After a short duet with David Tennant’s resurgent Doctor in the 60th-anniversary finale, Ncuti Gatwa made his proper debut in “The Church on Roby Rose,” but how does the Fifteenth’s first Doctor Who outing stack up against previous Christmas specials?
There’s always been something incredibly thrilling about these Christmas outings, being a natural retreat from the show’s continuity and overarching plot, where showrunners can incorporate all sorts of whacky narrative elements to capture the spirit of the holiday season. Sometimes, that can be as subtle as a small nod to the fact that it’s Christmas. Sometimes, Santa Claus himself might make an appearance to help The Doctor get out of whatever festive knot the TARDIS has pushed him into this time.
For Gatwa, that first holiday outing involved singing goblins and the introduction of a new companion, not to mention a very enigmatic, as-of-yet unconfirmed character. So, how would we go about ranking the Doctor Who Christmas specials now that we have “The Church on Ruby Rose” in the competition?
14. “The Runaway Bride” (2006)
You may not have expected to find “The Runaway Bride” all the way at the bottom of this list (or the top, considering how you look at it) but I think showrunner Russell T. Davies’ idea for this particular story simply doesn’t have what it takes to land, at least not in the way he probably wanted it to. Still, the introduction of Donna Noble this early into the narrative was a nice touch.
13. “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” (2011)
This Christmas special coming after the sixth season was so forgettable that I had to go back and rewatch it to write this article. The episode’s only saving grace is in the final moments where The Doctor is reunited with the Ponds and realizes that he still has a family he can go back to, and people who seem to genuinely care about him.
12. “The Church on Ruby Road” (2023)
Though Ncuti Gatwa more than proves himself to be worthy of the mantle of the next Doctor, the story itself falls apart due to inconsistent pacing and the lack of an overall conflict. “The Church on Ruby Rose” is the perfect example of an RTD script that’s as half-baked as it is rushed. Not only do we not get a sense of who the new companion Ruby really is, but the narrative fails to address all the glaring questions that the story’s wacky goblin villains bring up. Surely, Russell can do better than this. And surely, Ncuti Gatwa deserves better in his upcoming run. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed for when Who returns in May 2024.
11. “The Husbands of River Song” (2015)
After a heart-rending farewell with Clara Oswald, The Doctor meets River Song for one final adventure in “The Husbands of River Song, ” bringing her story full circle. Remember the Towers of Darillium, an event that had been teased since the fourth season in 2008? Well, this is it, folks; this is the episode where The Doctor and River spend their last night together.
10. “Voyage of the Damned” (2007)
We just can’t get enough of David Tennant as the 10th Doctor (and now, apparently, the 14th Doctor) and this episode summarily explains why. The heroics of the outcast. The fury of the 1000-year-old traveler. The last of the Time Lords. I mean, what else could perfectly capture The Doctor?
9. “The Christmas Invasion” (2005)
Speaking of Tennant’s brilliant portrayal of the 10th Doctor, have you ever seen another actor totally sell this character in their first three minutes of screen time? Because that’s precisely what Tennant does in “The Christmas Invasion,” completely owning the special despite not even being in two-thirds of it.
8. “The Snowmen” (2012)
Having recently lost the Ponds, The Doctor is going through what you’d call a depressive episode, both literally and figuratively. This is where he once again meets Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl, and begins searching for her in the modern world. The episode also introduces the Great Intelligence, who is the overarching villain of season 7.
7. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” (2016)
“The Return of Doctor Mysterio” is essentially a riff on superhero stories, and Superman in particular. The name is also derived from Doctor Who‘s name in Mexico, which, according to how former showrunner Steven Moffat perceives it, sounds quite like a superhero out of the Marvel or DC roster. But what ultimately makes this episode so special isn’t its allusions to other genre works, but the script’s clever dialogue and characterization.
6. “The Next Doctor” (2008)
For a moment there, Russell T. Davies really had us believing that David Morrissey would be the next incarnation of the titular character, or at the very least an incarnation not accounted for. “The Next Doctor” follows the perfect Doctor Who Christmas special formula because it has intrigue, action, and an epic conclusion that features The Doctor once again saving Earth on the eve of a new year.
5. “Twice Upon a Time” (2017)
“Twice Upon a Time” was the last episode of both Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor and Steven Moffat as showrunner, so they naturally formed it into a love letter to Doctor Who and its awe-inspiring history. David Bradley brings William Hartnell’s First Doctor to life, while Capaldi says goodbye to the role by explaining what being The Doctor is all about. Frankly, I couldn’t think of a better sendoff than this.
4. “Last Christmas” (2014)
As the 10th and 11th Doctors would say, “Last Christmas” is a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff. This episode feels like Aliens meets Inception, and at its heart lies the emotional entanglement of two souls that simultaneously bring out the best and the worst in each other. Also, it features Santa Claus. Yes, the actual Santa Claus. And he’s portrayed by Nick Frost. Name a more perfect casting. I’ll wait.
3. “A Christmas Carol” (2010)
By now, you must have realized that Steven Moffat tries to spin his Christmas specials around real pop culture phenomena, and “A Christmas Carol” is no exception. I mean, what better way to pay homage— nay, recreate Charles Dickens’ immortal story than having The Doctor traveling through time to show a person their past and future? What’s more, our Ebenezer Scrooge — known in this story as the wealthy businessman Kazran — is portrayed by the late Michael Gambon, which is always a plus in my book.
2. “The End of Time” (2009)
“The End of Time” isn’t just one of the best Christmas specials; it’s also one of the best Doctor Who episodes in history. David Tennant’s swan song happens in the course of this epic two-parter, where his incarnation goes up against The Master and the potential return of the Time Lords, who seem hell-bent on bringing about the end of time itself to save a vestige of Gallifrey before its inevitable doom. You couldn’t watch “The End of Time” in 2010 without tearing up at Tennant’s goodbye, and that statement holds after all these years.
1. “The Time of the Doctor” (2013)
It may speak to the melancholia-adoring fanatic in me that my two favorite Christmas specials are among the most heartbreaking, but trust me, I don’t love “The Time of the Doctor” merely because it marks Matt Smith’s farewell tour. This was the culmination of several season-long story arcs, and though some people may describe it as rushed, I think twists like the Siege of Trenzalore, the first and oldest question, and the fall of the Eleventh were handled as gracefully as possible.
There’s something about Christmas that always brings out my reflective, gloomy side, and no story in Doctor Who or any other media has been able to capture it quite as well as “The Time of the Doctor” does.
