Hannah Waddingham Praises “Ted Lasso” Costar and 'Greatest Champion' Jason Sudeikis: 'Big Kiss to Him' (Exclusive)

Waddingham gushed about her friendship with Sudeikis to PEOPLE and shared why they are "great pals" who "celebrate each other wholly"

Hannah Waddingham is revealing how she roped her former costar and pal Jason Sudeikis into spreading some Christmas cheer in her festive special.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about her holiday special, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, the Ted Lasso star, 49, shared why it was important for her to include her Emmy award-winning costar in the festivities.

"I had to have him in the special. He has been in recent years my greatest champion, I mean, look at what happened with Thundergong!," she gushed on this week's PEOPLE in 10, referencing Sudeikis' annual charity event. "He invited me in to come and do that with him."

Related: Hannah Waddingham Invites Ted Lasso Costar Phil Dunster to Show Off His Inner Bublé on a Christmas Classic (Exclusive)

"We are great pals and celebrate each other wholly. So I kept nagging him. I was like, 'Darling, I've got to have you in,' so it's a thank you and a big kiss to him too," she added.

In Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, Sudeikis, 48, takes on the role of a cab driver who picks Waddingham up from her home before the two partake in a duet of "Jingle Bells."

Describing the holiday celebration as "traditional and beautiful," Waddingham told PEOPLE the special was "something that's been bubbling away, certainly in in my heart for decades."

When it came time to find a "natural home" for it, the Sex Education star could find no better place than Apple TV+ alongside Ted Lasso.

Related: Surprise Ted Lasso Reunion! See Hannah Waddingham Join Jason Sudeikis in a 'Shallow' Duet

While some fans may have been shocked to discover Waddingham's musical range, the actress' other Ted Lasso costar Brett Goldstein has been a long supporter of her gigs in musical theater.

"He stood in front of me at the first ever read-through we had and was just like, 'I'm your biggest fan. I've literally seen everything you've done in the theater for the last 20 years!'" she recalled. "So that was gorgeous."

The rest of the Ted Lasso cast eventually discovered her incredible musical ability and encouraged her to flex her pipes on the show.

"I love the fact that that Jason leant into it so much," she said of Sudeikis' support of her talents, before adding, "Brendan [Hunt] is a massive musical theater head as well, which is why I ended up singing on the show, those guys wanting me to sing."

Related: Watch Ted Lasso Perfectly Explain Hallmark Christmas Movies to Roy Kent: 'They Suck, but They're Great'

In addition to Sudeikis, Phil Dunster also made an appearance on the Christmas special and sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” alongside The Fabulous Lounge Swingers duo of Scott Baker and Patrick Davey.

Recorded live at The Coliseum in London, the one-hour special and its companion album showcases Waddingham “ringing in the season with musical performances of beloved Christmas classics,” as she “shares her personal journey to this magical moment with anecdotes and memories about her own holiday experiences,” according to a press release.

In November, Dunster exclusively told PEOPLE: "Hannah is now the Queen of Christmas, and to be a small part of her extravaganza was nothing short of a Christmas miracle."

In addition to Ted Lasso's dynamite duo and the Fabulous Lounge Swingers, the special also features Luke Evans, Leslie Odom Jr., Eurovision star Sam Ryder and more in performances accompanied by the English National Opera, the London Gay Men’s Chorus and an 18-piece band.

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Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas and Ted Lasso can be streamed on Apple TV+.

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Read the original article on People.