Poll Favorite Christmas episodes

[The Nth Doctor]

As we near the newest Christmas episode, I thought this would be a good time to look back at the previous episodes and see which ones are everyone's favoritse. I've listed "The End of Time" as one because the second part aired only a week later, so close enough. You can vote for up to three episodes.

For me, the clear favorite is "A Christmas Carol." With it, I felt like the show finally hit the right balance of Christmas cheer and a genuinely fun episode, while having the added bonuses of being a bit of a tearjerker and ending on a lovely note, literally. The only thing I would hold against it is the limited use of Amy and Rory, but Kazran and Abigail did a great job as one-off companions in their stead.

After "A Christmas Carol," I also love "Last Christmas" (while pretending Clara actually left for good) and "The Snowmen," while "The Next Doctor" and "The Husbands of River Song" had great halves (first for the former, second for the latter) that are held back by their respective other halves.

 

[starsuperion]

Voyage of the Damned, had to be a choice. Tennant and Davies were on form. I'll sum it up like this..if I ever, in my life got to hear this exchange as a clip, I would have died and gone to nerd heaven..but in your mind reading this..imagine Tom Baker saying those lines...it's that way thru the entire special. If you swapped them out at their best, you'd get near parody in terms of style and feel.

The Doctor: First things first. One. We are going to climb through this ship. B. (No.) Two. We are going to reach the bridge. Three. Or C. We are going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four. Or D. Or that little iv in brackets they use in footnotes. Why? Right then, follow me.

Slade: Hang on a minute! Who put you in charge? And who the hell are you anyway?
The Doctor: I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I’m nine hundred and three years old. And I’m the man that’s going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?
Slade: No.
The Doctor: In that case, allons-y!

 

[MacLeod]

I'm leaning towards

Voyage of the Damned
The End of Time
The Snowmen

With an honourable mention for

Last Christmas

 

[Allyn Gibson]

My three:

A Christmas Carol
Last Christmas
Voyage of the Damned

If I could have gone for a fourth, "The Snowmen" would have been there. To me, these are the most "complete" packages. The others have moments ("The Next Doctor,' up to the reveal; "The Husbands of River Song," once River realizes she's been with the Doctor all along).

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

A Girl's Best Friend

 

[Starkers]

The Christmas Invasion (Tennant makes a heck of an impression despite being unconscious for half of it)
The Snowmen, great use of the Paternoster gang, Smith's great, Jenna is great, plus I did not see that coming!
Last Christmas, Dr Who does Alien meets Christmas! I just wish Faye Marsay had become a regular companion and Clara had left here.

 

[kirk55555]

I have to go with A Christmas Carol. Its not just my favorite Christmas Special, its easily a Top 3 overall favorite Doctor who story (including both Classic and nuWho).

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The others have moments ("The Next Doctor,' up to the reveal; "The Husbands of River Song," once River realizes she's been with the Doctor all along).

Yeah, those are specifically what I liked about the those two episode. The rest are extraneous filler with "The Next Doctor" wasting Jackson Lake by pushing him into the background for the rest of the episode. I'd be more forgiving of the steampunk giant Cyberman if Jackson had remained the hero of the story.

A Girl's Best Friend

Oh, damn, you're right. I completely forgot about that one. The nice thing about this board's software is that I'm able to add new poll options. Plus I've set the poll so you can change your answers.

Last Christmas, Dr Who does Alien meets Christmas! I just wish Faye Marsay had become a regular companion and Clara had left here.

Yeah, I also really really wish Shona had become the new companion because Faye Marsay was terrific in the role. I just pretend that Clara actually left at this point because this is a far better ending for her than "Face the Raven" and "Hell Bent."

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Yeah, those are specifically what I liked about the those two episode. The rest are extraneous filler with "The Next Doctor" wasting Jackson Lake by pushing him into the background for the rest of the episode. I'd be more forgiving of the steampunk giant Cyberman if Jackson had remained the hero of the story.

Steve Schapanksy of Radio Free Skaro has been live-tweeting a rewatch of the Christmas specials the last week, and when he got to "The Next Doctor" we traded a few tweets.

I've always felt that "The Next Doctor" had a lot of potential that could have and should have been fixed in a rewrite. (The Writer's Tale indicates that RTD was sick when he wrote the script and it was late, so we're seeing what's essentially a first draft.) The two things I'd have done would have been 1) have Jackson Lake save his son and 2) have Jackson Lake in the Hot Air TARDIS (since he built the damned thing -- it was cruel of the episode not to have him fly it). Steve pointed out in our conversation that the reveal that Lake isn't the Doctor needs to come much later in the episode. I realized that, in a rewritten episode, when Lake saves his son, there should be a bit of conversation like this:

LAKE: Who is this boy? Why did I feel so compelled to save him?

DOCTOR: You know him, don't you? Doctor, You've always known him.

LAKE: How can I? I've never seen him before, yet he seems so familiar to me.

DOCTOR (to boy): Tell the Doctor who you are.

BOY: You're my father, sir.

LAKE: Father...? A son...? (Realization dawns.) You're my son. My god, you're my son. My son!

(Teary embrace of Lake and his son.)

DOCTOR: Mister Jackson Lake, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir.

As written and aired, though, RTD loses his interest in Lake once the reveal of his identity is made, so the best part of the episode (David Morrissey as the "Doctor") gets completely lost. An episode in which it's clear to the audience that the Doctor knows that the "Doctor" isn't but he keeps the secret out of kindness while the two Doctors continue to work together would, I think, have been much more potent and emotionally powerful.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yup, I agree with all of that. I hadn't thought of moving the reveal to later in the episode, but the rest of those points have been major bones of contention for me since the episode aired.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

A Christmas Carol and The Snowmen.

 

[starsuperion]

I also chose the End of Time.. To me there are plenty of Christmas movies out there that extoll the virtues of Christmas cheer and spirit. I Choose the End of time because it is the return of the Time lords, Rassilon's first Appearance in the New series, and The Master's resurrection and a return of John Simm as such, it was also the first X-mas special to have the Master in it. Lots of firsts in that episode. First Time we saw the Time Lord Full Council, not just the high council. This made the planet feel bigger, and more representatives in their government for the various areas on Gallifrey.. It's a Great Movie..

 

[Worf2DS9]

What is "A Girl's Best Friend"?? I've never heard of that one!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

What is "A Girl's Best Friend"?? I've never heard of that one!

The pilot episode of K-9 and Company. I didn't think to include it at first until Emperor-Tiberius mentioned it.

 

[Worf2DS9]

^ Ah, okay, thanks. I thought there might have been an actual DW Christmas Special I'd missed somehow!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

^ Ah, okay, thanks. I thought there might have been an actual DW Christmas Special I'd missed somehow!

Well, if you haven't seen it, then you have.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

It should count as an OldWho Christmas special nowadays, since it kind-of sets up Sarah Jane's return in the program in a couple years time with The Five Doctors.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, that's why I've included in the poll now. I hadn't dismissed it...I simply forgot about its existence.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Like most casual fans, I assume.It'd be neat if someone fan-edited it as a DW special, begin it with the '80's DW title opening, then show "new" Tom Baker footage at the end, watching the end of the special, going "Till we meet again, Sarah" once again, then off to go to a new adventure, that being season 18.

 

[Csalem]

RTD did say that he should have ended The Next Doctor with Mrs Hartigan destroying the Cyber-King rather than the Doctor with the weapon. The Doctor should have used his words to have convinced her to do the right thing.

I went for The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned and A Christmas Carol.