For nearly 20 years now, Doctor Who has had a new special episode out for every holiday season. While these were in the form of Christmas Specials from 2005-2017, there was a shift after Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker’s first series to New Year’s Specials instead. These lasted from New Year’s Day 2019 right through to 2022 (with a gap in 2020 for the premiere of that year’s series), before being replaced in 2023 by Christmas Specials once again.
Almost always written by the showrunner, these festive episodes are a highlight in Whovians’ holiday calendars, and often represent the more fun, upbeat — perhaps even silly — aspects of Doctor Who. What some viewers might not know is that the tradition of Christmas Who began back in 1965. The seventh episode of “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” entitled “The Feast of Steven,” aired on Christmas Day, and was the only episode of the show’s original 1963-1989 which did so.
In the 21st century, though, the Christmas Special is an annual event — and Doctor Who is all the better for it. Most of these episodes manage to be a fun ride, even if some are nothing to rave about. This year, Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will be taking on a hotel which has its rooms dotted around the past. For fans, it’s promising that wackier storylines and concepts like this are still allowed some breathing room in a show that’s been running for so long. Without further ado, here is a ranking of every Doctor Who Christmas and New Year’s special.
19
“Resolution” (2019)
The first of the New Year’s Specials, “Resolution” was also the first of Doctor Who’s holiday specials to feature Jodie Whittaker’s take on the title role. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the previous festive episodes. The plot centers around a Dalek which is rebuilding itself out of scrap metal. The new Dalek design is fairly ugly and isn’t helped by a muddled plot with no clear direction. There’s a strange subplot with Ryan confronting his father, but it all feels horribly disjointed, and was not a promising start to Doctor Who’s New Year’s Specials.
18
“The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe” (2011)
An obvious play on the Chronicles of Narnia series, Matt Smith’s second Christmas Special in the lead role was sadly pretty disappointing. It was by no means bad, but the inspiration it took from Narnia wasn’t used to its full potential, and the final act involved weird tree people whose motives left a lot of questions for the viewer. Some highlights are the way that the episode deals with the Doctor’s engagement with and attitude to childhood imagination, and it features a really strong performance from Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell.
17
“The End of Time” (2009-2010)
David Tennant’s swansong story (that is, before his subsequent returns in 2013 and 2023) was a two-part affair, with the episodes broadcast on Christmas Day 2009 and New Year’s Day 2010. “The End of Time” is a huge-scale epic which features multiple returning characters, including Wilfred Mott, John Simm’s Master, and even the Time Lords of Gallifrey.
While there are some standout moments in this, especially towards the end of the second part, a lot of the story doesn’t quite fit together — even if the audience is treated to a genuinely wonderful performance from Timothy Dalton as Rassilon. David Tennant’s final speech is divisive, but there’s no doubt this is one of the most emotionally charged episodes in Doctor Who’s history.
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16
“The Next Doctor” (2008)
Cybermen in Victorian London sounds like such a good idea that it’s almost strange to think Doctor Who hadn’t done it before 2008. “The Next Doctor” focuses on David Morrisey’s character, who believes that he is a future incarnation of the Doctor. With Cybermen on the run and a story from this future version of the title character that doesn’t quite hold together, the Doctor has a mystery on his hands. “The Next Doctor” is a fun romp that’s best viewed without squinting too hard, although the Victorian setting does make for lovely festive viewing.
15
“Voyage of the Damned” (2007)
After a spaceship modeled after the Titanic crashes into the TARDIS, the Tenth Doctor is sent on a mad trip assisted by one-off companion Astrid Peth to save the Starship Titanic. The main attraction for this story is that Astrid is played by none other than Kylie Minogue. The rest of the plot is wafer-thin, but the stunt casting is enough for “Voyage of the Damned” to stick firmly in fans’ minds.
14
“The Church on Ruby Road” (2023)
Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode as the Doctor slightly misses its mark, with a contrived plot and a resolution that comes out of nowhere. However, it’s a great showcase for his characterization of the part, as well as his relationship with companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. With a musical number halfway through that feels arbitrary but is nonetheless fun, this is a whirlwind dive into the new era of the show, and as an attempt to set the tone for the new Doctor and season, it can’t really be faulted.
13
“The Time of the Doctor” (2013)
Matt Smith’s swansong Doctor Who story is a celebration of all that has come before, with references to moments throughout his tenure as the lead character and resolutions to plot threads set up months previously. Matt Smith has the opportunity to show off his range one last time on this series, and setting the story in a town literally called Christmas is so sweet that it’s impossible to hate. “The Time of the Doctor” is a standout regeneration story and the perfect farewell to a Doctor so often described as an old man in a young man’s body.
