Without a Doctor Who Christmas special to keep our festive spirits up this year, there is no better time to revisit some of the classics. So if you want a quick reference of what is worth your time this holiday season, consider these three fan-favourites for your viewing pleasure.
3. The Christmas Invasion
The very first Christmas special was also the debut of David Tennant’s own eternally popular Tenth Doctor. With killer Christmas trees and evil robot Santas threatening Rose and her family, the holiday spirit isn’t treated too seriously here. In fact the Christmassy elements are mostly just decorations for a larger plot that is mostly unrelated to the holiday season, but the episode more than makes up for it with its boundless energy and irreverent humour. It may not be the most festive Doctor Who Christmas special, but spending December 25th with the Tyler family and the newly regenerated Tenth Doctor is still a lot of fun – and that kind of zeal ties back into the excitement of Christmas in its own way.
2. A Christmas Carol
Taking direct inspiration from Charles Dickens, the Eleventh Doctor’s first Christmas special puts a sci-fi spin on the classic novella. In order to save Amy, Rory, and a ship of passengers about to crash into the planet beneath it, the Doctor must convince cantankerous businessman Kazran to embrace the kindness and compassion of the Christmas season. The Eleventh Doctor’s childlike wonder is right at home in this story, showcasing his knack for easily befriending kids and giving them an escape from the cynical adults in their lives. Perhaps the most fantastical and sentimental Doctor Who Christmas special out of them all, ‘A Christmas Carol’ can bring optimism and good cheer to even the most depressing living room in the holiday season.
1. The Husbands of River Song
The Twelfth Doctor’s Scrooge-like attitude is strangely fitting in this hilariously light-hearted romp across the universe. Reuniting with River Song, we get a glimpse into what her adventures are like without the Doctor – or at least, when she thinks the Doctor isn’t around. The chemistry between the two of them is tangible, and their relationship is given the proper resolution that it never got back in series 7. The episode is full of brilliant moments such as King Hydroflax’s visual gags, the introduction of Nardole, and the Doctor’s own “bigger on the inside moment”, but it is the final scene at Singing Towers of Darillium that ties everything together into a bittersweet Christmas message – that even if you spend years without seeing loved ones, sharing a single night with them can mean the world.
