Every Doctor Who Christmas Special Ranked From Worst To Best
1. A Christmas Carol (2010)
Doctor Who was in a very good place in 2010, with Moffat and Smith's first run of episodes proving one of the best years of the show since it was revived. And on top of the series itself, they also - somehow - managed to produce Doctor Who's greatest Christmas special to date, on their first go. Not bad.
Moffat once stated that he'd "never been so excited" about one of his scripts, and you can tell, because A Christmas Carol is him at the top of his game. Layered, poetic dialogue ("one last day with your beloved... which day would you choose?"). A constantly-shifting plot that forces the characters to grow or change (old Kazran's difficult decision to doom Abigail is downright tragic). Memorable quips and plenty of laughs ("give me time, and a crayon!"). Clever integration of timey-wimey shenanigans. It's Christmassy as hell too, with Santa hats, snow, carols, and family dinners. The Doctor even gets to play Santa after he climbs down a chimney, and Matt Smith, as ever, sells this comedy with the perfect amount of whimsy and arm-flapping.
On top of all that, A Christmas Carol features what is arguably the most inventive use of time-travel Doctor Who has ever seen. Eleven, in an effort to redeem Michael Gambon's Scrooge-esque Kazran, journeys into the past to alter a home video of him as a kid, while old, grumpy Kazran watches said video - live - from the present day. Later, the Doctor brings young Kazran into the future to show him the bitter man he will one day become, making old Kazran his own ghost of Christmas future.
It's truly affecting storytelling, and while we all know that Kazran will inevitably redeem himself, the road to reach that resolution is unpredictable, creatively executed, and flat-out magical. The sumptuous set design and stellar creature effects also match the quality of the script, resulting in an episode that's strong all-around, and - besides the Ponds being sidelined - is nearly impossible to fault. Geronimo!
-
Which of these episodes are you rewatching over the holidays? Let us know, and be sure to leave your own rankings in the comments section - and Merry Christmas!