Channel 4's lovely Christmas special Old People's Home for Four Year Olds left viewers in tears on Monday night.

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The documentary took a group of pre-school children and moved their nursery to an old people's home, uniting the generations in a special experiment organised in partnership with Age UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFY6QwI-FLA

The series first aired six months ago, but young and old reunited again for a special Christmas carol concert, before everyone went outside to play together in the snow.

https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/942852488884916224

In one scene, 89-year-old Hamish delivered a speech about what it feels like to be lonely as an older person at Christmas.

"As we approach Christmas, there's little doubt that loneliness, which grips your heart at all times, becomes far more acute when you look around and see everyone else enjoying themselves, meeting up with different people for parties – and here you are stuck on your own," he said.

https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/942877069024702464

"It is extremely sad," he continued. "Loneliness can be relieved if we go out of our way to try and meet people, and bring a little joy to their lives."

Judging by the reaction online, it's safe to say the message hit home, with celebrity fans including Doctor Who star John Barrowman and One Direction's Louis Tomlinson just two of the people left in tears by the end of the episode.

https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/942870660870823942

"Channel 4 I hate you right now – but in a good way," Barrowman said. 'These stories are just too much, but if you're watching this you'll know what I mean."

https://twitter.com/Louis_Tomlinson/status/942873481498243073

https://twitter.com/Joeysinc/status/942872003157135360

https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/942877818811162624

https://twitter.com/burgylane/status/942866678655877120

https://twitter.com/rebecca_mowbray/status/943050304139829248

The episode is now available to watch on All4, and if you want to find out more about the experiment or how you can help, go to the Age UK website.

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https://twitter.com/age_uk/status/942870412916125697

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Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

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An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

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Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

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