TOWIE Christmas special returning in 2024 after being cancelled for two years

Get ready for some festive drama, Essex style! The Only Way Is Essex, which is now into its 34th series, is gearing up to treat fans with a movie-length Christmas special. After a two-year hiatus, The Only Way Is Essexmas is reportedly making a comeback on ITVBe in 2024, promising a full 90 minutes of glitz, glam, and maybe even a few tiffs under the mistletoe.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "The latest series of 'TOWIE' has been a huge hit and there has been a lot of drama. It made sense to bring back the Christmas special." Last year Ella-Rae Wise confirmed during a fan Q&A on her socials that a festive special wasn't in the schedules, for the second year in a row. In response to a question from a follower about whether she was set to film anything, she said: "Unfortunately not this year."

But this weekend the Sun quoted a source saying: "It's a movie-length episode and fans can expect some real festive fun, romance and probably a few feuds."

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Despite the last TOWIE Christmas special airing back in 2021, it was sadly scrapped in 2022, reportedly because of "budget" woes. A show insider told The Sun at the time: "The cast were floored by the news as 'TOWIE's Christmas specials are something of a tradition, so none of them were expecting to not be filming this time round.

"They were all told that the scheduling didn't work out and the budget is being spent on other things, but it's left them all feeling really nervous about the future for the show."

At the time, the source also expressed concerns over the implications for the series, saying, "It's not a good sign for the series in general if bosses have decided it doesn't make financial sense to film the celebratory one-off."

Moreover, the absence of the Christmas special hits home for the cast, as the source noted, "Many of them rely on the Christmas special for additional work, and also because it helps maintain their profile as the regular show doesn't air as frequently throughout the year anymore."