[1] The special featured a spoof documentary titled Beyond The Marigolds,[2] in which Wood's long-time collaborator Julie Walters reprised her role as "Bo Beaumont", the actress behind Acorn Antiques character "Mrs.

The sketch included special guest appearances from Delia Smith, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and Anton du Beke.

[3] Sylvestra Le Touzel, Dorothy Atkinson, Marcia Warren, Harriet Thorpe, Jason Watkins, Reece Shearsmith, Richard Lintern and Lorraine Ashbourne also had roles.

Also featured in Mid Life Christmas was The Mid Life Olympics 2009, a series of sketches that include events such as the "4 by 400 Hedge Trimming" and "Ladies Outdoor Parking", featuring Wood and Bob Cryer as the presenters.

[2] The programme achieved a total viewing audience of 7.45 million viewers and was the 12th highest rated show on BBC One and the 17th highest rated across all channels for the week ending 27 December 2009.