I’m not a big Christmas person. Every year, I get less and less invested, to the point where I’m comfortable sitting here on this Yuletide morning, writing words for you to read instead of celebrating. I’ve grown up into the Grinch, but if I may practise a German accent, Doctor Who vill bring back my festive spark.
It’s Christmas, I’m allowed a bad pun or two.
When Chris Chibnall took over Doctor Who (don’t worry — I’m not beating that dead horse), he swapped the iconic Christmas specials of the revival for New Year celebrations instead. These were great, but I always looked forward to sitting down with my family on Christmas evening and forcing them to watch Doctor Who. It’s harder to do that when you’re busy getting drunk and counting down to midnight.
From 2018 to 2022, there were no Christmas episodes. However, when Russel T Davies returned in 2023 for the 60th anniversary, he reinstated the tradition he first started. But Ncuti Gatwa’s debut festive episode was sorely underwhelming; nothing says Christmas like disappointment and Baileys. Thankfully, this year looks to be different.
Steven Moffat, the greatest Doctor Who writer to ever Doctor Who, is returning once again for the Christmas special. And he was the king of Christmas specials. Twice Upon a Time saw the 1st Doctor return to grapple with his future, seeing his life laid out in a microcosm. All while 12 came to terms with his own mortality and what it means to be the Doctor after so many centuries of travelling. It was a beautiful swansong for the pair.
The Snowmen saw the introduction of the wonderful Victorian era Clara, with a retired 11th Doctor brooding after the events of The Angels Take Manhattan. The 1800s backdrop was oddly nostalgic, and The Great Intelligence’s return — played by the incredibly talented Ian McKellen alongside Richard E Grant’s Dr Simeon — made it a star-studded celebration of Christmas and the show’s rich history.
But the magnum opus of Moffat’s many Christmas specials is the most simple of the lot: A Christmas Carol. It took 47 years for the show to adapt Charles Dickens’ iconic novella (Dickens even appeared in the show before then!), but it did so in such classic Doctor Who style. Scrooge — or rather, Kazran Sardick — isn’t visited by three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, he’s visited by an ancient, boyish time traveller full of wonder and whimsy, who rewrites his childhood by taking him on magical adventures every single Christmas.
Yes, Scrooge is a companion.
These episodes captured what makes the season so special, the coming together of family and friends to lift us back up even in our worst moments. It’s not the gifts, the big dinner (we’re having pizza this year), or the unending commercialisation, it’s that kinship that makes Christmas special, and it’s easy to forget that. But every year, Doctor Who reminded us with its magical and uplifting celebrations. Today’s looks to be no different.
Joy to the World is set in a Time Hotel in which past and future rooms are rented out to make the most of every day. In the trailer alone, we see the Doctor meeting himself, a futuristic city, a classic ‘50s-style train, ancient ruins, and even a dinosaur. It’s an adventure! Exactly what a Christmas special should be. But most importantly, it has heart.
Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor is airing all of his grief by literally confronting himself after Ruby decided to leave at the end of the last episode, and I already know it’s going to make me an emotional mess. Again, exactly what a Christmas special should do. It’s such a Moffat motif; we saw it with 11 after Amy and Rory’s departure, and we saw it with 12 after the loss of Clara and Bill. And each time, he turned tragedy into astonishment.
Doctor Who was always something to look forward to on Christmas, even if I wasn’t feeling festive. For so long, that feeling has been missing. But Steven Moffat might just be the man to bring it back this year, and I can’t wait.
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What A Gamer Would Have Gotten For Christmas: Collection
Follow along as we relive notable Christmases and celebrate the games that many a child received in years past.