10 Best Christmassy Doctor Who Villains

The Doctor's Most Festive Foes during the Holiday Season.

By Eden Luke McIntyre /

Since its modern revival, Doctor Who and Christmas has gone hand-in-hand like turkey and stuffing, milk and cookies, and Daleks and sink plungers.

Advertisement

Christmas is usually a time for families, friends, food and festivities, but in the Whoniverse, Christmas usually means alien invasions, diabolical villains and, unsurprisingly, festive-themed monsters.

Menacing the Doctor and friends in Christmas Day Specials, these yuletide revellers in death, destruction, mayhem and universal domination have been some of the more iconic and memorable monsters in NuWho.

With Doctor Who's seasonal specials now moved to New Year's Day, the days of Christmas-inspired villains may be over. Perhaps we won't see sentient wrapping paper, alien turkeys or the First Christmas on TV in the near future, but we can appreciate the best seasonal baddies Doctor Who has already offered.

In celebration of Doctor Who's original takes on Christmas, let's look back at some tinselly-threats presenting themselves on our TVs since 2005.

From deadly decorations to sinister snowmen, these are the most Christmassy of Christmas foes the Doctor has ever encountered.

10. Killer Christmas Decorations

"I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie Tyler famously remarked as a lethal Christmas tree hurtled towards her during Doctor Who's first Christmas Special.

Advertisement

2005's The Christmas Invasion, which saw the Tenth Doctor suffering from some post-regeneration festive blues, featured a plethora of enemies trying to derail the Earth's Christmas.

Operated by Roboform Santas in an attempt to capture the Doctor's regeneration energy, this Christmas tree was delivered to the home of Rose and Jackie Tyler. Once activated, this tree spat out a tinny rendition of Jingle Bells before spinning like a saw-blade, slicing its way through Jackie's flat.

Trapped in the flat, even Mickey Smith brandishing a chair at this contraption failed to slow its advance. Only when the Doctor woke and deactivated it with his sonic screwdriver did the Roboforms give up on their last-minute Christmas shopping for his regeneration energy.

Always in the holiday spirit, the Roboforms used Christmas decorations as weapons again in 2006's The Runaway Bride. There they menaced guests at Donna Noble's wedding reception with exploding baubles.

Detaching from Christmas trees and spinning around the room on remote, these well-themed weapons were soon put out of commission by the Doctor before they did too much damage.

Advertisement