12
“Last Christmas” (2014)
“Last Christmas” is basically best summed up as Doctor Who does Alien does Inception but with the actual Santa Claus (a star turn from the delightful Nick Frost). This episode deconstructs dream narratives and alien face-huggers in an intelligent and careful way, while also effortlessly resolving plot points from the preceding series. Jenna Coleman’s performance is incredibly strong, only matched by the magisterial Peter Capaldi, and it’s a great example of a distinctly darker take on the Christmas Special.
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11
“Revolution of the Daleks” (2021)
A two-year-late sequel to “Resolution,” “Revolution of the Daleks” picked up on plot threads established throughout the 12th series of Doctor Who. The episode begins with the Doctor in prison, having discovered the secret that she is the Timeless Child.
While the jeopardy from the previous series finale is very swiftly cast aside, the pace immediately picks up with the reintroduction of Captain Jack Harkness. After appearing briefly in the previous series, this feels like a proper return for the character, and with a Dalek civil war and plenty going on, this is exactly the kind of feel-good fun needed on New Year’s Day.
10
“The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Feast of Steven” (1965)
A 12-part epic from 1965-1966, “The Daleks’ Master Plan” is one of the most revered classic Doctor Who stories of all time, an extremely impressive feat given that not a single complete episode exists to watch. All that remains are the audio recordings and a few stills from various episodes.
“The Feast of Steven” makes a brave choice, completely breaking away from the narrative of all of its surrounding episodes to instead do a mistaken identity police farce. Yes, really. It’s an episode where the humor has its ups and downs, but it’s part of such a great overall story that it has to be included on this list. To finish off, the Doctor breaks the fourth wall to wish “a happy Christmas to all of you at home!” Bliss.
9
“The Christmas Invasion” (2005)
David Tennant’s first full episode as the Doctor was also the first full Christmas Special of the series, and it’s an oddity in that the Doctor barely appears. Instead, this is an opportunity for Camille Coduri and Billie Piper to show off their acting chops as mother-and-daughter duo Jackie and Rose Tyler. When Tennant does appear at the end, though, it’s a triumphant moment, and one that cements Doctor Who’s first proper Christmas Special as a success.
8
“Eve of the Daleks” (2022)
After the six-part miniseries Flux, writer-showrunner Chris Chibnall’s time on Doctor Who was coming to an end. His final New Year’s Special formed the third part of a loose Dalek trilogy with the previous two installments, and this is by far the best of the bunch.
Where “Revolution of the Daleks” was a multi-planet, guest-star-heavy explosion, “Eve of the Daleks” takes a more minimalist approach. The plot centers around new characters Sarah and Nick, whose New Year’s Eve date gets interrupted by a Dalek invasion. This is very much a bottle episode, with almost all the action taking place in one warehouse, but it uses time loops to its advantage and is a great ride with good performances from its leads.
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7
“The Runaway Bride” (2006)
Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble is one of the most popular Doctor Who companions of the 21st century, and it’s sometimes strange to think that her first appearance was nearly two years before her full series. Originally intended as a one-off character for the 2006 Christmas Special, Donna was a bride who had a mysterious connection to the Doctor and appeared inside the TARDIS.
“The Runaway Bride” is a nonstop, fast-paced romp involving giant spider-creatures, a wedding, and an evil groom. This is a sheer joy to behold, and Tate and David Tennant have such good chemistry that it’s no wonder they were paired up again in 2008.
6
“Joy to the World” (2024)
Christmas Day 2024 will be Ncuti Gatwa’s second outing as Who for the holiday period, and it’s a good one. After arriving at the Time Hotel, a place where doors lead to points in history rather than rooms, the Doctor is sent on a mysterious quest involving a star seed, a woman named Joy (Nicola Coughlan), and an array of non-human beings.
“Joy to the World” is utterly bonkers, and makes use of concepts which writer Steven Moffat has previously either alluded to or directly referenced in his other Doctor Who scripts. Lighthearted, fun, but peppered with some more sincere scenes every now and again, this will be perfect Christmas viewing for Whovians this year. Oh, and the ending is utterly bananas.
5
“The Snowmen” (2012)
Sandwiched between the first and second parts of Series 7, “The Snowmen” gave viewers another glimpse at Clara Oswin Oswald, the mysterious character first introduced in 2012’s “Asylum of the Daleks”. The Clara variant introduced in this Christmas Special was a Victorian barmaid and nanny, and fit right into the 19th century setting of the story.
