It’s been far too long. “Doctor Who” fans have been in a year-long drought since the 2015 Christmas special and finally, at long last, the Doctor is back. The annual “Doctor Who” Christmas special is a time for Whovians everywhere to rekindle their relationship with their favorite Time Lord and an opportunity to get an idea of what’s to come next season — which will also be the last for showrunner Steven Moffat. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” gives “Doctor Who” the opportunity to play around in the superhero genre and we simply can’t wait. Until then though, how will we bide out time? It’s simple.
While you watch the clock, waiting for the Dec. 25 premiere on BBC America, here’s our take on past “Doctor Who” Christmas specials, ranked from best to worst:
1. ‘The End of Time’
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This is a given. David Tennant’s send-off was the perfect goodbye to his Doctor, and his final words — “I don’t want to go” — still make fans emotional to this day. Add that to the fact that the two-parter took viewers to Gallifrey, and this is the best Christmas special yet.
2. ‘The Husbands of River Song’
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At long last, “Doctor Who” fans finally got the River Song (Alex Kingston) closure they were looking for in the 2016 special. Whovians had been waiting for her to eventually return and it just so happens that when she did it was in one of the absolute best Christmas specials the show has ever had. River and the Doctor got to go o an adventure, fight a ridiculously fun baggie in King Hydroflax (Greg Davies) and got to spend the remainder of River’s life together. It was a sad moment to say goodbye to the character, but who’s to say she can’t come back somehow?
3. ‘A Christmas Carol’
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Matt Smith’s first Christmas special is also his best to date. The episode had then-companions Amy and Rory largely absent as the Doctor helped this episode’s Scrooge, Michael Gambon’s Kazran Sardick, resolve his lifetime of crotchetiness. Like all of “Doctor Who’s” best storylines, the underlying romance was beautiful and tragic, and “A Christmas Carol” was a lovely pause in Smith’s mystery-heavy story arcs.
4. ‘Voyage of the Damned’
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If only Kylie Minogue could have been the Doctor’s companion for more than one episode. The Doctor’s loneliness shines through as he travels on the space version of the Titanic, and this kooky episode showcases everything that “Doctor Who” does best. Add that to the heartbreaking end and the fantastic chemistry between Minogue and Tennant, and this is one of the show’s best episodes.
5. ‘The Christmas Invasion’
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The first Christmas special of new “Who” is loved for being just that. Sure, there’s the killer Christmas tree, and Tennant is asleep for a good portion of the episode, and the special effects weren’t at their best, but come on! The introduction of Tennant will always be a fan-favorite.
6. ‘The Runaway Bride’
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For fans of Donna Noble (especially Doctor Donna), “The Runaway Bride” has a special place of honor for introducing her character. While she transforms into a much more interesting companion farther into Series 4, Catherine Tate provides a nice contrast to the romantic relationship between the Doctor and Rose and the one-sided relationship to come after between him and Martha Jones.
7. ‘The Snowmen’
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The second introduction to Clara Oswald was hardly as good as “Asylum of the Daleks,” but “The Snowmen” showed off her spunk and clever personality more than its predecessor. Add that to the fact Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax are added as allies and that the Great Intelligence is first introduced, and it’s definitely not the worst special.
8. ‘Last Christmas’
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While this isn’t necessarily a bad special, it is pretty scattered — and for very good reason. It was originally meant to serve as the exit of Clara Oswald, but instead Jenna Coleman decided at the last minute to stick with the show, necessitating a change in script. That all said, it’s still a fun Christmas adventure for the Doctor and Clara and resolved the issue set up by the Season 9 finale of the companion no longer traveling with the Time Lord.
9. ‘The Time of the Doctor’
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You might think Smith’s final episode would be a special one. Unfortunately, the 2013 Christmas special was a confusing mess. It was also a little too obvious, with the setting being a town called Christmas for no reason whatsoever. There were nice touches — like a cameo by Karen Gillan — but that moment felt more like a slam against Clara than anything else. In the Doctor’s final minutes, he dreamed of the other companion. While it’s an important episode — every regeneration is — it was one of the worst specials yet.
10. ‘The Next Doctor’
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As much as we love David Morrissey, his run as Jackson Lake was a bit bland. The episode gets points for its use of Cybermen, and for continuing the discussion of the Doctor’s feelings of loneliness. But all in all, meh.
11. ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’
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“The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” was a fun twist on “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and had a happy resolution, but it was hardly one of “Doctor Who’s” best specials. The acid rain and wood creatures were some of the zaniest and anticlimactic of “Doctor Who’s” storylines, but at least the final scene where the Doctor join Amy and Rory for Christmas is an emotional gut punch.
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