Doctor Who: Every Festive Special Ranked From Worst To Best

In this 2012 Christmas episode, the Eleventh Doctor is dragged out of retirement by the curious case of living snowmen in Victorian London.

He discovers that Frosty and his friends are being controlled by the Great Intelligence, an old nemesis of his that has returned with Ian McKellen's voice.

This is also the second Doctor Who appearance of Jenna Coleman, playing yet another version of the mysterious Clara Oswald. Don't get too attached to this iteration of the character though - she doesn't last long.

While The Snowmen did a lot to establish future plot points, it failed to make effective use of its villains. McKellen was thoroughly underutilised, and we would have to wait a little while longer to see Richard E. Grant fully flex his evil muscles.

Bonus points for the Paternoster Gang though, and that awesome TARDIS entrance shot.