December 19, 2017
It’s that time of year again when Whovians across the world are looking forward to THE event of the year, the Doctor Who Christmas Special.
This year’s episode, Twice Upon A Time, is the final outing for Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor but will also introduce Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.
In the second part of three, doctorwho.tv takes a look back at all the Christmas Specials since the show’s return in 2005.
Next up, it’s the Eleventh Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, and his four festive outings. (Spoilers follow if you haven’t seen these episodes.)
A Christmas Carol
First aired: Dec 25, 2010
Starring: Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, and Michael Gambon as Sardick
Matt’s Christmas debut was something rather special with the classic Charles Dickens tale given the Doctor Who touch by writer Steven Moffat.
In perfect timey-wimey fashion, the Eleventh Doctor visited the rather evil Kazran Sardick (played by Michael Gambon), who controlled the skies of Sardicktown far in the future, and gave him the Scrooge treatment.
Highlight of the episode came in the form of the beautiful “Abigail’s Song” (written by Who composer Murray Gold), performed by Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins to appease a killer flying Shark.
The Doctor, the Widow & the Wardrobe
First aired: Dec 25, 2011
Starring: Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, and Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell
Another very snowy and festive feel to the second of Matt Smith’s Christmas Specials. A present that is bigger on the inside than the outside sounds perfect but it turned out to be rather more dangerous for the Arwell family.
The Doctor was repaying a favour for Madge (who lent a hand when the Time Lord fell to Earth a few years previously) when he helped her family out as their caretaker in 1941, during World War II.
The Christmas feels were big when Madge’s husband, who died in the war, was brought back to life.
The Snowmen
First aired: Dec 25, 2012
Starring: Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, and Jenna Coleman as Clara
Clara had debuted a few months previous in Asylum of the Daleks and returned for a bigger role during a time when the Doctor was in mourning after losing his friends Amy and Rory.
It was another snow-filled instalment though this wasn’t necessarily a good thing as we discovered that snowmen weren’t your normal friendly kind. These snowmen were controlled by the Great Intelligence who had returned to exact revenge on the Doctor.
Highlight of the episode must surely be Clara’s gorgeous trip up the stairs where she was introduced to the TARDIS…
The Time of the Doctor
First aired: Dec 25, 2013
Starring: Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, and Jenna Coleman as Clara
The snow-capped town of Christmas on Trenzalore pushed the festive feels up to 11 for Matt Smith’s final outing as the Eleventh Doctor.
Constantly decked out in Christmas lights and trees, the town found itself on the receiving end of attacks from the likes of the Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Sontarans and Daleks. Thankfully, the Doctor was in residence to save the population.
The emotions were ramped up for the Eleventh Doctor’s closing moments in which he said good bye to companions Amy and Clara.
Twice Upon A Time airs from Dec 25, 2017
