The Love Actually plotlines left on the cutting room floor: Christmas classic originally featured a lesbian couple and scenes shot in Kenya
- The classic British movie features two extra stories which were lost in final cut
- READ MORE: Romcom king Richard Curtis reveals he thought Love Actually was a 'disaster'
'Tis the season for all our favourite festive films to be playing back to back on the telly - and Love Actually, of course, always makes the cut.
The 2003 feel-good flick, featuring separate stories that eventually come together and unite everyone during the holiday period, has long cemented its status as a Christmas classic.
But while viewers may know all the subplots off by heart - from Colin Firth's romantic European getaway with Lúcia Moniz to Hugh Grant playing a Prime Minister that ends up trawling through houses so he could confess his love for Martine McCutcheon - there are some that never made the final cut.
Director Richard Curtis has spoken about making the choice to axe two scenes - one featuring a lesbian couple, and another which is set in Kenya - for both duration and because they simply 'didn't fit' the movie.
One heartbreaking scene, which was lost, is between a stern headmistress, played by Anne Reid, who returned home from work to look after her terminally-ill partner Geraldine - actress Frances de la Tour.
The couple are linked to Emma Thompson's character Karen, whose son attended the school where Anne Reid's character worked.
In the short scenes, which have resurfaced some years ago - being shared by Fandango At Home on YouTube - the woman tells her sick partner about her day, but it's clear Geraldine is still optimistic despite her condition; that nature of which remains a mystery.
The two share a wicked sense of humour and bicker about fancy sausages, with Geraldine asking her to pick out the leek and apple.
The 2003 feel-good flick, featuring separate stories that eventually come together and unite everyone during the holiday period, has long cemented its status as a Christmas classic
Director Richard Curtis has spoken about making the choice to axe two scenes - one featuring a lesbian couple, and another which is set in Kenya - for both duration and because they simply 'didn't fit' the movie
The headmistress also reveals how one pupil had written an essay on wanting to 'see people's farts' as his Christmas wish.
A second scene shows Geraldine coughing in bed while the headmistress comforts her through the difficult time.
Later Emma Thompson announces Geraldine has passed away in another scene which was also cut from the film.
The headmistress is shown looking sombre in the audience of the Christmas play, wearing sunglasses to hide her tears - but this was also removed from the final edit.
Due to the cut, the final edit only features heterosexual romances.
A second scene, also shared by the channel, is set in Kenya and shows two women carrying heavy piles of sticks on their backs as they talk.
The duo laugh about one of the character's daughters, who is in love with a 'fool' as they joke about marrying 'idiots' themselves.
In the clip, Richard revealed that he 'so wanted' to keep the two scenes in the film but wasn't able to.
In the short scenes, which have resurfaced some years ago - being shared by Fandango At Home on YouTube - the woman tells her sick partner about her day, but it's clear Geraldine is still optimistic despite her condition; that nature of which remains a mystery
Due to the cut, the final edit only features heterosexual romances. Pictured, scenes from the deleted moment
'In the end the film got very complicated and this was just one complication too far,' he explained.
'But the idea was meant to be that love literally is all around. You have a pre-conception in places in the world where life is very hard that love wouldn't be one of the things that people's minds are on, whereas my experience when I go to Africa is that that's completely not true.'
He said that the premise would have been that while the two women in the shot would appear 'stern', and like they're discussing the hardships they're facing, when you actually hear their conversations they are about romances, love and families.
In another interview shared by the channel, Richard expressed he was also sad to lose the storyline with Anne Reid, which was there to get across that everyone in life 'has their own complicated tale of love'.
Love Actually dominated the box office when it was released in November 2003.
The moving film featured a memorable scene where Andrew Lincoln, from The Walking Dead, declared his love to his best friend's wife Keira Knightley with hand-written placards.
Bill Nighy also plays a washed-up singer whose single miraculously manages to get to Christmas number one.
The festive favourite is watched by many in the run-up to Christmas with an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley and Colin Firth.
A second scene, also shared by the channel, is set in Kenya and shows two women carrying heavy piles of sticks on their backs as they talk
The duo laugh about one of the character's daughters, who is in love with a 'fool' as they joke about marrying 'idiots' themselves
However, recently, Richard revealed that he thought Love Actually was a disaster after he finished filming.
The director, 68, confessed that he was worried about the success of the film and almost gave up as he was editing it, believing it would never work.
The Four Weddings and a Funeral creator told the Radio Times: 'We thought Love Actually was a disaster for months while we were trying to edit it.'
The star director added: 'I only thought of setting Love Actually at Christmas halfway through the writing process. I was thinking, 'How can I squeeze all these stories to end at the same time?'
Richard also confessed that he finds it amusing now that people have such strong feelings towards one of his most famous films.
He told the publication that during his latest film, the animated Netflix offering That Christmas, the children complain about having to watch a 'boring Christmas film' and it turns out to be Love Actually.
Speaking of the filming he said: 'I assumed they'd take a clip from some stiff American movie of the 1940s or 50s like Miracle on 34th Street.
'So, I turn up on the day and it's the kids watching, as they say, the 'boring Christmas movie', and they'd stuck in Love Actually.'
Off the back of Richard's latest project, he explained that he realised all the films he makes are the same and was surprised when he noticed the similarities between some of his major movies.
In the clip, Richard (pictured) revealed that he 'so wanted' to keep the two scenes in the film but wasn't able to
Bill Nighy also plays a washed-up singer whose single miraculously manages to get to Christmas number one
Liam Neeson and a young Thomas Brodie-Sangster both feature in a heartwarming story during the film
Heike Makatsch and Alan Rickman's characters have an affair during the film, resulting in a heartbreaking scene with Emma Thompson
Adding comic relief, Rowan Atkinson plays a very dedicated shop assistant who is wrapping up a gift
He told the magazine that he was somewhat disappointed with himself after noticing that the plots of Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral shared so much in common.
He said: 'I remember watching Notting Hill and thinking, "Oh, it's exactly the same as Four Weddings!".
'I'd been working on it for two years and I didn't realise, but it was a bunch of friends, there was an American girl, and it ended happily.'
Richard's confession comes after he revealed it was a 'joy' to be making a film without one of his starring men, Hugh Grant.
Despite his remark, the star wished Hugh well and said there was no bad blood between the pair.
The director and actor duo have worked on the likes of Love Actually, Four Weddings and Funeral and Bridget Jones together.
And they've just wrapped on filming the fourth installment Bridget Jones: Made About the Boy.
But speaking to the Radio Times, Richard said he didn't ever want to work with Hugh Grant, 64, because he was 'too posh and handsome'.
He said: 'I'm just taking advantage of how many great actors there are out there.
'But casting has always been a revelation from the start of my film career.
'When we did Four Weddings and a Funeral, I said, 'Hugh Grant? Over my dead body,' I thought he was too posh and too handsome for my movies.
'When he auditioned, he was much better than everybody else and I still fought against it. Then the first time we screened the movie I realised I was wrong; it turned out that he was the most important thing in the film.
'Now it's such a joy to make a movie that doesn't have him in it. Though he would have made a good villain.'
Richard is now launching his latest film That Christmas, a family Netflix cartoon which stars Brian Cox, Bill Nighy and Jodie Whittaker.
He said it's been great to work on something different.
'I love the fact that this is a more diverse film,' he said. 'I liked the opportunity to work with the diverse acting cadre in this country. It's lovely to be able to have Guz Khan and Lolly Adefope.'
