List of Doctor Who Christmas and New Year's specials (original) (raw)

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DVD cover art with text reading Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials. Further text along the top lists the special features included on the set. A drawing of a blue police box is centered along the bottom.

The DVD cover art for Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The show has had a large influence in the media and across society since its inception in 1963. Regular episodes were occasionally broadcast during the Christmas period during its original run from 1963 to 1989, but only made significant mention of the holiday in "The Feast of Steven" (1965). Beginning with the programme's revival in 2005, yearly special Christmas episodes were produced in addition to a regular series until 2017. From 2019 to 2022, the show temporarily transitioned to New Year's Day specials and episodes instead. Beginning in 2023, the programme returned to producing Christmas specials.

Doctor Who revolves around an alien Time Lord called the Doctor who travels with a companion in a time and space machine called the TARDIS. Instead of dying, the Doctor regenerates by changing every cell in their body and taking on a new appearance. Throughout their adventures the Doctor and their companion frequently stop other aliens from committing acts of violence.

The holiday episodes have proven to be a success with viewers, by bringing in larger viewing figures than regular episodes of the programme. The 2008 special, "Voyage of the Damned", is the most-viewed Doctor Who episode since 1979. "A Christmas Carol" is often considered by critics to be the best Christmas episode.

In 2015, a DVD and Blu-ray boxset was released containing 10 of the Christmas specials. Doctor Who, along with other television series in the Whoniverse, has occasionally broadcast episodes on other holidays.

During the first run of the programme (1963–1989), special episodes were not a frequent occurrence. During the third season, the twelve-part serial The Daleks' Master Plan was broadcast weekly beginning in November 1965 and ending in January 1966, with its seventh and eighth episodes scheduled for Christmas and New Year's Day, respectively. The former, "The Feast of Steven", was scripted as a comic interlude in the style of a pantomime, in the middle of an otherwise epic adventure.[1] In its final scene, as the Doctor and his companions celebrate Christmas with a toast, the First Doctor (William Hartnell) turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall by saying "Incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home."[1] The following episode, "Volcano", returns to the main narrative of The Daleks' Master Plan, although its ending briefly features a contemporary New Year's Eve.[1][2] The first episodes of Day of the Daleks (1972) and The Face of Evil (1977) were first shown on New Year's Day, but make no reference to the holiday season.[3][4] The classic run had no subsequent holiday episodes.[2]

When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, with Russell T Davies acting as showrunner, the first proper Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion", was broadcast in 2005.[5] This became a yearly tradition for the programme with additional holiday specials being produced annually.[6] A special episode aired on New Year's Day in 2010 in addition to the typical Christmas episode in 2009.[7] The trend of episodes airing on Christmas Day continued under Davies' successor Steven Moffat,[8] culminating in his final episode as showrunner, "Twice Upon a Time" (2017).[9] After Chris Chibnall assumed the role of showrunner of the series in 2018, Doctor Who moved to producing yearly New Year's specials instead.[10] The three holiday specials made during Chibnall's tenure, airing in 2019, 2021, and 2022, all featured the Daleks and formed a loose three-part story arc.[11] In lieu of a special episode in 2020, the first episode of the twelfth series, "Spyfall, Part 1", was broadcast on New Year's Day outside of the programme's normal timeslot.[12] When Davies returned to Doctor Who, one of the first things he requested was the return of the Christmas special.[13] A special was not produced for the 2022 holiday season, but a new trailer for the programme's 60th anniversary was released in its absence.[14] Christmas specials then returned with "The Church on Ruby Road" in 2023.[15] Moffat also returned to write the 2024 special, "Joy to the World", the first festive special not to be written by the incumbent showrunner.[16]

Reception and impact

[edit]

Doctor Who holiday specials have consistently brought in higher viewing figures than other episodes of the programme.[29] "Voyage of the Damned" was seen by 11.7 million people, making it the most-viewed episode of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005, as well as the most-viewed Doctor Who episode overall since 1979.[30][31][32] "A Christmas Carol" is frequently considered by critics to be the best holiday special,[33] while others have named the best to be "The Runaway Bride",[34] "Last Christmas",[35][36] or "The Husbands of River Song".[37][38]

Richard Riley, a Biostatistics professor at the University of Birmingham, conducted a study and claimed that there was a connection between Doctor Who Christmas specials and lower death rates across England and Wales.[39] The study compared mortality rates across the UK from 2005–2017 to those from years before the specials began.[40] Riley said that as many as seven fewer deaths per 10,000 people occur when the specials were consistently broadcast.[41] A further editorial by the professor admitted that while there were "impeccable mathematical models [...] a single television broadcast cannot affect an entire country's mortality rates."[42]

The Christmas specials between "The Christmas Invasion" (2005) and "Last Christmas" (2014), inclusive, were released as a DVD and Blu-ray boxset titled Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials on 9 November 2015.[43]

Other Whoniverse holiday episodes

[edit]

The Doctor Who episodes "Planet of the Dead" (2009) and "Legend of the Sea Devils" (2022) were broadcast on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, respectively, in years that lacked a full series. Many series of the revived era either launched or aired a new episode during Easter weekend.[44] Additionally, the first episode of the thirteenth series, "The Halloween Apocalypse" (2021), was shown on Halloween day.[45]

In 2007, the Doctor Who spin-off programme Torchwood aired the final two episodes of its first series, "Captain Jack Harkness" and "End of Days", on New Year's Day.[46] That same day, the first episode of another spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, was also broadcast.[47] The penultimate episode of Torchwood's second series aired on Good Friday.[48]

  1. ^ As shown in "Asylum of the Daleks"

  2. ^ As shown in "Resolution".

