The German New Year's Eve television sketch broadcast as a yearly tradition since 1972 is “Dinner for One.”
The short English-language comedy features an elderly woman, Miss Sophie, celebrating her ninetieth birthday with an elaborate dinner. Because her invited guests have died, her butler, James, impersonates each one and repeatedly drinks the guests' toasts. The recurring line “The same procedure as every year” became closely associated with the sketch.
German television first broadcast the recording in 1963, but it became a major New Year's Eve tradition after repeated scheduling and later broadcasts. The program is unusual because it is in English even though it became especially famous in German-speaking countries.
The sketch was originally performed on the British stage by Freddie Frinton and May Warden. It is not a German production in language or original cast, and it should not be confused with a feature film. Its annual broadcast is particularly entrenched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and several Nordic countries.