Noel's Christmas Presents



Noel's Christmas Presents is a TV show that has run since 1994, presented by Noel Edmonds, and is known for its heartwarming moments, giving gifts to those who help others either in a voluntary capacity, for charity, or have suffered illness/bereavement or are in dire straits financially.

An annual fixture on the British schedule, it takes the Very Special Episode concept Up to Eleven and went on hiatus temporarily, returning to Sky 1 in 2007, and now it's about to Channel Hop again, although production company Twofour have not yet said which channel it will move to, but speculation is rife it will be on Channel 5, since Sky are ending their contract now to broadcast it.

This show, like Top Gear and Phineas and Ferb is Trope Overdosed.


 * A Day in the Limelight: This show gives people a day in the limelight.
 * An Aesop: At Christmas, there is always someone much needier than you or has suffered worse.
 * There's a load of aesops that could be applied to this show..
 * ""It's ok to want something, but you should be patient instead of expecting to get something right away"
 * Androcles' Lion: A possible Trope Codifier for this show.
 * Anonymous Benefactor: This is zig-zagged, until The Reveal that it's Noel at the end of the footage.
 * Assumed Win: To much embarrassment, obviously.
 * Batman Gambit: And just how many times has this been pulled?
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: And how! But in a good way, so an Inverted Trope.
 * Bottle Episode: As of the 2007 Retool /uncancellation, it is nothing but bottle episodes.
 * The Boxing Episode: In 2010, this series covered Gordon and Suzanne Haigh, who ran a boxing centre for children in Hull. It's here on YouTube, for those interested. More like a boxing section.
 * Broken Aesop: See the Karmic Jackpot section below.
 * Possibly a Justified Trope in some circumstances on this show.
 * Camp: Well, for Christmas 1996, and 1998 to a lesser extent, anyway... and worth watching on YouTube just for this reason. The level of campness varies, but it gives Lady Gaga a run for her money (well, the stage shows anyway).
 * Channel Hop: From BBC One, to Sky1 in 2007, and now on the move again, according to TwoFour, their production company. Word of God confirms this.
 * Charity Ball: Played straight and subverted in equal measure - the ball aspect, that is.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Something in each story featured on the show is this.
 * Christmas Episode: Fairly obviously, given the Title Drop.
 * Christmas Miracle: For every individual ever featured on the show.
 * Colbert Bump: For Hyundai, anyway. The Hyundai i800 got a slight popularity boost after the show, well, with the minibus market anyway.
 * Companion Show: Noel's Christmas Presents Re-opened, a Where Are They Now? Epilogue.
 * Continuity Reboot: From 2007 the Title Sequence and theme music changed, and it became studio-bound; contrast it with The BBC era of location filming and "shaky-cam" effect, unlike the new HD-esque film from 2007 onwards.
 * Contrived Coincidence: Much like Frasier, it 'relies' on this.
 * Darker and Edgier: From 2007 onwards, when it appeared on Sky1, the focus became more about the Backstory of the individual. As of 2011, it became even more darker and ediger.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: Precisely the show's USP (unique selling point).
 * Friend in the Black Market: Not really the black market per se, so an Inverted Trope.
 * Gambit Roulette: . It's also how some individuals try to "get" stuff for people by appearing on this show.
 * Genre Savvy: On this show, it's unavoidable (well, since the Retool of 2007). At least at participant level, anyway.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Well, almost anyway. Not so much in a bad way, anyway.
 * Although, to be honest, since 2007, it sometimes tries to do so since the Retool.
 * The Greatest Story Never Told: This is one of the defining features of the show.
 * Honest John's Dealership:
 * Hospitality for Heroes: This is the British Trope Codifier for this trope.
 * I Just Want to Be Special: Unintentional consequence from the 2007 series.
 * I Wish It Were Real: In a good way, this happens, given the show's nature.
 * Jerkass Facade: Noel can put this on with the best of them.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Some of the individuals arguably fall into this trap, well, since 2007 anyway.
 * Karmic Jackpot: For the recipients anyway, since they don't know about the nomination, but a possibility of Broken Aesop comes into play; where the possibility of a great reward undermines the lesson about selfless actions.
 * Keep Circulating the Tapes: You can't get this on DVD, well, unless you are a participant in the show, but it hasn't stopped torrent sites from supplying this show and various YouTube uploads every year/week.
 * Lampshade Hanging: Sometimes in the show.
 * Limelight Series: This show is a possible Trope Codifier for this.
 * Littlest Cancer Patient: More than one, and Lampshaded in the 2008 episode. Also, Andrea Thompson, who is well-known in North-East England for her fundraising for these.
 * Lower Deck Episode: A whole anthology's worth of them!
 * Long Runner: It's been around since at least 1989, so 23 years on air.
 * Meaningful Name: Noel Edmonds, on a Christmas show.
 * Misery Builds Character: This show treats it as An Aesop, or at least in that sense, anyway.
 * Missing Episode: Not so much an episode, but allegedly a missing scene of a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown (if showbiz gossip sites would have you believe anyway).
 * Mistaken for Evidence: A frequently Invoked Trope from 2008 onwards.
 * Mistaken for Special Guest: This is an Invoked Trope in the show.
 * Mundane Luxury: Certainly, some things are to the individuals on this show, seen in the 1995 and 2007, 2009 and 2010 episodes.
 * Noodle Incident: Since 2007, this trope has become a Tropes of Legend in-show, as some incidents that happened off-screen have been mentioned frequently.
 * No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: Invoked by fundraisers on the show, unintentionally.
 * Not So Different: This is what most of the participants will tell you, Word of God confirms this.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Seems to be part of the show anyway.
 * Opinion-Changing Dream: Part of the show's USP (Unique selling point).
 * Pixellation: Discussed at en.allexperts.com, but in the end averted (for now).
 * Product Placement: Well, from 2007 onwards. Although, as of 2011, Ofcom now permits this.
 * Reality Subtext: Common to every story on the show. And this show is a Trope Codifier for it.
 * Reality TV: OK, so it's hardly Laguna Beach, but it's a crossover with a documentary-style too.
 * Reality TV Show Mansion: Do the theatres used since the 2007 Retool count as one?
 * Refuge in Audacity: That doesn't even begin to describe this show, and . Not to mention the fact of how some people will nominate others.
 * Retool: From 2007 the Title Sequence and theme music changed, and it became studio-bound; contrast it with The BBC era of location filming and "shaky-cam" effect, unlike the new HD-esque film from 2007 onwards.
 * Santa Claus: If you needed proof this was an Omnipresent Trope, this is it.
 * Surprise Santa Encounter: Not literally, but metaphorical.
 * Sweet and Sour Grapes
 * Tall Poppy Syndrome: Averted big-time.
 * The Hero's Journey: Not quite in the way defined by the trope page, but rather everyman heroes, and people with serious illnesses.
 * The Infiltration: Played for laughs with Noel's disguises - when he uses them.
 * The Mean Brit: Noel Edmonds, but this is Enforced Method Acting, making it a Jerkass Facade.
 * This Is Sparta: More so, from 2007 onwards, anyway.
 * True Companions: This show has proved it in many ways over the years.
 * Undermined by Reality: Not so much for Noel Edmonds, but rather the "Normal People" (i.e. not celebrities) on the show.
 * Very Special Episode: This series is a show that thrives on this trope since it highlights society's less privileged or dedicated individuals.
 * Wanting Is Better Than Having: This is inverted and Lampshaded by the individuals.
 * Wham! Episode: It certainly is for the participants and their nominators.
 * Where Are They Now? Epilogue: covered by the Companion Show Noel's Christmas Presents Unwrapped.