Badjelly's Bad Christmas was a musical created and performed by the Chickenshed Theatre Company, based on the works of Spike Milligan.
The show follows the journey of two arguing sisters, Kate and Laura, who go to visit their Grandad for Christmas after they push their mother to the verge of mental breakdown.
When they arrive at their Grandad's house they realise that he has a new girlfriend; his own wife died two years previously.
This is then followed by "Walking Backwards for Christmas" again, this time not cut off, in which Kate and Laura travel by train to Grandad's house.
At the end of the song they attempt to kiss, but they're interrupted by Kate asking if Grandad will show her his magic baubles.
Grandad initially refuses to believe her, until she pours the smashed remains of the outer shell of the bauble onto the floor.
[3] Grandad reveals that The Land of the Bumbly Boo is in fact, real, and it is based on the five baubles that he owns.
He thinks that Badjelly has stolen the baubles, which she will put on her Christmas tree and as she said, turn the Land of the Bumbly Boo evil.
ten and a half feet across the lounge, before Grandad says they're in the Land of the Bumbly Boo, which confuses Laura and Kate because they don't appear to have moved very far at all.
After several unsuccessful attempts, they give up, and Grandad and Sir Nobonk tell King Twytt about the situation they're in.
Grandad, Kate, Laura, Sir Nobonk and King Twytt arrive at The Werkling's Factory (aka The Ning Nang Nong), which has many Werkers, creatures which are part machine.
In the end there is no clear winner, but Wobble, Ice Cream and Badjelly succeed in kidnapping Kate.
Sir Nobonk accidentally thinks it's the end of the show, and says goodbye to the audience and gives them instructions for what to do as they leave (flirting with several of them as he does so) in the song "The Party's Over".
He asks Kate what she wants to with the baubles, to which she replies that she wants to crush honour, laughter, bravery, and wit in her hand.
Grandad claims that Badjelly tried to kill Sir Nobonk in the duel, so the judge says they should have a joust to settle the argument.
This is met by cheering from the jurors, but then the Conkerer decides that they will have a hip hopera, a rap battle of nonsense.
This knocks out Sir Nobonk, King Twytt and The Werkling, and Wobble, Ice Cream and Badjelly are convinced they've won.
However, slowly King Twytt comes round and gives the microphone to The Werkling, who is terrified as he has never performed a nonsense rap in his life.
However, Badjelly, Wobble and Ice Cream refuse to accept the decision, and storm off with Kate, yelling that they'll get their way.
Enraged by the failure of her evil plan, Badjelly shouts "Smelly poo to all of you", which everyone, including Queen Twytt, finds hilarious.
Sir Nobonk, while handing The Conkerer a towel, says it's just a bit of fun, and Badjelly realises that she can be funny instead of mean.
Suddenly, the train from the Land of the Bumbly Boo to reality comes, and Grandad, Kate and Laura go home.
[8][better source needed] Every performance of Badjelly's Bad Christmas had sign language fully integrated.
The Stage magazine said "The nonsense of Spike Milligan meets the madness of Chickenshed and the results are suitably deranged".
However, they also said "A little more fire in its bad belly in the first half and a little less from the band – in danger of drowning out those hilarious lyrics – and I'm sure Milligan will be dancing and blowing raspberries from the wings.
and commented on the energy of the cast, "It's fun, it's bursting with imagination, and the cast gives more energy in one single show than half of the shows I saw last year put together", the staging "Where Badjelly really excels is the continual revealing of new devices, characters, and methods of presenting the story to the audience", and the signers "The on-stage signing ... was excellently presented to be part of the action".
[11] There was a fantastic audience response to Badjelly's Bad Christmas, so much so many of the nights were sold out before the run of the show began, and even on a day when all the roads in the area were iced over, making it dangerous to drive, both performances (the matinee and evening performance) received reasonably large audiences.
[12] One blogger said " The rap battle scene has the audience in fits of laughter and the directing of Louise Perry and Mary Ward should be congratulated, as the stage is buzzing with energy."
She too commented on the signers, saying "They dance, act and sign the show for any audience members who may be deaf or hard of hearing.
The fixed cast is made up of adults who perform with Chickenshed for a living, usually referred to as the professional company.