Doctor Who: 10 Worst Things That Have Happened To The Doctor At Christmas

It's a bit of a toss-up between these final two entries, and since they often happen at roughly the same time, they can even go hand-in-hand.

However, we're giving this one the edge because these companion goodbyes have, to date, been definitive goodbyes, whereas a regenerating Doctor could always return for an anniversary special somewhere down the road.

This is actually a NuWho trend that Russell T Davies kicked off on New Year's Day 2010, where the Tenth Doctor visited his first companion, Rose Tyler (along with several other familiar faces), to see her one last time before his regeneration fully kicked in. From here, Amy Pond and the Eleventh Doctor reunited for an emotional scene in The Time Of The Doctor, the Twelfth Doctor spent a final night with River Song in The Husbands Of River Song, and later, that same Doctor said one last goodbye to Clara, Bill, and Nardole in Twice Upon A Time.

The Eleventh Doctor once said "my friends have always been the best of me", and that really is true - these friends are the reason the Doctor carries on fighting, even when hope is in short supply. And so, these final goodbyes are some of the hardest things the Doctor has ever had to go through - not just at Christmas, but all year round.

And for us fans, the people who are rewatching these Christmas specials every single year? Tears. So. Many. Tears.

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It's that time of year again - check out our ranking of the Doctor Who Christmas specials right here!