The Victorian aesthetic reeks of Christmastime and helps everything come together wonderfully, including a new look for the 11th Doctor, with a period outfit to match the tone of the era. Guest starring both Richard E. Grant and Ian McKellen, this was a one-of-a-kind special.
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4
“The Return of Doctor Mysterio” (2016)
By 2016, superhero movies had started to saturate movie theaters and studio slates for film releases. Steven Moffat decided that it was time for Doctor Who to embrace the superhero craze with its own superhero story — and its own, brand-new superhero, too. Grant Gordon, played by Justin Chatwin, is the Ghost, a sort of pseudo-Superman whose life the Doctor dips into every now and again.
This was the first Doctor Who episode since the 2015 Christmas Special, so it feels as much a celebration of the end of a year-long wait as it does of Christmas itself. It is also a genuinely good superhero parody, with questions coming up about how certain powers work and the logic of having them, and it even has its own comic-book-style villains — the Shoal of the Winter Harmony. All in all, “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” is a neat, funny little adventure that heralded a different era of the show’s history.
3
“Twice Upon a Time” (2017)
After the 2017 series of Doctor Who finished with a bleak, epic, character-driven finale, there have been mixed feelings among the fandom when it comes to the value of the Christmas Special which followed it. “Twice Upon a Time” features the return of the First Doctor, with David Bradley having taken the reins from William Hartnell. It’s a story that challenges the Doctor’s legacy and has him trying to save a World War I soldier, played by Mark Gatiss. There’s a lot going on, yet the central focus is the relationship between the First and Twelfth Doctors.
The First Doctor’s characterization is heightened, bringing out his more stereotypical 1960s-old-man attitudes and behaviors, but this works to contrast him with Capaldi’s more rounded, nuanced take on the character. While the Series 10 finale was about how two incarnations of the Master will destroy each other, “Twice Upon a Time” is about how, when the Doctor is faced with himself, he will help himself to succeed. With some carefully written poignant moments punctuating a generally lighthearted tone, “Twice Upon a Time” is a clever, meta-textual examination of how adapting itself and changing with the times are keys to Doctor Who’s survival.
2
“A Christmas Carol” (2010)
Steven Moffat’s early Christmas Specials each had a unique flavor, often inspired by real-life Christmas stories. His first attempt at the festive episode was a direct adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This story featured the Doctor traveling through the time stream of Kazran Sardick, a miserly old man who refuses to help the people trapped on a spaceship above his planet. The story explores love, the holiday season, and the effects of time travel in a surprisingly deep and meaningful way for what is usually a fairly light style of Doctor Who.
With exceptional performances at its heart from Matt Smith as the Doctor, Michael Gambon as Kazran, Danny Horn and Laurence Belcher as younger versions of Kazran, and Katherine Jenkins as Abigail, this is a truly unforgettable episode of the show and proof that Christmas stories don’t just have to be light and fluffy. Toby Haynes is the perfect director to tackle Moffat’s script, and the story doesn’t shy away from having serious discussions. “A Christmas Carol” shows that, at least when it comes to Christmas, Moffat knew what he was doing from the start.
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1
“The Husbands of River Song” (2015)
In 2015, Steven Moffat was strongly considering stepping away from Doctor Who. He’d been showrunner for six years, and had been writing scripts for 10, so it makes sense that he was feeling like his time was up. Still in this mindset, he conceived “The Husbands of River Song” — an episode which would feature Alex Kingston’s time-traveling archaeologist and spouse to the Doctor, in a story that ties up the seven years of plot threads surrounding her character, River Song. The fact that it does so while dishing out humor at a perfect pace is truly impressive.
Riddled with a guest cast of familiar UK comedy faces including Greg Davies and Matt Lucas, this episode straddles several different tones, but manages to keep itself steady. With an impeccable script, emotionally gripping performances from Kingston and Peter Capaldi, and a flawless visual identity from director Douglas Mackinnon, the special is funny, fast-paced, and at times incredibly heartfelt. Highlights include the scenes where River deduces who the Doctor is, as well as the final moments on Darillium. This is what Christmas Doctor Who should always strive to be.
The new Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Joy to the World,” will be available on Disney+ worldwide from Christmas Day 2024, and BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. Watch it on Disney+ below:
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Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Main Genre
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Sci-Fi
- Network
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BBC
- Cast
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Ncuti Gatwa
, Millie Gibson
, Susan Twist
, Michelle Greenidge
, Angela Wynter
, Jemma Redgrave
, Yasmin Finney
, Anita Dobson - Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who
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