Doctor Who: Every Festive Special Ranked From Worst To Best

12. The Runaway Bride

Doctor Who The Snowmen Christmas special
BBC Studios

If your love interest had just been pulled into a different dimension, you'd be pretty bummed out. Equally, you'd be shocked if Catherine Tate turned up in her wedding dress immediately after.

That's the situation the Tenth Doctor finds himself in during 2006's Christmas special, The Runaway Bride.

After returning Donna Noble to Earth, the Doctor discovers that she is part of a plot to populate the planet with a species of spider-like aliens called the Racnoss. He saves the day - but only thanks to Donna keeping his anger in check.

The exploration of the Doctor's heartache is what elevates this otherwise meh episode. The villain isn't the greatest, and the plot isn't either. If it weren't for Donna (and what she meant to the series going forward), this episode would be much lower.

 
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Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.