For 20 years, the Doctor Who Christmas special has been an (almost) yearly tradition, and most of the time, fans know what to expect. If December coincides with The Doctor regenerating, it’ll be a bombastic finale-style special filled with epic twists and major villains – episodes like “The End of Time” and “The Time of the Doctor.” If not, it’ll be a standalone piece of festive fun for all the family like “The Next Doctor” or “Last Christmas.”
The quality of Doctor Who Christmas specials varies wildly. The regeneration episodes are typically great, but stories such as “A Christmas Carol” and “The Runaway Bride” truly define Doctor Who‘s festive format. Alas, the likes of “The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe” are the equivalent of unwrapping coal on Christmas Day… then being told the coal was actually for someone else and you don’t have any presents at all.
“The Christmas Invasion” – David Tennant’s first proper episode of Doctor Who – lands on the stronger end of Doctor Who‘s Christmas special spectrum, but it’s surprising just how miserable the 2005 effort actually is.
Doctor Who’s “The Christmas Invasion” Is Surprisingly Downbeat
At first glance, “The Christmas Invasion” should be the kind of swashbuckling adventure Doctor Who delivers on a regular basis, especially during the holiday season. With killer Christmas trees, robotic Santas, aliens coming to Earth, a noticeably less grumpy Doctor, and a good old-fashioned sword fight at the end, “The Christmas Invasion” looked set to be a tongue-in-cheek stocking-filler to relax with after a huge dinner.
And that’s exactly what “The Christmas Invasion” delivers… in part. Despite being a strong episode, Russell T Davies’ very first Doctor Who Christmas special is a tonal see-saw, because you also get mass slaughter, lots of crying, and allusions to suicide.
The misery begins chiefly with Rose Tyler. From Ben and Polly to Clara Oswald, it’s always an ordeal when Doctor Who companions are forced to adjust after a new Doctor appears, but “The Christmas Invasion” is the only time that scenario has coincided with Christmas. As a result, Tennant’s yuletide debut is filled with scenes of Rose moaning about losing “her” Doctor, crying because the Doctor isn’t helping, and declaring herself useless without him.
The Tenth Doctor only wakes up for the final act, so for the majority of Doctor Who‘s very first Christmas episode, Rose Tyler is about as festive as a stubbed toe. Credit to Billie Piper – losing a Doctor should be a traumatic and emotional experience, but her whinging is very much at odds with the seasonal spirit.
Doctor Who’s First Christmas Villains Were Shockingly Dark
With a brilliantly gruesome design, a fascinating honor-based culture, and a big ol’ spaceship hovering over London, the Sycorax had all the makings of a great Doctor Who villain. Appearing at Christmas, one might have expected them to try taking over the world, or use those Santa-bots to take some children hostage, or perhaps they would simply be after the Doctor’s regeneration energy. But no, the Sycorax’s specialty is apparently forcing people, children included, to take their own lives by leaping from the nearest tall building.
Even for a non-Christmas episode, that feels a little too real. Sure, the victims are being controlled rather than choosing to stand on the precipice of death, but the imagery of people about to jump while their loved ones beg them to step back has a dark parallel to real life. Given the occasion, “The Christmas Invasion” could have opted for a more fantastical threat. Subsequent specials would feature goblins stealing babies, a Scrooge-like inventor, and villains of that ilk.
The closing moments of “The Christmas Invasion” then show Prime Minister Harriet Jones slaughtering Earth’s fleeing enemies when she orders the destruction of the unsuspecting Sycorax ship. It’s a worthwhile moral conversation to have, and very similar to the Brigadier’s assault on the Silurians during Jon Pertwee’s era, but mass murder adds a sour taste to your Christmas pudding.
And, just in case you aren’t gloomy enough by these final scenes, “The Christmas Invasion” has one more trick up its sleeve. Falling snow appears to offer a moment of levity in an otherwise heavy tale, only for the Tenth Doctor to helpfully point out that the snow is, in fact, the ashes of dead Sycorax. What better way to say “Merry Christmas, everyone – love from Doctor Who.”
- Release Date
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2005 – 2021-00-00
- Directors
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Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy
- Writers
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Steven Moffat, Russell T. Davies
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Jodie Whittaker
The Doctor
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