So here’s the thing; an American corporation ruined a Christmas classic.

Strong words, I know, but hear me out.

If you live in the UK, you may already be familiar with Raymond Briggs' 'Father Christmas' books from the 1970s and the wonderful cartoon adaptation produced in 1991 by TVS, the award winning producers of 'The Snowman'.

A Christmas Classic

I can still remember having the first book read to me by my grandfather as a child, and warming to this particularly human and identifiable characterisation of Father Christmas. There was none of the excess of American portrayals - no North Pole Christmas village, no elves and ridiculous toy factories, no sickly schmaltz - but a human, humorous character that just happened to magically travel the world every Christmas Eve delivering presents.

The charm of this Father Christmas was the particularly English grumpiness and cynicism Briggs' gave to the character. No one, not even someone as magical and mythical as Father Christmas, could possibly be as sickeningly cheerful and upbeat all the time. Briggs' character experienced the frustrations of trying to live up to his reputation whilst dealing with the same daily chores as each of us.

The charm came from seeing that Father Christmas still had the same day-to-day lifestyle as the rest of us. Whether it is putting his suit into the dry-cleaners or dealing with the postman over his mail, Father Christmas was one of us - a recognisable character - which only added to his magic.

I can still remember my grandfather laughing aloud at the revelation that Father Christmas packed his sandwiches in an old Oxo tin, exactly as he did for years. Tending his own garden, making his own dinner, packing his own sleigh; Father Christmas was one of us. He just happened to have a more interesting job.

The Cartoon Adaptation

In transferring Briggs' character to the cartoon, TVS retained the characterisation brilliantly, especially by employing Mel Smith as the voice. The grumpy, ordinary Father Christmas came to life for all of us who remembered the books. This was the scotch drinking, 'bloomin' Father Christmas of my childhood, finally given voice.

Just recently, I managed to get this cartoon on DVD. I convinced my partner to watch it, after having just watched the other Briggs' adaptation, 'The Snowman'.

I was stunned.

This wasn't the Father Christmas I remembered. The voice had been rerecorded by William Dennis Hunt and the dialogue altered in such a way as to make Briggs' character completely unrecognisable. The language had been toned down to remove the 'bloomin' expletives. He was no longer critical of French cuisine, instead now reveling in what was on offer. Most notably, his monologue as he goes through his own Christmas presents has been changed. No longer does he bemoan the ghastly socks and awful tie from his aunts, reflecting a very real-world attitude to Christmas morning presents. These are now spoken of as wonderful items from his elves - otherwise completely non-existent. And, laughably, the bottle of scotch from his uncle is passed off in the American version as a lifetime supply of after-shave!

So Americans aren't only uncomfortable with Father Christmas being grumpy, he's also not allowed to drink! Hardly a Merry Christmas!

The Corporate Sanitation of Father Christmas

I contacted TVS to get some background for why this voice-over change happened. Alex Tham was happy to fill me in.

"It was completely watered down for the US market at the request of Sony Pictures, (then Columbia Tri-Star). They removed any reference to wine, bloomin' etc etc", writes Alex. "And in fact I still get emails from American saying that it’s tantamount to blasphemy even in the watered down state!"

Something tells me the Americans just don’t 'get it'. The magic of Father Christmas isn't in the plastic candy canes and bizarre Coca-Cola mythology that dominates Christmas films these days. ('Fred Claus' and 'Elf' - I'm looking at you!). The magic of Christmas is much warmer than the schmaltz that passes for Christmas spirit in modern American popular culture.

I've written elsewhere on the differences between the Americanised Santa Claus and the British Father Christmas, but these two different versions go some way to illustrating the different ways Americans and British view their Christmas figures.

Santa Claus Vs Father Christmas

The American version of Santa Claus, that eventually travelled the world and became entwined with the European Father Christmas, was largely determined by 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Moore and published in 1822. Many of the traditions we associate with Santa Claus or Father Christmas originate in this poem and to do it justice, it will be the subject of a future post.

The irony is that Moore's depiction of Santa is closer to the human character later depicted by Briggs' (he's a smoker for a start) and contains none of the candy cane North Pole mythology that Briggs' also avoided. In fact, Briggs' Father Christmas seems to have taken only the elements of the Santa Claus myth that appear in Moore's poem. (The reindeer and sleigh, the chimney visitations.)

Of course, many of the American objections are probably more to do with Father Christmas being grumpy instead of a constantly 'ho ho ho-ing' department store window decoration. But then, why would we want to read or watch a character with so little depth? We wouldn't. It is this depth that made the original books a best selling classic.

It's just a shame that the American audience try to avoid depth in their Christmas entertainment or complain when it is shown. Tim Allen transforming into Santa Claus is considered a proper Christmas depiction, but a book that reflects real attitudes to Christmas in a recognisable world is dismissed as blasphemy.

If you can, find the Mel Smith original version and watch it with your children on Christmas Eve. You won't be disappointed. And you may even have a chuckle along the way.