A Christmas Carol takes the top spot not just because it is a brilliant Doctor Who story, but because it is simply a brilliant story full stop. Though the word Dickensian has been thrown around in previous entries, nothing is quite like Whos transformation of Dickens classic Christmas tale. One might have wondered how Dickens and Doctor Who would mix but this festive, creative answer provided by Steven Moffat left fans wondering why on Earth nobody had thought to mix hem before. The madcap, bouncy Matt Smith is in full force this episode, as a kind of Jacob Marley figure, and he is a delight at every turn. Only Smiths version of the Doctor could hold this episode together, with his zany, Father-Christmas-like quality, along with the heartfelt wisdom of the character, which is incessantly charming and fittingly festive. The eminent Michael Gambon, meanwhile, is perfect as the Scrooge of the story, playing Kazran Sardick as both the villain and the victim with skilled grace. The portions of the episode featuring Kazran as a young boy are just as effective, and lend the episode a heart that binds the narrative together in a way that previous specials havent. The episode has Moffat written all over it, in the best way possible. From the magical ethereality of the alien world, superbly blending sci-fi with Christmas fantasy, to the ingenuity of the reimagining of the classic Christmas Carol elements, with, of course, his own timey-wimey twists thrown in at every opportunity. Unlike some of Moffats later ventures, the standalone story does not suffer from its own ambition, as its only ambition is to tell an entertaining and emotional sci-fi holiday tale. And it does this perfectly, with both the kind of enthusiasm that a planet rife with sky fish entails, as well as the profundity that reminds us, through Kazrans Scrooge-like story and subsequent redemption, what the holiday season is truly about: coming halfway out of the dark.
Canadian student. Spends probably an unhealthy amount of time enthusing over musicals, unpopular TV shows, and Harry Potter. Main life goal: to become fluent in Elvish.
