Doctor Who: Ranking The Christmas Specials From Worst To Best
8. The Runaway Bride (2006)
This special is best remembered, and rightly so, as the episode that introduced Series 4 regular Donna Noble. Catherine Tates memorable performance as the sassy and frequently hilarious companion is, indeed, the highlight of this Russell T Davies episode, with the moments between Donna and the Tenth Doctor as enjoyable as they were occasionally heartfelt. As the Doctor mourns the loss of Rose (something that is not yet a tired element of his arc), Donna acts as a breath of fresh air, and the foundations of her brilliant character are well laid. Meanwhile, the reliably excellent David Tennant shows the chilling, unforgiving side of the Doctor against the Racnoss in a defining, and heartbreaking, moment of his character, and of the whole series. Other than the two leads performance, the rest of the episode is classic RTD, with a modicum of standard silliness and the somewhat over-the-top Empress of the Racnoss so much so that it begins to feel more like an uninspired and somewhat duller rehash of the superior The Christmas Invasion than an original story. Overall, The Runaway Bride isnt bad, but thats about it. Certainly some of the charm of the RTD era, and Doctor Who in general, comes from repetition and homage, but this second Christmas special flounders from attempting to mimic the merit of the first. Aliens attacking London twice, even on Christmas, we can believe; but homicidal Christmas trees and robot Santa Clauses twice? Either the Racnoss and the Sycorax have been swapping ideas, or Russell T Davies had already ran out of them.
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.
