Every Doctor Who Christmas Episode, Ranked

The Doctor Who fandom loves a big, spectacular Christmas Special and so far, the franchise has not disappointed. It’s often a bitter-sweet moment for the series because the Doctors usually choose the festive specials to regenerate; so there are plenty of Christmas Specials which had the fans bidding farewell to a Doctor and welcoming a new one.

But the best part about each stand-alone special is how seamlessly it straddles wonderment, a sci-fi-led plot, and a whole lot of drama and yet stays rooted in the festive spirit. But which is the best Doctor Who Christmas special? 

10 The Runaway Bride

This one features British comedian Catherine Tate in the role of Donna Noble; the chemistry between Tate and David Tennant was the true star of this episode. The plot for this Christmas special was rather long-winded, there was, of course, time travel and a whole lot of aliens involved. But the Doctor Who fandom collectively agrees that sci-fi Christmas Specials need to be more simplistic and somewhat frolick-y than usual. But despite the flaws, the special is no doubt enjoyable and action-packed and has a lot of humor.

9 The Christmas Invasion

This special features the first full-episode appearance of David Tennant as the tenth Doctor, so it was kind of an orientation episode for him. And the set-up for this special was rather intriguing. The Doctor doesn’t seem to be coping well with his regeneration that has supposedly gone wrong and he theorizes that the energies from his regeneration is drawing a powerful enemy towards him and he eventually collapses.

Though Tennant spends an awful lot of time unconscious in the episode, the script of this special is really well-designed. It’s not too jolly or festive and just the right kind of dramatic. Plus, the Doctor picks his pinstripe suit and duster jacket costume at the end of this special which makes it all the more special.

8 The Snowmen

This was a rather amusing special with a few surprises, and was the ideal Christmas watch. Plus, it broke tradition because it wasn’t set up like a standalone episode and was linked to the chronology of the series which made it all the more exciting. The feel of the episode was really Christmassy in the classical sense – it was set in the Victorian era and found the Doctor in hiding. The Doctor meets Clara and turns out they are both investigating the appearance of mysterious snowmen that are building themselves. The plot is anchored around the suspense regarding the Doctor’s next companion, and in a way was a really gratifying watch for the fandom.

7 Voyage Of The Damned

This special has a rather different tone than the other Christmas specials, there’s a lot of unexpected adventure and quirky plot devices and an appearance by Kylie Minogue (who plays a waitress named Astrid). The TARDIS collides with a space vessel named the Titanic from the planet Sto, which is modeled on the earthly ocean liner of the same name.

It is currently orbiting the earth to observe human cultures, specifically Christmas. The Doctor, of course, has to save the day and save some aliens but Tennant is a pro with crafty, gimmicky writing and it really pays off because he carries the episode quite effortlessly.

6 Twice Upon A Time

The Doctor Who fandom has often picked this Christmas special as the most heartwarming one, owing to the sense of nostalgia, especially because it marks the final regular appearance of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, the first official appearance of Jodie Whitaker as the next Doctor, and also features Game of Thrones star David Bradley as the very first Doctor. There’s a lot going on in this Christmas special and was a gift for true Doctor Who loyalists. The build up of the episode was crisp and had a fantastic tonality. Interestingly, the similarities between the first and the twelfth doctor are played up quite a bit which makes the script funnier and crisper, plus Whitaker’s entry into the franchise is really well-handled, especially considering how it was already hyper-publicized.

5 The End Of Time, Part One

This two-part Christmas special marked the last appearance of David Tennant who is widely considered to be the best and the most versatile Doctors in the franchise’s history. This was also the last ever episode written by Russell T Davies, who spearheaded the return of the Doctor Who series to British television in the early 2000s.

This special was a little grim in tone as the Doctor is haunted by the prophecy of his demise, and encounters his old nemesis The Master. Ten minutes into the first part of the special fans assumed it was going to be a rather sad farewell, but the two episodes proved them wrong as Tennant’s farewell was handled splendidly and was followed by a seamless transition to the next Doctor.

4 Last Christmas

One of the most loved Doctor Who Christmas specials, this one was rather old school and was perhaps one of the best standalone festive specials. Firstly, it’s the most Christmassy special yet, because the Doctor and Clara literally need to work with Santa Claus to save people from a North Pole science base from dark creatures called dream crabs. Interestingly, the Doctor has to solve a human, earthly, problem in this one and not an inter-planetary one, although there was a bit of time travel involved which keeps things rather interesting. The Doctor also asks Clara to be his companion at the end of this episode. 

3 The Husbands Of River Song

The best thing about this Christmas special is definitely how neatly it handles River Song’s arc, and also balances an intriguing plot development and a great climax. The Doctor Who fandom loves taut Christmas special storylines so no one was expecting River Song to get featured in one because her trajectory on the show is such a crucial one. But the makers do a clever job of playing up the chemistry between River and The Doctor and also make way for a rather fulfilling ending, without making it too corny. In a way, this episode had the feel of a rather gripping Christmas rom-com which was quite a novelty. 

2 The Time Of The Doctor

One might say that this episode took on quite a lot, but surprisingly smoothens out every knot by the end. The entire episode was as adventure-packed as it was amusing and it was also visually stunning. This was the last appearance of Matt Smith’s Doctor and explores a settlement called Christmas and brings back the Doctor’s people, the Time Lords. The plot is really fantastical but not in an obvious way which makes it the perfect festive watch, because it’s subtly Christmas-sy. The eleventh doctor’s demise was deftly handled without too much sentimental reminiscence which worked in the franchise’s favor.

1 A Christmas Carol

This one is perhaps the most wholesome Christmas Special for the franchise, and possibly the most adventurous. The narration of this episode was rooted in wonderment and old-school story-telling which made it such a perfect Christmas watch. Steven Moffat is a Charles Dickens fan and explored the literary connect seamlessly, with the help of Michael Gambon’s spectacular, Scrooge-ish character Kazran Sardick. In the episode, a passenger-carrying crashing space liner gets caught in a bizarre cloud belt. The Doctor lands on the planet below and meets Sardick who can control clouds but refuses to help. The Doctor basically takes on the mantle of the ghost of Kazran’s Christmas past to persuade him to help out the situation.

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