Doctor Who: It’s official – special will now be broadcast on New Year’s Day
By James Aggas
The news has been a long time coming, but now, it’s no longer just rumor – the Doctor Who special will air on New Year’s Day instead of Christmas.
Well, we’ve finally got the news we’ve been waiting for. After weeks of rumors, it’s been officially confirmed – first by Doctor Who Magazine and then by BBC News – that we’re no longer getting a special episode on Christmas Day. Instead, the special will be broadcast on New Year’s Day.
Despite the heavy rumors, this was something I wanted to hold back from covering until it had been officially confirmed. Especially as it was one of those rumors that was flip-flopping constantly.
First, we heard that there would be no special at all. Then, the rumors were that it was being moved to New Year’s Day. But then more rumors joined in that we were getting a Christmas special after all.
So honestly, it’s nice to finally know for certain, either way. Still, I must admit, knowing that there isn’t a Christmas special this year is pretty strange.
Oh, I’m aware that they were never a thing of the Classic Series. Admittedly, The Feast of Steven from First Doctor story The Daleks’ Master Plan technically counts, as it was broadcast on Christmas Day and did focus on the holiday quite heavily.
But that only occurred as it was the middle of the season, and Christmas Day fell on a Saturday that year anyway. So they decided to make a light episode in the middle of an incredibly dark story, and they never had a proper Christmas episode again. Not until 2005, anyway.
It looks like Twice Upon a Time will be the last Christmas special we’re likely to see, at least for a good long while.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
The end of an era
But the reason why it’s so strange that we won’t be getting a Christmas special this year is that, for the past thirteen years, it had been a huge part of Doctor Who. Sometimes, these episodes would mainly be fun, like The Runaway Bride or A Christmas Carol. Sometimes, they would be surprisingly dark, such as Voyage of the Damned or Last Christmas.
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But often, they were major episodes. We’ve had three Doctors regenerate in stories that aired on or, in the Tenth Doctor’s case, began on Christmas Day. The Snowmen was an effective prequel to The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear, while also building up Clara’s story significantly. Even the first proper special, The Christmas Invasion, had to introduce us to David Tennant’s new Doctor and what he was like.
So even though the specials have only moved by just a week, I must admit, I’m rather sad to see the Christmas specials go. They were a nice additional novelty to enjoy at Christmas. (For some, perhaps, even the most important part of the day to look forward to.)
Still, it’s hardly the end of the world. (Although Doctor Who does come close to it on a regular basis, admittedly.) I’ll be interested to see if the New Year’s Day time slot suits it. And what ideas they have in mind to celebrate the new year. In the meantime, we have plenty more episodes to enjoy of this series before then.
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What do you think of this change of time slot for the yearly special? Will you miss the previous annual airing of Christmas Day? Or do you think New Year’s Day will bring something new and exciting? Let us know in the comments below.