For the first time since 2017, last year saw an episode of Doctor Who air on Christmas Day on BBC One in the UK, and on Disney Plus in the rest of the world. For many kids growing up through the 2000s and 2010s, it just didn't feel like Christmas without the Doctor on our screens, and it's given us some of the most enjoyable and thrilling adventures through time and space.
The Doctor Who Christmas special is back again this year, so we've decided to put every Christmas (and New Year's) special since 2005 together in the list so we can see the very best of what the holiday season can offer this sci-fi juggernaut, as well as the very worst. It's worth noting that this is all down to personal taste, so we can't guarantee you'll agree with our rankings.
The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe (2011)
If the name of this episode makes you think you're in for a delightful Narnia parody, then prepare to be disappointed.
This episode highlights a lot of the worst qualities of the Eleventh Doctor, along with Steven Moffat's writing style. The Doctor feels like a childish cartoon character in this episode, with jokes that mostly fail to land while he flails about the place. While there is a magical winter forest hidden inside a box, it's not even remotely the focus of the episode, instead giving way to an underwhelming story of a forest being destroyed.
Then, after trying very hard to be a whacky romp from start to finish, it takes a turn into serious territory right at the end – a turn so sharp it might give you whiplash. It's impossible to get invested in, or feel emotionally fulfilled by, the story of a World War 2 pilot making it home for Christmas when it's buried under all this nonsense.
Revolution of the Daleks (2021)
Chibnall's use of the Daleks exclusively in the New Year's specials was for the most part pretty good, but this episode is by far the worst of that trilogy.
The much-hyped return of Captain Jack Harkness ended up not mounting to much, as while it was nice to see his beloved character again, he didn't do much of consequence, and the few times he tries to insert himself into Yasmin's inner conflict over traveling with the Doctor, it falls flat.
The plot itself is your standard Chibnall-era nonsense, where way too much is going on to be engaging, none of the secondary characters are anything worth investing in, and it ends with the Doctor getting a TARDIS to commit suicide – a move that seems extremely questionable at best.
The Next Doctor (2008)
At the very least, The Next Doctor was an episode that was marketed well. It was known that David Tennant was leaving the show at this point, so an episode promising to introduce the new Doctor before Tennant's departure had the whole fanbase hooked.
What we actually got was a by-the-numbers adventure with someone who wasn't really the next Doctor, even if David Morrisey did put in a good performance as the character. The bait-and-switch wasn't that much of an issue, but it didn't go down well with what was easily the worst Cyberman story of the revival up until that point. It failed to make the iconic villains seem like a threat, and the mystery of who this fake Doctor truly is isn't interesting enough to pick up the slack.
Eve of the Daleks (2022)
Despite being low on this list, Eve of the Daleks is a pretty good episode that uses a time loop concept in a fun way. The problem is quite simply that it's steeped in the usual problems from this era of the show.
The two new secondary characters introduced in this story are entirely forgettable, so much so that the only reason I remember them is because comedian Aisling Bea plays one of them – and even then, that's the only detail I can name off the top of my head. It made the Daleks into a decent threat, but they were ultimately stopped in fairly underwhelming fashion.
Then there was the constant teasing of Yasmin's feelings for the Doctor. The idea was interesting at the time, but in hindsight, we now know that it went absolutely nowhere, with either Chibnall or the BBC higher-ups chickening out of allowing a female Doctor to kiss another woman.
The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2016)
There was a lot riding on this episode at the time, as it was the only episode of Doctor Who released in 2016 and it's...good. That's it. It's just good.
A superhero parody in the Doctor Who universe could easily have been a dumpster fire, but this episode manages to make it work, integrating it into a solid – if not spectacular – plot about a secret superhero teaming up with the Doctor to stop an alien threat. It's not the most memorable or impressive episode ever, but neither is it bad in any meaningful way – it's just a baseline good episode.
The Snowmen (2012)
"Snowmen but evil" is the exact kind of concept that you're right to roll your eyes at, and it is inarguably a pretty stupid idea for the monster of the week. Thankfully, they are a relatively small part of this otherwise good episode.
We got to play around with the central mystery of Series 7 a bit more, with what was by that point the second version of Clara who dies by the end of the episode, and the chemistry between her and Matt Smith's Doctor was clear to see – even if the following series didn't quite capitalize on it.
We got some more classic antics with the Paternoster Gang which is always fun to see as our heroes battle the Great Intelligence, a memorable villain even if the Doctor defeats him a little too easily for my liking.
Resolution (2019)
If you only watched Resolution once when it first came out, then I recommend you watch it again, as you may be pleasantly surprised by what is one of the best episodes of the Chibnall era.
It plays with a concept that I have always believed to be true, which is that one Dalek carving a path of destruction is more tense and terrifying than a giant army of them ever could be. While it may not quite recapture the genius of 2005's episode, "Dalek", Resolution manages to make this single Dalek feel like a real threat for the first time in years.
It's not perfect – it certainly didn't need to have loads of random new abilities – but it creates a straightforward plot of a Dalek and a Time Lord outwitting each other that's a lot of fun to watch. Also, there's a subplot about Ryan's deadbeat dad returning – which is fine, I guess.
Voyage of the Damned (2007)
Christmas episodes don't always need to be some grand tale that has rippling consequences in the Whoniverse. Sometimes they can just be really fun self-contained adventures, and that's what Voyage of the Damnded is.
It hooked people in with having Kylie Minogue as the guest star, and then treats us to a classic disaster movie with a sci-fi twist, as our band of colorful characters make their way through the wreckage of the space Titanic. It's not an overly clever episode, but it is a gripping adventure as the characters move from one action setpiece to the next, culminating in a tragic but satisfying finale.
