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1* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In the Swiss version of the sketch, one could get the impression that Miss Sophie is so demented that she actually thinks her guests are present. In the German version, however, she seems to realize that it's all make-believe.[[note]]This is particularly clear during James' impersonations of Admiral von Schneider; in the German version, a clearly reluctant James first asks Miss Sophie if he really has to play the admiral, to which she insists he has in order to please her, thus indirectly acknowledging the truth of the situation. In the Swiss version, James never asks this and immediately gets into character.[[/note]]
2* AmericansHateTingle: Until New Year's Eve 2018, the sketch was never broadcast on British TV, and despite being inextricably associated with Britain by Germans, is almost unknown there. Once, a documentary about Germany showed it to a British TV audience, who unanimously thought it was pitiful stuff. That said, when it is mentioned in UK media, it is usually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u7ThYBMnIo#t=1374 met with]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j9wF31jUCM intrigue.]]
3* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
4** Germans Love Freddie Frinton. However, the feeling was never mutual. Frinton hated Germans, and was initially very reluctant to perform his trademark sketch for German television, and refused to do so in German language. The sketch itself is broadcasted on TV by multiple channels on December 31st every year. Watching that particular sketch has become a New Year's Eve tradition in Germany. It's even one of the rare media that isn't even dubbed for German audience but is broadcast in it's original language.
5** It's also highly beloved in Norway, where it's shown on the evening of December 23rd. One year, the channel broadcasting it mistakenly aired it a few minutes before it was supposed to, leading to many people flipping the channel on while the sketch was already halfway through. This upset the Norwegians so much numerous angry calls to the channel were made, and they had to air it one more time that evening.
6** The Danish broadcaster has shown it every year since 1968, with one exception in 1985, when the TV directors decided to try something new. The resulting deluge of phonecalls protesting its omission was enough to change their mind.
7* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Due to Miss Sophie's age, she has outlived all of her friends. Instead of resigning herself to sorrow and loneliness, she has her equally aged manservant, James, make his way around the table, impersonating each of the guests in turn. Thereby keeping the memory of them alive.
8* HilariousInHindsight: The lines "Same procedure as last year"/"The same procedure as every year" is a perfect example of this trope, since the sketch has been shown every year for decades in Germany and several other European countries.
9* MyRealDaddy: Freddie Frinton, so very much. He didn't write the original sketch, but added a lot of the gags and slapstick that made it memorable. And he was the one most famous for performing it, even before it was recorded for TV.
10* {{Squick}}:
11** At the end of the final toast, James is so drunk he inadvertently grabs the vase of flowers instead of his glass and drinks the water inside. He then looks visibly disgusted and remarks how he's going to "kill that cat". No points for guessing [[UrineTrouble what else]] [[IAteWhat was in that vase]] besides water...
12** The sketch ends with the heavy implication that Miss Sophie and James are going upstairs to have sex.
13* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Let's just say the colorized version wasn't too well-received, and there's a reason why it's black-and-white again.

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