In a recent interview, showrunner Russell T Davies teased that Christmas specials might be making a return with the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. With lots of fans having missed the festive treat on Christmas Day, we take a look at the best Doctor Who Christmas specials.
When Chris Chibnall took over Doctor Who and cast Jodie Whittaker, we had a string of New Year’s Day specials instead of on Christmas. Though some fans were disappointed to lose the Christmas Day slot, others thought the new slot was better for the show.
Now, it’s possible it may go back to its original place.
Russell T Davies Teases Christmas Special Return
In the last edition of Doctor Who Magazine, Russel T Davies spoke to the team about what his plans were going forward. He confirmed that the series that follow the 60th specials next year will be 8 episodes long with an additional special.
And it seems like one has been in the works for a little while.
“For the first time ever, I’m writing a Christmas Special… at Christmas! And this isn’t for next year, no, the 2023 script has been long since signed off. The new one is for the end-of-year 2024!”
Snippets of the interview were posted by TV Zone. However, some fans have noticed that they have omitted a key bit of information from Russell. They then took to Twitter to share the rest of the interview, where Russell clarifies what he meant.
So, it seems as if there has been a little confusion about when the special will actually be. All we can do now is wait and see!
The Best Doctor Who Christmas Specials
In the meantime, there are plenty of Christmas specials that we can watch to keep in the festive spirit. Here are our favourite five:
The Next Doctor
Now, this definitely isn’t on everyone’s top five list, but it holds a special place in our hearts. And what’s not to love? There’s Cybermen, Victorian England and a lot of snow.
At the time, we knew that David Tennant was leaving the show but we didn’t know who his replacement was. This episode was a massive red herring to get fans thinking David Morrissey would be the next incarnation. Doctor Who Magazine even put him on the cover with ‘David Morrissey is the next Doctor!’ Was it unfair? Maybe a little, but if we had the opportunity then we’d do the same.
Apart from that, this episode has a lot of heart with some great gags and a massive cyberman. For us, it ticks a lot of boxes.
A Christmas Carol
Now, if you want an episode with some serious emotion, then A Christmas Carol has it in the bucket full. With a stellar guest cast of Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins, this one retells a classic tale with a fantastical twist.
The music is to die for and the story has everyone welling up. Nobody even minds that the companions take a real back seat in this one. If you ask Doctor Who fans, then A Christmas Carol will top a lot of their lists.
The Husbands of River Song
Lots of fans will tell you that they were bitterly disappointed that River Song never met Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation of the Doctor. Her last venture in the show was in The Husbands of River Song with Peter Capaldi, a joyous festive treat.
Yes, it’s a little bit cheesy but give us a Doctor Who episode that isn’t. The episode explores their last adventure together, ending with The Singing Towers of Darillium, where the Doctor tells her a year on Darillium is 24 years. It’s got the perfect mix of fun, emotion, and is the perfect bowing out of River.
The Snowmen
Although we had all just lost Amy and Rory (including The Doctor) Victorian Clara came along to cheer us all up…
That is until she died, of course.
There’s something about this time period and Doctor Who Christmas Specials that just *chef’s kiss*. In this episode, we also had the addition of the Paternoster gang, who definitely deserved their own spin-off.
Plus, we had the talents of Ian McKellen and Richard E Grant to round up a pretty perfect Christmas episode.
Voyage Of The Damned
Okay, so it is probably a bit too long, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a classic. There’s Kylie Minogue, for starters and a whole load of action to follow. The guest characters are all great and hold their own, and they even save the ship from crashing into Buckingham Palace.
The host as villains, led by Max Capricorn, are definitely a bit freaky. If didn’t pretend to be one, throwing around a murderous halo, as a kid, then you really missed out.
Everybody loves Astrid and was sad to see her go, but at least she got to live out her dream of seeing the stars.
The music in this one is also phenomenal, and it even introduced the much-loved character Wilf. It even ends with some classic Russell T Davies fake snow to sprinkle some festiveness around.
We’ll have to cross our fingers that the Doctor Who Christmas specials make a very welcome return. Let’s hope they bring back some of that beloved fake snow too. Until then, we’ll be seeing Doctor Who in November 2023 with some celebratory 60th-anniversary specials. It looks like we’ll be meeting Ncuti Gatwa‘s 15th Doctor then, too.