Twice Upon a Time (2017)
The problem often stated with this episode is that it wasn't meant to exist. The Twelfth Doctor was originally planned to regenerate at the end of The Doctor Falls, but upon learning Chibnall was planning to skip that year's Christmas special, Moffat hastily put one together to save the timeslot for the show.
The result is an episode that's surprisingly good, if a little pointless. Bringing in David Bradley to officially play the first Doctor was a great move after his portrayal of William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time, and he has great chemistry with Capaldi's Doctor. It's not as good of a regeneration episode as The Doctor Falls would've been, but it was still a nice send-off to Capaldi's Doctor with something unique.
The Church on Ruby Road (2023)
Rather than seeing a Doctor out, this episode introduced us to a new Doctor. We got a little taste of Ncuti Gatwa in The Giggle but this was the first time he'd carry an adventure on his own. The Church on Ruby Road gave us a little taste of everything Gatwa would bring to the role over the next season, for better and for worse.
His energy is infectious and his chemistry with Ruby is immediately endearing. The singing and dancing aren't to everyone's tastes, but a Christmas special is perhaps the most appropriate place to put it, and to that end, the Goblins felt like a good fit for this story, pushing some of the more fantastical elements we'd see throughout the next season.
The Time of the Doctor (2013)
Another time the Doctor regenerated at Christmas, and this one was a bit of a rollercoaster in quality. It starts very fast-paced and fun but grinds to a sudden halt in the middle. It's not a bad story, and seeing the Doctor stick around to defend a small town is nice, but it never feels like it's going anywhere or building to anything.
Eventually, things pick up when the inevitable regeneration kicks off as Smith gives one last great speech before changing into the next Doctor. Even if the episode doesn't quite deliver like one might hope, there's always a monumental feeling around a regeneration that makes it worth the journey.
The End of Time (2009/10)
A two-part adventure set across Christmas and New Year's, The End of Time is yet another regeneration episode, but one that also manages to be a thrilling adventure on top of the big moment.
The whole plot of the Master converting every human into himself is a little weird and gets undone almost immediately, but it plays well into how the Time Lords enter the picture. It rounds out David Tennant's time as the Doctor in spectacular fashion, with huge action scenes as well as touching character moments, courtesy of having Bernard Cribbins as Wilf on the TARDIS team.
No matter what you think of the moment itself, the build to Tennant's regeneration is beautiful and felt like a proper send-off to what many see as the golden era of the show.
The Husbands of River Song (2015)
Giving River Song a proper ending was no easy feat given we saw her death and resolution in her very first appearance. However, this episode managed to say goodbye to this character in a satisfying way, giving her and the Doctor one last adventure together before a heartwarming final scene.
The story itself is fine. The plot is nothing special, but the interactions between the Twelfth Doctor and River make it something memorable – especially as we see a turning of the tables from River's first adventure, with her now being the one who doesn't recognize the Doctor. It all culminates in their romantic scene on Darillium, simultaneously setting up an episode from seven years prior, and satisfying the audience in the present.
Last Christmas (2014)
It took a few watches before I really clicked with this episode, but eventually, I realized it's actually rather brilliant. It mixes ideas from insidious horror like Alien, with the strange dreaming concepts of Inception to make something rather brilliant.
It gets rather silly and cartoonish at points – especially when the Doctor and Santa Claus start arguing with each other – but a Christmas special can get away with that a bit more than most. Plus, it softens the blow by giving you an "it was all a dream" twist at the end, but in a way that doesn't undermine the actual events of the story.
It might not be an all-timer of an episode in the grand scheme of things, but for an enjoyable holiday adventure, there aren't many better.
The Christmas Invasion (2005)
Unlike all the Christmas episodes that said goodbye to a Doctor, this one was our first proper taste of David Tennant's Doctor after Ecclestone regenerated, and it lands solidly as one of the better episodes of this era.
Tennant is kept out of action for most of it, allowing Rose and the secondary cast to shine, having to deal with an alien incursion without the Doctor's aid. The Sycorax are just the right level of threat too – they're intimidating and powerful, but they don't make the stakes ridiculously high for a lighter Christmas episode.
When Tennant finally takes the stage it's an amazing performance that shows the Tenth Doctor fully formed, and it's no surprise that the show would quickly become more successful than ever before with him at the helm.
The Runaway Bride (2006)
This is without a doubt the most fun a Christmas episode has ever been. After the heavy tragedy of Doomsday, this is a breath of fresh air with a light tone with plenty of laughs amidst the action.
Catherine Tate put in such an amazing performance as Donna that not only did she come back as a full-time companion a couple of years later, but she's one of the most beloved companions of all time. It's no wonder they chose her to feature in the recent 60th anniversary specials.
It deals with a bit of the Doctor's sadness at losing Rose so recently but doesn't bog down the episode, instead using Donna to bring laugh after laugh, not to mention some all-time great Doctor Who action scenes. The whole sequence where the Doctor pilots the TARDIS down the motorway while trying to save Donna is edge-of-your-seat stuff.
A Christmas Carol (2010)
Moffat's first Christmas special was something genuinely incredible. Taking the classic holiday tale as the base, this episode twists it. Instead of confronting the grumpy old man in his present, the Doctor goes back in time and changes his childhood memories right before his eyes.
It tells a touching love story among the wild adventures the Doctor goes on to try and get Kazran to change his heart and save his friends. However, it also plays around with how messed up it is that the Doctor can do something like that, showing us how disorienting it is for old man Kazran to be forming these new memories as they play out for his child-self right in front of him.
It's a brilliant sci-fi twist on a classic Christmas story and stands as an all-time great Doctor Who episode.
English (US) ·