Polly Weeks talks to Geordie Robson Green and Teessider Mark Benton about bringing back festive rivals Colin and Howie.

FORGET peace on Earth and goodwill to all man – it seems that people want to see a bit of oldfashioned oneupmanship and rivalry on TV during the festive season. That was certainly the case when Robson Green and Mark Benton played Colin and Howie, two lifelong friends battling to have the best Christmas lights display, in the 2004 comedy drama, Christmas Lights.

More than 13 million people tuned in to the ITV show – making all concerned realise that they were on to a good thing.

Green, now 43, still remembers that golden moment.

“Nigel Pickard, who was head of ITV, called me up and said ‘where are you?’ I said; ’I’m going to the gym’. He replied ‘Don’t. Turn around, go to an off-licence, buy the biggest bottle of champagne you can buy, drink it all and I’ll pay for it – we got 13 million viewers.’ “It was wonderful.”

That success led to the Northern Lights series in 2006, followed by City Lights in 2007.

This year Colin and Howie are back in a two-hour Christmas special, Clash Of The Santas, which sees the bickering buddies travel to Lithuania.

“In terms of how the relationships have developed, Pauline and Howie don’t live together any more and Howie is lodging with Colin, so immediately there is this certain burden element,” Green explains. “Through an act of fate, Howie is asked to represent England in the world’s Santa Claus competition and I can only play his elf.”

As we’ve come to expect from Colin and Howie’s adventures, there is plenty of jealousy, arguments and slapstick comedy throughout the episode.

“It’s Christmas seen through the eyes of two 40-year-old children,” Green says.

Benton, 43, says he hopes viewers will enjoy the show in the spirit that it was made.

“When people watch this they should put their cynicism aside because I think it’s easy to be a cynic,” he says.

“We’ve made a Christmas show and it’s easy to knock things, but it’s for children, grandparents, parents – hopefully everybody – and it’s made with a view to make you cry, laugh and have a lovely evening.”

The pair says they are prepared for Clash Of The Santas to be panned by critics, but they’re not bothered by the prospect.

“It’s a wide-eyed adventure and we make no apologies that there is slapstick in there, moments of really puerile comedy from me and Robson, but I think that’s what a lot of people want to see,” Benton says.

“If you talk to my mum, she doesn’t want to see something on BBC Three that gets fantastic critical reaction, but no one watches. I guess what I’m saying is: what’s wrong with the mainstream?”

While Colin and Howie travel to Lithuania in the show, filming actually took place in the Peak District in June. Snow has been added thanks to computer trickery.

“Seeing it with snow, it suddenly takes on a new character,” Benton says.

“It’s always difficult when you’re doing Christmas things in the middle of the year as you always have people saying what are you doing that for? But it looks amazing.”

Filming Christmas scenes in June also left onlookers confused. Benton chuckles as he remembers a conversation he had with a passer-by.

“There was one point where there was about 45 Santas all sitting in a row between shots and this guy came out with his mobile phone taking photos of all the Santas. He turned around and said ’so when’s this going out then?’”

Both Green and Benton will be spending Christmas with their families – and admit they share their characters’ passion for the festive season.

“Taylor, my eight-year-old son, adores everything about Christmas,” Green says.

“The one thing he hasn’t seen yet though, which I’m slightly gutted by because I have, is snow. When I was a kid my best Christmas was when I got a Chopper bike and it was also snowing. I just put the two together and thought ‘my God it snows on Christmas Day’, so every Christmas I thought it was going to snow.

“Taylor’s not seen that, but my step-daughter who’s 21 has seen a few white Christmases and she’s loving it with her brother – putting the tree up, sorting the decorations out.

Then you sit there with all the family around, which really is terrific.”

■ Clash Of The Santas, ITV1, Sunday December 21, 9pm.