My Top 5 Doctor Who Christmas Specials

I love Christmas time, it’s such a great time of the year, time to spend with family and relatives and time to appreciate everything you have. Also it brings everyone together! My favorite part of Christmas is the tradition of The Doctor Who Christmas Special!

*WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

Every Christmas since Doctor Who was revived in 2005, we as fans have been fortunate enough to enjoy a special Christmas Episode of Doctor Who! It’s become a tradition now to have a Doctor Who episode every Christmas, which I personally love!

Well it’s only a week until Christmas folks! I thought to celebrate the Holidays, and to celebrate the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special that I would compile a list of My Top Five Doctor Who Christmas Specials! There have been nine Doctor Who Christmas Specials to date, but I have narrowed down My Top Five! So here it is My Top 5 Doctor Who Christmas Specials!

5. “The Next Doctor,” Series 4 (2008)

This Christmas Special saw The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) traveling to London in 1851 and encountering another Doctor! The Doctor becomes involved in a Cybermen invasion plot and needs The Next Doctor’s help to stop The Cybermen! This is one of my favorite Doctor Who Christmas Specials because it was such a nice tease to introduce a potential future Doctor (David Morrisey), even if he turned out to just have absorbed The Doctor’s memories. This episode is entertaining, even if the plot is a little weak, and is a great Tenth Doctor episode. After watching this episode, I really want David Morrissey to play the Doctor, he would be incredible! 

4. “The Christmas Invasion,” Series 2 (2005)

This Christmas episode saw the newly regenerated Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in London with his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) suffering from post-regenerative trauma that leaves him bed-ridden, all while aliens are about to invade Earth! The Doctor eventually wakes up and saves The Earth from The Sycorax (killing The Sycorax leader) and establishes the kind of Doctor he will be by saying one of the most bad-ass lines, “No second chances. I’m that sort of a man.” This was a great episode, despite the Doctor being out of commission for a good portion of it and it established the kind of man The Tenth Doctor was and would be for the rest of his tenure. 

3. “The Runaway Bride,” Series 3 (2006)

This Christmas episode saw The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) trying to deal with the aftermath of losing his companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The Tenth Doctor meets sassy Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and together they foil a plot of The Empress of The Racnoss, who is planning to  to revive her species, which will kill everyone of Earth! This was a great episode and is one of my favorite Christmas Specials and Tenth Doctor episodes! The introduction of Donna as a potential companion is great and she doesn’t take anything from The Tenth Doctor, which makes for some hilarious scenes!

2. “The Snowmen,” Series 7 (2012)

This Christmas episode saw The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) in mourning after losing his companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darville). The Doctor is in Victorian London and has decided to stay out of affairs that he normally would be actively involved in. He has secluded himself in an artificial cloud above London and stays in his TARDIS. Bar maid/governess, Clara Oswald runs into the Doctor and when she is notices evil snowmen appearing out of nowhere, she looks to the Doctor for help! This is a great episode and is one of my all-time favorite Doctor Who episodes! I love the idea of the Doctor standing on the side-lines, while evil is afoot and seeing the introduction of Clara Oswald (who is so spunky, feisty, confident and determined) and how she convinces the Doctor to save London from The Snowmen! This is a great Eleventh Doctor story and a great episode for Clara as well.

I really enjoyed “The Snowmen,” but there is only one Christmas Special that deserves the number one spot….

1. “A Christmas Carol,” Series 5 (2010)

This Christmas episode saw The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) trying to convince the miserly Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) to help a Spaceship enter the planet’s atmosphere carrying the Doctor’s companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. The Doctor uses his TARDIS to meet Kazran when he is a young boy altering his past in attempt to turn him into a kinder person. This is in my mind the best Doctor Who Christmas Special to date! The idea of using Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as inspiration for a Doctor Who episode is genius! The Doctor is essentially The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future all at once! This is a great Eleventh Doctor episode that really highlights why Eleven is such a great Doctor. This Christmas episode has everything: action, laughs, Eleven being his usual goofy and zany self and it will honestly make you cry. A Christmas Carol is a great episode that has a lot of heart and that’s why I put it at Number One on My Top 5 List.

Well this concludes My Top 5 Doctor Who Christmas Specials!

What say you? Do you agree/disagree with my list? What do you consider to be the best Doctor Who Christmas Special? Whatever your thoughts let me know!