10 Doctor Who Cliffhangers That Made You Say WHAT?!

9. The Twelfth Doctor Meets Santa (Death In Heaven)

Nick Frost Santa Doctor Who Death In Heaven
BBC Studios

Considering that Doctor Who aired a Christmas special every year between 2005 and 2017, it's rather surprising that it wasn’t until 2014 that we finally saw the Doctor encounter Santa Claus himself!

Or, Jeff, as the Eleventh Doctor knows him.

Midway through the closing credits of the Series 8 finale, the Doctor is suddenly awoken by a knocking at the TARDIS door, and Nick Frost’s Father Christmas just casually strolls in, asking the Doctor what he wants for Christmas.

We knew that the next episode would be a Christmas special so that part wasn’t surprising, but the introduction of a “mythical” being like Santa – and the suggestion that the Doctor was an acquaintance of his – definitely left us with some questions.

Mainly... what's on the Doctor's Christmas list?

This cliffhanger also played out in a mid-credits scene, something that was unheard of in Doctor Who at the time.

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.