+ on a Christmas concert special this year that she will headline.
Apple announced on Thursday that Waddingham will take the stage for Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, which will debut on the streaming service this holiday season. The special will be recorded in front of a live audience at the London Coliseum before being released to audiences around the world.
According to Apple's announcement, the special will "deliver a captivating night to remember, featuring dazzling performances and musical numbers from the Olivier-nominated actress, as well as surprise guests."
Waddingham will be performing "festive classics" during the special, accompanied by a live band. There will be guest performers, as Apple indicated in the press release, but there have been no announcements regarding who they will be. A release date for the special will be announced at a later time.
The actress has become almost as well-known for her singing voice as her acting talents, thanks in large part to a couple performances on Ted Lasso. She also sang "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) alongside Michael Bublé during NBC's holiday special in 2021.
Is Ted Lasso Ending With Season 3?
Waddingham has become a household name around the globe because of her role in Ted Lasso, and fans are anxiously waiting to find out if the series will continue past its current third season. To this point, the creative team has maintained that the story was only designed to last three seasons.
"This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell," co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis told Deadline ahead of the Season 3 premiere. "The fact that folks will want more and are curious beyond more than what they don't even know yet-that being Season 3-it's flattering. Maybe by May 31, once all 12 episodes of the season [have been released], they're like, 'Man, you know what, we get it, we're fine. We don't need anymore, we got it.' But until that time comes, I will appreciate the curiosity beyond what we've come up with so far."