  3. ^ a b c Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith; Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James. "Doctor Who: The Classic Series — The Daleks' Master Plan". BBC One. BBC. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2015.

  4. ^ a b Blair, Andrew (2 December 2020). "Doctor Who: The Weird Anomaly of the 1965 'Christmas Special'". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

  5. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (20 November 2009). "Day of the Daleks". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  6. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (29 August 2010). "The Face of Evil". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  7. ^ Byrne, Ciar (13 December 2005). "Dr Who saves the Earth (and joins the protests against the war in Iraq)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  8. ^ Calvert, Hamish (24 December 2021). "Why Doctor Who should bring back the Christmas special". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  9. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (15 October 2013). "The End of Time". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  10. ^ Griffin, Louise (17 May 2024). "Every Steven Moffat Doctor Who episode ranked from worst to best". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  11. ^ Delgado, Gabriela (2 October 2021). "Doctor Who: Every Christmas Special, Ranked By IMDb". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  12. ^ Guimarães, Elisa (22 December 2021). "Every 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special, Ranked by Their Amount of Holiday Spirit". Collider. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  13. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (5 December 2021). "The Daleks return on New Year's Day – again – in new Doctor Who special trailer". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  14. ^ Laford, Andrea (2 December 2019). "Doctor Who Series 12: New Year's Day premiere officially announced". CultBox. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  15. ^ "The Church on Ruby Road". Doctor Who: Unleashed. 25 December 2023. BBC Three/BBC iPlayer. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  16. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (25 December 2022). "Doctor Who debuts thrilling new 60th anniversary trailer". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  17. ^ Hibbs, James (6 November 2023). "Disney Plus reveals Doctor Who 2023 Christmas special release date and title". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

  18. ^ Cormack, Morgan (14 May 2024). "Steven Moffat confirms he wrote Doctor Who Christmas 2024 special: 'Is that my final moment?'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

  19. ^ a b c d e "'Doctor Who' ratings countdown: Most-viewed Christmas specials revealed". CultBox. 16 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  20. ^ Blair, Andrew (29 July 2021). "Doctor Who: Perfect 10? How Fandom Forgets the Dark Side of David Tennant's Doctor". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  21. ^ Price, Stephen (4 January 2018). "Ratings Call The Midwife takes consolidated crown". Broadcast. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  22. ^ Price, Stephen (17 January 2019). "Luther back with a bang". Broadcast. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  23. ^ Siede, Caroline (2 January 2020). "Doctor Who's New Year's special kicks off the new season with a bang". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2024.

  24. ^ Lloyd, Robert (1 January 2020). "Review: 'Doctor Who' meets James Bond in the swashbuckling 'Spyfall'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.

  25. ^ Harp, Justin; Opie, David (20 December 2019). "Doctor Who's Lenny Henry on season 12 role: 'I don't think I'll ever recover'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.

  26. ^ "Dracula falls short of Luther". Broadcast. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  27. ^ "Serpent opens with 6m". Broadcast. 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  28. ^ "BBC1's Tourist transports 8.5m". Broadcast. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  29. ^ "Call The Midwife continues to deliver". Broadcast. 12 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  30. ^ "Most viewed programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

  31. ^ Plunkett, John (25 November 2013). "Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor is most popular non-festive episode since 2005". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

  32. ^ "Top 10 most-watched 'Doctor Who' episodes since 2005". CultBox. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

  33. ^ "'EastEnders' pips 'Doctor Who' on Christmas". The Hollywood Reporter. Reuters/Associated Press. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

  34. ^ "Line of Duty: Penultimate episode achieves record ratings". BBC News. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2021.

  35. ^ Attributed to multiple sources:

  1. ^ McMillian, Graeme (19 December 2023). "Every Doctor Who holiday special – ranked!". Popverse. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  2. ^ McEwan, Cameron K (22 December 2016). "The Return of 'Doctor Who': Every Christmas Special, Ranked". The Observer. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  3. ^ Phillips, Maya (1 January 2020). "Every Doctor Who Holiday Special, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  4. ^ Puchko, Kristy (25 December 2023). "'Doctor Who' Christmas specials ranked, and where to watch them". Mashable. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ Blair, Andrew (27 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Ranking the Christmas and New Year Specials". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Doctor Who festive specials linked to lower death rates". University of Birmingham. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  7. ^ Knapton, Sarah (18 December 2023). "Doctor Who Christmas specials linked to lower death rates". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Doctor Who Christmas episodes linked to lower UK death rates, festive study finds". The Jerusalem Post. 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. ^ Nield, David (5 January 2024). "Doctor Who Christmas Specials Linked to Lower Death Rates in The UK". ScienceAlert. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]". Amazon. 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ Fullerton, Huw (17 April 2022). "Doctor Who is perfect for Easter – so why haven't there been more spring specials?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  12. ^ Harp, Justin (20 October 2021). "Doctor Who reveals Halloween theme for series 13 premiere episode". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Captain Jack Harkness & End of Days". BBC Three. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  14. ^ Moreland, Alex (1 January 2022). "How we made The Sarah Jane Adventures: 'We were like a family, and it was beautiful'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  15. ^ Wilkes, Neil (18 March 2008). "Torso of steel, shilling a feel". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.