Since "The Church on Ruby Road" resurrected the tradition of the Doctor Who's modern era began in 2005 when Russell T. Davies revived the show. Before then, there had only ever been one Christmas special, the First Doctor (William Hartnell) episode "The Feast of Steven", which aired on Christmas Day, 1965. 40 years later, David Tennant's Doctor Who debut, "The Christmas Invasion" established the annual tradition of the festive special, something which has been brought back by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies.
During the Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall era, the BBC took a different approach to the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but a select few are very highly revered.
18 The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
Aired Christmas Day, 2011
The second Matt Smith Christmas special is his weakest, despite a charming festive premise. To pay back a favor, the Eleventh Doctor spreads some Christmas magic for the grieving Arwell family. The only problem is that while the emotional heart of "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe" is in the right place, it's severely lacking in dramatic stakes. Inspired by C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this Steven Moffat Christmas special sadly fails to replicate a villain as terrifying as the White Witch.
17 The Return of Doctor Mysterio
Aired Christmas Day, 2016
In the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steven Moffat decided to write a Doctor Who Christmas special that was inspired by Christopher Reeves' 1978 Superman movie. It was an odd choice to capitalize on the superhero trend with references to a nearly 40-year-old movie, but that's not the biggest crime of "The Return of Doctor Mysterio." In a year that had no regular Doctor Who, it didn't feel special to have Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas running around in New York on Christmas Day in a disposable story that felt incredibly dated.
16 Revolution of the Daleks
Aired New Year's Day, 2021
The second of Chris Chibnall's three Dalek specials feels like a big Doctor Who blockbuster movie, but it spends too much time keeping the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) away from the action. In short, "Revolution of the Daleks" is a Doctor Who special that tries to achieve too much. Chris Chibnall struggles to balance the amazing central premise of the UK government sanctioning the use of Daleks as law enforcers with the return of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Not only that, but the episode also tries to fold in the departures of Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole). Still, the scale is impressive.
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With Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials at an end, it's time to look back over the best and worst of the Doctor's birthday celebrations.
15 Resolution
Aired New Year's Day, 2019
Interestingly, "Resolution" isn't Doctor Who's first New Year's Day special, nor is it the first one to feature the Daleks. In 1965, a week after the first Doctor Who Christmas episode, "The Feast of Steven", the episode "Countdown" aired on New Year's Day, 1966. It featured the First Doctor (William Hartnell) facing off against the Daleks and then witnessing the New Year celebrations in London.
"Resolution" fails to break into the upper echelon of Doctor Who holiday specials for its forgettable nature.
"Resolution" takes place after the celebrations, and the sleepy, hungover energy adds to the threat posed by the lone Dalek. It's a thrilling update of "Dalek" that reintroduces Doctor Who's greatest monsters and re-establishes a single Kaled mutant as one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. Still, "Resolution" fails to break into the upper echelon of Doctor Who holiday specials for its forgettable nature.
14 The Church on Ruby Road
Aired Christmas Day, 2023
For good or ill, "The Church on Ruby Road" has a very different feel to the Christmas specials of Russell T Davies' first Doctor Who era. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson make an immediately winning impression as the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, which fits in well with the new vibe of Doctor Who's hit Goblin song and the impressive Goblin King, it's hard to escape the fact that the scale of the episode is pretty small, with large parts of it unfolding in Ruby's flat. While it sets up a thoroughly enticing storyline for Doctor Who season 14, "The Church on Ruby Road" loses points for turning out to be a string of red herrings.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special Was Secretly A Soft Reboot For The Show Ahead Of Season 14
"The Church on Ruby Road" is a good point for new Doctor Who fans to the show, and there are parallels to the first revival episode.
13 The Snowmen
Aired Christmas Day, 2012
"The Snowmen" is a Doctor Who Christmas special that had a lot to achieve, and it largely succeeded where other specials failed. It provided a proper introduction for Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, which is as utterly charming as it is intriguing. It reintroduced the classic Doctor Who villain the Great Intelligence (Ian McKellen) and its human host, Dr. Simeon (Richard E. Grant), who would play a big part in the 50th anniversary. Better yet, it introduces Michael Pickwoad's stunning TARDIS set, one of the best of the modern era. All of this lifts "The Snowmen" above the slightly unconvincing moroseness of the Eleventh Doctor's post-Amy and Rory.
12 Eve of the Daleks
Aired New Year's Day 2022
"Eve of the Daleks" is Chris Chibnall's funniest Doctor Who script, further lifted by the talents of comedy actors John Bishop, Aisling Bea, and Adjani Salmon. Effectively Groundhog Day, but with Daleks, it's a thrilling hour of Doctor Who. There's romance, action, and a brilliant cold open. What's even more remarkable is that this was a last-minute addition when Chris Chibnall's original idea for a New Year's special proved too expensive and complicated to achieve amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a real triumph over adversity that gives Jodie Whittaker one of her finest hours.
11 Last Christmas
Aired Christmas Day, 2014
No other show but Doctor Who could put Santa Claus (Nick Frost) in John Carpenter's The Thing and confidently pull off the tonal mismatch. "Last Christmas" isn't the best Moffat-written special, but it balances its festive themes with Doctor Who tropes very well. It's frightening, outrageously funny, and beautifully poetic. The potential ending for Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) pulls the rug from under the audience, and before they have the time to adjust, Santa Claus rides to the rescue to give the Doctor and Clara a second chance together. The best Christmas stories are about redemption and second chances, and "Last Christmas" nails this.
10 Joy To The World
Aired Christmas Day, 2024
Doctor Who's 2024 Christmas special is another festive installment to feature a moping Doctor in the wake of a companion's departure. While it's a shame that Ruby departed at the Villlengard - the Doctor's "old enemy."
Watching Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor traverse Earth's history without using his TARDIS results in a very energetic affair.
The solid sci-fi concept takes somewhat of a backseat and breezes past the fact that humans have developed time travel by the 43rd century, which is an enormous piece of Doctor Who canon to discover in the context of a Christmas special. Regardless, watching Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor traverse Earth's history without using his TARDIS results in a very energetic affair with a lot to enjoy.
9 Voyage of the Damned
Aired Christmas Day, 2007
"Voyage of the Damned" has its flaws, but it's a fantastic adventure that could take place at any point in the year. While the Christmas themes being optional could arguably hurt its ranking when it comes to festive specials, it's such a thrill ride that the weaker components are easy to ignore. It also features one of Doctor Who's best one-off companions as it introduces Kylie Minogue's Astrid Peth in the same installment as it kills her off. Even if just to wonder what could have been if Astrid had survived, "Voyage of the Damned" is worth a yearly rewatch.
In 2023, "Voyage of the Damned" received a direct sequel in the form of a short story in Steve Cole's Ten Days of Christmas anthology book.
