And so, we arrive at the most recent Doctor Who Christmas episode, and by far my favorite of all of the Who one-offs to date. What is it that makes “A Christmas Carol” quite so special? Is it the callback to Dickens, the wonderful performance by Michael Gambon, or the fact that, unlike all the earlier Christmas episodes, this one is actually about Christmas…?
If you think that “The End of Time” sounds like a grandiose title, then you should see the story itself, with the show trying to send the Tenth Doctor off in epic style with the return of all manner of familiar faces and the tying-up of all manner of loose ends. Shame that it really doesn’t come together that well, then.
It took four years for Doctor Who to go into the Christmas Past, but “The Next Doctor” proved to be worth the wait, with snow, orphans, a mystery that doesn’t outstay its welcome and a giant steampunk-esque Cyberman rampaging across London. It doesn’t get more festive than that!
Scary mechanical angels and Kylie Minogue replace the council estates of the previous two Doctor Who Christmas Specials in “Voyage of The Damned,” but somehow, it ends up more festive than when we were on Earth and in the middle of the holiday sales. How exactly did that happen…?
If pressed, I think I’d have to say that “The Runaway Bride” is my favorite of all the David Tennant Doctor Who Christmas Specials. It is also probably the least Christmassy of all the David Tennant Doctor Who Christmas Specials. Coincidence? Or something more sinister?
Thanksgiving is over, which can mean only one thing: The countdown to the next Doctor Who Christmas Special is officially underway. What, you thought there was more to the festive period than that…? Well, okay, you’re right, but each Sunday (and one Saturday) between now and Christmas, I’ll be revisiting the past six Who Christmas specials nonetheless, to help get you in the right mood for “The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe” on December 25th. This week: “The Christmas Invasion”!
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