Dinner for One is the English-language television play that became a German New Year’s Eve tradition.
The sketch, written by British author Lauri Wylie, centers on Miss Sophie’s 90th birthday dinner. Her four invited male guests have died, so her butler, James, serves the meal and impersonates each guest while repeatedly drinking their toasts. The recurring line “The same procedure as every year” became closely associated with the broadcast.
German television recorded the performance in 1963 with British actors Freddie Frinton and May Warden. It became an annual New Year’s Eve broadcast in Germany and other northern European countries. The unusual cultural fact is that the sketch was not originally famous in Britain, while it became a major seasonal tradition in German-speaking media.
The play is often mistakenly described as a German production because of its popularity there. Its language and performers are English, but its broadcast tradition is especially German. Several countries show it on December 31 or January 1, sometimes with local introductions or subtitles.