Since its reboot in 2005, Doctor Who has become a Christmas tradition. We’ve had everything from attack stars, to the crashing Titanic, to a Narnian-inspired send up. So, which of the lot ranks as the best?
This year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special is going to be a first. It’s the first time the special actually introduces the new companion. It should be interesting because in the past, the Doctor has either been with familiar companions, or people he has met on a one-off journey.
2005:
Doctor Who debuted in March 2005. By the time the Christmas special rolled around it was the audience’s first look at new Doctor, David Tennant, in a full episode. The Sycorax were invading the earth, attempting to subjugate it by blood control. The episode featured the return of Harriet Jones, Jackie, Mickey, and Rose getting chased by an attack Christmas tree, and the chopping off of the Doctor’s hand, which becomes a crucial plot point in several future series.
2006:
“The Runaway Bride” was the title of the 2006 episode, and it featured future companion Donna Noble, though that wasn’t the intent at the time the episode was shot. Donna stops the Doctor, hurting from the loss of Rose, from going too far in destroying the Empress of the Racnoss. Attack Santas and a death star shooting up London were memorable items.
2007:
A Titanic meets The Poseidon Adventure-inspired episode popped up with “Voyage of the Damned.” Kylie Minogue played Astrid Perth, the doomed waitress that the Doctor takes a shine to. The episode is also notable for the appearance of Wilfred Mott, Donna’s grandfather, as a newsstand vendor. There’s also a bit of comedy with the Queen waving to the Doctor thanking him for saving the city of London from disaster again.
2008:
“The Next Doctor” starred David Morrissey, currently of The Walking Dead fame, as a Victorian gentlemen who encountered the Cybermen with his family to tragic ends. This marked the first time that the Doctor spent Christmas in the past rather than the present or future.
2009:
David Tennant’s reign as the Doctor was coming to a close with the two-part “The End of Time” that aired on Christmas and New Year’s Day. It featured the Master and the Doctor joining forces with a little help from Wilfred Mott to defeat a fellow Time Lord who was hungry for power, and concluded with the Doctor saying goodbye to all his friends before regenerating.
2010:
Harry Potter fans delighted as Dumbledore, AKA Michael Gambon, was featured as a Scrooge-like character in the episode aptly titled A Christmas Carol, as a character who needed to be redeemed from his miserly and cruel ways. Amy and Rory are featured in minorly as travelers aboard a space liner affected by an electrified cloud that Michael Gambon’s character controlled. The episode also featured sharks that swam in the air and Katherine Jenkins as the impossible first love of Gambon’s character.
2011:
“The Doctor The Widow and The Wardrobe” takes place in the middle of the London Blitz. The episode had a Narnia theme complete with magical wardrobes and lampposts in snowy fields. The Doctor got to quite literally be Santa Claus to Madge, played by Claire Skinner, and her children by bringing their presumed dead father back to them for Christmas.
So as we await the Christmas special tomorrow night, which of these past specials ranks as your favorite?
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