Every Doctor Who Christmas Special Ranked From Worst To Best

David Tennant's final story (The Day Of The Doctor notwithstanding), The End Of Time was split into two parts - with the second airing on New Year's Day 2010 - and both are a mixed bag. It's a story with so much stuff thrown into it that things inevitably clash, and it doesn't always gel together in a satisfying way.

There are huge, universe-altering stakes (the Master is everywhere! The planet is doomed! The Time Lords are returning!) positioned alongside heartfelt character moments (Tennant's transfixing "I could do so much more!" speech is one of his best moments on the show), giving each episode an emotional punch, but one that's instantly diminished by the next eye-roll-worthy moment, like the Master laughing maniacally as he mugs to the camera. It doesn't click together very well, and you can't help but wonder if a more stripped-back, intimate tale would've been better, since the smaller dramatic moments are this story's best bits anyway.

The final 20 minutes is also too much, with the Doctor going on a tour to visit all his past companions. It's gratuitous and ever-so cringey - for a show all about change, it feels overly clingy and sentimental - and as a gloomy Tennant creeps around the back of Donna's wedding, it almost starts to feel like a parody. His final line is also too meta, making Ten look a bit pathetic rather than sending him off with some dignity.

On the plus side, Murray Gold's score is top-notch, and he capably delivers the feeling of bombast and tragedy necessary to close off Ten's tenure (try saying that over and over), Wilf is as delightful as ever, and if your heart doesn't start to beat rapidly as the Doctor limps back to his TARDIS, you probably don't have one. The End Of Time has its moments, but it's a messy tonal mish-mash overall, and it's a shame that Ten didn't have a more cohesive script to close off his era.