The Doctor Who Christmas Specials, Ranked

Happy holidays, Whovians! ‘Tis the season to hop into the TARDIS and explore all of time and space. If you can’t do that, your laptop or TV screen is a fine substitute. Few series capture the spirit of the holiday season quite like Doctor Who. For me, it’s always on the celebratory agenda to watch my favorite Doctor Who Christmas specials.

Whether you’re a Tenth Doctor fan, an Eleventh Doctor lover, or a Twelfth Doctor groupie (he does play guitar, after all), these specials have something for everyone. 

Below, I’ve ranked all the NuWho Christmas specials. While I love them all, some have left an indelible impression on me.  

---

13. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” (Twelfth Doctor)

In “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” the Twelfth Doctor’s third Christmas special, Doctor Who dips its toes into the super hero pool, clearly inspired by the Marvel craze. Now, I’m a Twelfth Doctor girlie. I’ll always be on his defense team. However, I feel this is the weakest Christmas special of the bunch. Peter Capaldi’s consistently captivating performance as our titular Time Lord does a lot of heavy lifting to keep this outing afloat. It’s not abysmal by any stretch, but the long-running series has done better. 

---

12. “The Next Doctor” (Tenth Doctor)

“The Next Doctor” finds Number 10 encountering a strange fellow who refers to himself as “The Doctor.” He’s even got a TARDIS and a companion, Rosita (of course, this is a post-Rose world for our Doctor). David Morrissey guest stars as a fun mirror to David Tennant’s eponymous Gallifreyan. However, the episodic narrative falls a bit short, even with a giant CyberKing wreaking havoc on 19th-century England. That said, it’s still in my rewatch rotation for the holidays. 

---

11. “Last Christmas” (Twelfth Doctor)

Santa Claus is coming to … Doctor Who. How can you make a Christmas special without the unspoken King of Christmas himself, Santa Claus? I love that the show got Nick Frost to play Old Saint Nick. That’s top-tier casting right there. I’m not super into the Dream Crabs or the story, but there are elements from “Last Christmas” that I enjoy, such as Capaldi and Jenna Coleman’s dynamic as the Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald. Plus, Frost makes for a delightful Santa. 

---

10. “Christmas Invasion” (Tenth Doctor)

Tennant bursts onto the Doctor Who scene with “Christmas Invasion,” an episode that’s definitely from 2005. The Doctor is newly regenerated and must tackle evil Santa robots and the formidable Sycorax, who want to enslave half of Earth’s population. This outing gives us a taste of what to expect with Tennant’s Tenth Doctor — plenty of vim and vigor with a hefty dose of charm and fury. Russell T Davies also injects some campiness into the special, especially with those weird Santa robots. 

---

9. “The Snowmen” (Eleventh Doctor)

“The Snowmen” marks Clara’s second appearance in the series. It establishes Clara’s journey as The Impossible Girl, for better or worse (I didn’t mind that arc, to be honest). For a Doctor Who Christmas special, this episode is quite dark. However, there’s plenty to love, from Coleman and Matt Smith’s chemistry to the scene where Clara enters the TARDIS for the first time. There’s an atmospheric quality to it.

---

8. “The End of Time, Part 1 and 2” (Tenth Doctor)

I debated whether to include the second part since it premiered on New Year’s Day in 2010, but it all counts, I suppose. This two-parter serves as the Tenth Doctor’s swan song. I adore John Simm as The Master, and his on-screen dynamic with Tennant is, dare I say it, masterful.

Plus, Wilfred Mott makes everything significantly better. Oh, and who can forget the Avengers: Endgame-esque vibe of including practically every supporting character/companion from the series thus far? My only gripe is that I feel Tennant’s farewell was too drawn out. By the end, his farewell had lost quite a bit of meaning for me. 

---

7. “Voyage of the Damned” (Tenth Doctor)

Justice for Astrid Peth. She deserved to be a companion, at least for a few episodes. Kylie Minogue brings a heaping helping of charisma to the table in “Voyage of the Damned,” a special that really taps into the Tenth Doctor’s more adventurous side. It’s just plain fun. It’s also worth noting that even interstellar space cruisers named after a certain ship that sunk in 1912 aren’t immune to collisions. 

---

6. “Twice Upon a Time” (Twelfth Doctor)

This delightful Christmas special blesses us with David Bradley’s stellar performance as The First Doctor (he’d make William Hartnell proud). Capaldi and Bradley are pitch-perfect together. On another note, I’d be remiss if I omitted the gut-wrenching farewell between the Twelfth Doctor, Bill Potts, and Nardole. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I really dig their group chemistry. It’s a beautiful sendoff for Number 12 and Capaldi’s tremendous contributions to the series. 

---

5. “The Runaway Bride” (Tenth Doctor)

Is there a better pairing than the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble? I can safely speak for everyone with a resounding “nope.” I’m not a fan of the occasional romance angle the series takes with the Doctor and their companions. I prefer a friendship or sibling dynamic. I adore 10 and Donna’s brother-sister energy. It’s an absolute blast. Plus, anyone who can keep the Doctor in line is a winner in my book (perhaps that’s why Clara is my favorite companion). The episode itself is buckets of fun, too. Buckets. 

---

4. “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe” (Eleventh Doctor)

Admittedly, the Eleventh Doctor instantly springs to mind when I think of Doctor Who and Christmas. He exudes BCE (Big Christmas Energy). His inherent playfulness, curiosity, and childlike wonderment fit the holiday season so well. The aesthetics are gorgeous; the narrative concept is solid. It boasts such a hopeful tone and allows the humans to be the heroes of their story.

---

3. “The Time of the Doctor” (Eleventh Doctor)

“We’re all stories in the end.” Nobody knows that better than the Eleventh Doctor. While the Twelfth Doctor is my favorite, the Eleventh is a close second. Matt Smith delivers one of his best performances in “The Time of the Doctor” as Number 11 takes his bow. Plus, the Doctor spends time in a town called Christmas. In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.”

The Doctor gets a new regeneration cycle courtesy of the Time Lords, which is essential for the longevity of this series. Lastly, the Eleventh Doctor has my favorite goodbye speech of the NuWho Doctors. It’s sweet, wistful, empowering, surprisingly hopeful, and has a dash of Amy Pond. Ugh, someone get me a box of tissues.

---

2. “The Husbands of River Song” (Twelfth Doctor)

I adore River Song (we share a name, for starters), and as much as I loved her with the Eleventh Doctor, I recall desperately wanting her to pair up with the Twelfth Doctor. Thankfully, the Who gods answered my prayers. “The Husbands of River Song” whisks Number 12 and River away to Darillium. If you’ve seen season 4, you know the significance of Darillium, especially in River’s arc. The Doctor and River have their final date for that night, which lasts 24 years on Darillium. 

Capaldi and Alex Kingston’s chemistry is everything I could’ve wanted. Their scenes made me bawl like a baby. This special has it all — sharp comedy, heartstring-tugging drama, and a bittersweet tonal shift that feels inexplicably buoyant. 

---

1. “A Christmas Carol” (Eleventh Doctor)

 You knew this one would snag the top spot. How could it not? The late, great Michael Gambon guest stars as a Scrooge-like character who undergoes a transformation by the episode’s end. Doctor Who puts its sci-fi spin on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s a whimsical, lighthearted adventure that boasts immersive visuals, creative world-building, stellar performances, and a dose of the holiday spirit. “A Christmas Carol” is an annual must-watch for me.

---

What’s your favorite Doctor Who Christmas special? Join the conversation alongside other Doctor Who fans at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!