 The first New Year special , " The Man who Nearly Knew Pavarotti " , was commissioned in 1994 . The hour @-@ long show was broadcast on 1 January 1995 and featured Norman Wisdom as a piano player who had lost the confidence to play . A second New Year programme was produced and broadcast in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium . It featured the second guest appearance by Keith Clifford and a guest appearance by Dora Bryan . Titled " Last Post and Pigeon " , the show ran for sixty minutes and dealt with the trio 's pilgrimage to visit World War II graves in France . Part of this special was shot on location in France . A third New Year show , titled " I Was a Hitman for Primrose Dairies " , was broadcast on 31 December 2008 and introduced Hobbo and the new trio he formed with Entwistle and Alvin . 
