‘Doctor Who’: All of the Christmas Specials, Ranked
For Doctor Who fans, Christmas doesn’t only mean presents and food and time with family. It means a new episode of the beloved show. Though the show didn’t have a Christmas special in 2018 and instead opted for a New Year’s special in 2019, the Christmas specials still have a special place in the hearts of many Whovians.
There are, however, some Doctor Who Christmas specials that are better than others. So if you’re feeling festive and in the mood for some good sci-fi, keep reading to find out which episodes you should watch. Without any further ado, let’s rank Doctor Who Christmas specials based on their IMDB ratings.
Which are considered the not so good ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas specials, according to IMDB?
The worst Christmas episode based on IMDB ratings is “The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe,” which has a 7.2/10. Not a bad rating for the worst episode. Still, it is rather low for a popular show like Doctor Who.
In this episode, the Eleventh Doctor meets a young woman named Madge Arwell who helps him. He then promises to help her as well, if she makes a wish. Three years later, after her husband is lost in World War II, she wishes for help and it comes in the form of the Doctor. The Doctor gives her children Christmas presents, one of which is a portal to another planet.
Of course, things get complicated and the Doctor ends up saving the day. The second worst episode is “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” which has an IMDB rating of 7.4. In this episode, the Twelfth Doctor meets a young boy named Grant who loves superhero comics. The Doctor is trying to fix some problems with time in New York with a device that he calls a “time distortion equalizer thingy.”
He has a red gem that he wants to put in the device as it is meant to grant wishes. Unfortunately for the Doctor, he gave it to Grant who swallowed it, thinking it was a cough drop. Grant then develops superpowers, which he uses as an adult, turning into a superhero called the Ghost. He helps the Doctor save the day from villainous aliens.
What are the alright ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas specials?
After “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” the third-worst of the Doctor Who Christmas specials is “The Next Doctor,” with a 7.5 rating on IMDB. After that comes “Voyage of the Damned” and “The Runaway Bride,” which both have a 7.6 rating. Then comes “Twice Upon A Time,” with a rating of 8.1. This episode is Peter Capaldi’s last as the Twelfth Doctor, and features the first appearance of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.
This episode shows the Twelfth Doctor not wanting to regenerate. However, after meeting the First Doctor, who also doesn’t want to regenerate, and a World War I army captain, his mind changes. The episode is bittersweet as it marks the end of an era of Doctor Who, but it manages to be heartwarming as well. After that episode, comes “The Christmas Invasion,” also with a rating of 8.1.
What are the best ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas specials?
After “The Christmas Invasion” comes “The End of Time: Part One” with a rating of 8.2. Then comes “Last Christmas” at 8.3. After that is “The Time of the Doctor” with 8.4. Now we’re up to the top three episodes, which are: “The Snowmen” with 8.4, “The Husbands of River Song” with 8.5, and “A Christmas Carol” with 8.6.
That’s right. “A Christmas Carol” is considered the best Doctor Who Christmas special, according to IMDB ratings. This episode features the Eleventh Doctor trying to save a spaceship that is caught in a cloud belt. He lands on the planet below and deals with the unpleasant Kazran Sardick, who can help but refuses to.
To attempt to change his mind, The Doctor goes into Kazran’s past. The Doctor meets a younger Kazran and they visit a woman called Abigail kept in a cryo-unit, who Kazran ends up falling in love with. Unfortunately, she only has one day left to live, so Kazran eventually tells The Doctor to stop letting her out of the cryo-unit so that she will survive.
An older Kazran still refuses to help until The Doctor brings his younger self to see his future. This causes Kazran to change his mind and the ship is saved in the end. Sounds festive and heartwarming to us!
