The Snowman: Sussex landmarks that feature in Christmas film

The Channel 4 film, which has been broadcast every Christmas since 1982, follows the story of a little boy who embarks upon a magical adventure with a snowman he created in his garden.

The Bafta Award-winning animated short is based on a picture book of the same name by author Raymond Briggs, who died last year at the age of 88.

Eagle-eyed viewers will spot that the boy’s home appears to be somewhere in the South Downs, close to where Raymond Briggs and the film’s composer, Howard Blake, both lived.

During a scene where the boy and The Snowman fly through the air, the pair can be seen passing over field after field of the national park, before flying past a snow-capped Royal Pavilion and the Palace Pier.

The Royal Pavilion, as it appears in The Snowman (Image: Snowman Enterprises Ltd/Channel 4)

The film’s original introduction featured Raymond Briggs walking through a field and describing his inspiration for the picture book.

He said: “I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and, in the morning, I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness.

“It was a magical day, and it was on that day I made The Snowman.”

The Snowman will be shown on Channel 4 at 12.15pm on Christmas Day.

A sequel, The Snowman And The Snowdog, was released in 2012 to mark the 30th anniversary of the original film and will also be shown on Channel 4 on Christmas Day at 1.25pm.

The two films are among the television station’s festive traditions, along with its annual Alternative Christmas Message.

The broadcast, first aired in 1993 and meant as a humorous and sometimes serious alternative to the traditional Christmas message by the monarch, has previously featured Tom Daley, Danny Dyer and Marge Simpson.

This year’s message will be delivered by Stephen Fry with a plea to everyone to recognise and call out antisemitism.