Germany's television New Year's Eve comedy sketch tradition is called “Dinner for One.”
The short English-language sketch features an elderly woman, Miss Sophie, celebrating her 90th birthday with a formal dinner. Her four invited guests are absent, so her butler, James, serves the meal and imitates each guest while repeatedly drinking their toasts. The recurring line “The same procedure as every year” became especially recognizable.
The sketch was recorded for German television in 1963, with Freddie Frinton as James and May Warden as Miss Sophie. It became a regular New Year's Eve broadcast in Germany and several other European countries.
Despite its fame in German-speaking Europe, “Dinner for One” is relatively obscure in the United Kingdom, even though the performers and dialogue are English. Its New Year's connection comes from its annual scheduling, not from the plot taking place on New Year's Eve.