Every Doctor Who Christmas Special Ranked From Worst To Best

David Tennant's first full episode as the famous Time Lord is an odd one, in that he's barely in the damn thing. After an opening sequence which sees him crash the TARDIS in the middle of London, he faints, and aside from a short sequence, is out of action for the next 30 minutes.

It's a weird way to introduce a new Doctor, and it doesn't always work. On the one hand, spending more time with his companions - the trio of Rose, Mickey, and Jackie, in this case - helps develop them into distinct, well-rounded characters, rather than disposable TARDIS-fillers. But on the downside, the absence of the Doctor means we spend a lot of time in control rooms with stern government officials staring at screens. Everyone just looks bored, like they're waiting for the Doctor to return themselves.

This story would have been better off as a regular 45-minute episode - at a full hour, it's stretched woefully thin, and it's just not interesting enough in that middle stretch of Doctor-less plot. When Tennant finally emerges, however, things liven up considerably, and his wacky, gleeful, edgier Doctor is a joy to watch for the final 20 minutes.

The episode also features a giant spinning alien-controlled Christmas tree attacking Rose, Mickey and Jackie, which is probably the most Doctor Who thing that has ever happened. So points for that.