Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

This time, in a special festive edition, Tim, Bob Fischer and Georgy Jamieson are all crowding into a paper chain-strewn local radio studio ready to take your calls and chat about some of the signs that Christmas was coming that you just don't seem to get any more. So that's Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson being used to back every single local news feature, School Christmas Fairs, weird decorations that were still in use long past their cultural sell-by date, Advent Calendars with no chocolate but plenty of pictures of Shepherds sort of leaning sideways a bit, the toy pages in 'The Catalogue', the bitter rivalry between the Christmas double issues of Radio Times and TV Times, Channel 4 flinging out angular festive fare like Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, festive replacements for the BBC Globe, The Middlesborough Methodist Tableau and much more besides. In a crammed Christmas Cracker of chat we'll be debating the physics of those big televisions with shutters on them, stressing the need for a Loose Cannon reconstruction of Bob's drawing of a Lord 'a'Leaping', attempting to beat Carol Vorderman at Yuletide Maths, deploring the steady stream of one-shoed shoplifters hopping out of Bobby Cannon's, refuting any and every suggestion that clowns have any business being anywhere near anything to do with Christmas, exploring the financial potential of an Advent Calendar with Willie Rushton behind every single door and querying the value of using Rentaghost as a sort of all-purpose philosophical yardstick. Call in and donate some 'Canned Goods' now!

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. Bob and Georgy joined me for a similarly seasonal chat about the rain-lashed joys of the Great British Summertime here. You can also find Bob on Looks Unfamiliar chatting about The Tom O’Connor Roadshow, Giant Hogweed, Can’t Get A Ticket (For The World Cup) by Peter Dean, Glee Bars, J. Edward Oliver’s ‘Abolish Tuesdays’ and How To Be A Wally here, Eighties ‘Tabloid Celebrities’, Accidentally Kelly Street by Frente!, The Two Ronnies’ ‘Mileaway’, Rude Food, Suggs On Saturday and School Folk Songs here and Tucker’s Luck, Pookiesnackenburger, We Wanna Be Famous by Buster Gobsmack And Eats Filth’, game show contestants’ occupations being booed by the studio audience and the lost ancient art of the paper plate and shaving foam Custard Pie here, and Georgy on Indoor League, Re-Joyce!, the The Animals In The Box sketch, the Paul Squire Fan Club, Pippa Dolls, Pig In The Middle and Good Winter Telly here and Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, Go For Broke!, Last Chance Lottery, Fry’s Five Centres and Vesta Ready Meals here. You can also find Georgy on The Golden Age Of Children's TV talking about Bod here and Bob on The Owl Service here.

If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. If the 'Chocolate Train' calls at your stop you get a Mocha. Sorry, it's the rules.