It’s a very happy New Year from the Unlikely Friends — and absolutely nothing has changed. Plucking straight from your favourite pineapple, the gang dive headfirst into spirited debates about animals, tattoos, and the soundtrack to their own lives.

Emma and Jade shock Jill and Leigh by admitting they’re not fans of chihuahuas (brace yourselves), while Leigh reveals he’s basically suspicious of… all animals. From there, things get even weirder as the group swaps tattoo stories — what they’ve got, what they’ve inked on others, and what Leigh might get one day… despite being terrified of needles, skin, and probably commitment.

To top it all off, everyone picks their Theme Song for Life, and Jill’s choice is one you won’t see coming.

New year. Same friends. Same beautifully unhinged energy. 🍍

This week on Unlikely Friends, we’re celebrating that magical in-between time after Christmas and before New Year with a brilliant festive special — and a very special celebrity guest.

The wonderful Simon Rimmer joins us with a handful of questions designed to spark stories, laughter and a little friendly debate. He asks which part of the Christmas dinner you would happily “can” (as in get rid of forever), and invites everyone to share their favourite songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

What follows is a joyful mix of festive food opinions, musical nostalgia and unexpected memories, as we travel from classic Christmas plates to timeless tracks across three iconic decades.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and Unlikely Friends is getting fully festive 🎄

Welcome to the Unlikely Friends Christmas Special, packed with chaos, crackers and Christmas nonsense. There’s a Secret Santa exchange that genuinely does not disappoint, Leigh turns up with some top-tier merch, and Jade and Emma somehow convince Jill to voluntarily have fake poo lobbed at her head (yes, really).

The Christmas crackers are stuffed with your festive topics and suggestions, along with some truly awful Christmas cracker jokes — expertly (and painfully) delivered by Emma. As ever, the chat wanders merrily off course, with detours into favourite meats, first Christmas memories, and a little forward planning for Emma’s 50th next year.

It’s festive, it’s ridiculous, and it’s exactly the kind of Christmas catch-up you’d expect from four friends who can’t stay on topic for more than 30 seconds. Pop the kettle on, grab a mince pie, and enjoy. 🎁✨