Since its very first Christmas special in 1965, Doctor Who has celebrated the Holiday period with 25 brilliant festive episodes. Ever since Russell T. Davies and the BBC revived Doctor Who in 2005, special adventures celebrating Christmas and New Year have become commonplace in the long-running sci-fi series. While these specials have become much more prevalent in recent years, the classic era of Doctor Who did feature one Christmas-themed episodes and three more episodes released on New Year’s Day.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In total, there have been 25 Doctor Who episodes released to celebrate Christmas and New Year. 20 of these episodes have been released as part of the series’ modern era since the 2005 revival, while one is yet to release, as a Doctor Who Christmas special has been confirmed for 2026. Doctor Who’s future has been confirmed, so we’re excited to see many future incarnations of the time-traveling Time Lord celebrate the Holidays when the series returns, continuing the legacy of some of the best Christmas and New Year episodes from Doctor Who’s 62-year history.
25) “The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Feast of Steven” (December 25, 1965)
During the epic 12-part “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” released as the fourth serial of Doctor Who’s third season back in 1965, “The Feast of Steven” hit our screens as the series’ first ever Christmas special. Named for Steven Taylor (Peter Purves), one of the First Doctor’s (William Hartnell) companions, “The Feast of Steven” acted as a standalone episode within “The Daleks’ Master Plan.” The TARDIS team engaged in funny hijinks at a Liverpool police station on Christmas Day, and then visit a Hollywood film set in the 1920s before returning to their battle against the Daleks.
Notably, “The Feast of Steven” ends with the Doctor turning to the camera and wishing the audience a Merry Christmas. This was the first of the few instances that the Doctor has broken the fourth wall in Doctor Who. The most recent time this has happened was at the end of 2025’s “The Reality War,” when the new Sixteenth Doctor (Billie Piper) greeted the audience with a surprised, “Oh, hello!”
24) “The Daleks’ Master Plan: Volcano” (January 1, 1966)
After “The Feast of Steven” released on December 25, 1965, “The Daleks’ Master Plan: Volcano” released on New Year’s Day, 1966. This episode, however, made no mention of it being a new year, and simply returned the First Doctor, Steven Taylor, and Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) to their battle against the Daleks. The Monk (Peter Butterworth), another renegade Time Lord who had fought the Doctor and his companions in previous adventures, also had a role in this serial. “Volcano” saw the Daleks chase the Doctor and his companions in their own time travel vessel.
23) “Day of the Daleks: Episode 1” (January 1, 1972)
The first episode of the ninth season of Doctor Who hit our screens on January 1, 1972, but, again, “Day of the Daleks” made no mention of it being New Year’s Day. During his exile on Earth, the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is met by three time travelers coming from a future where the Daleks have enslaved humanity. Interestingly, Marvel Comics writer John Byrne has stated that he was unconsciously inspired by “Day of the Daleks” when writing 1981’s Days of Future Past storyline, giving this serial an important place in Doctor Who and Marvel history.
22) “The Face of Evil: Part One” (January 1, 1977)
The fourth and final classic Doctor Who episode released in the Holiday period was “The Face of Evil: Part One” from 1977. This serial marked the debut of Leela (Louise Jameson) as the Fourth Doctor’s (Tom Baker) new companion after the departure of Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) in “The Hand of Fear.” “The Face of Evil” again makes no mention of it being a new year, instead pitting the Doctor against the powerful split-personality computer Xoanon, that had been experimenting with human eugenics. After this 1977 episode, we didn’t get another Holiday episode for almost 29 years.
21) “The Christmas Invasion” (December 25, 2005)
When Doctor Who returned to our screens in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus, Christmas specials became an annual event and essential viewing for any fan. The revived series’ first Christmas special, “The Christmas Invasion,” featured the Tenth Doctor’s (David Tennant) first full adventure following his regeneration in “The Parting of the Ways” that June. While the Doctor suffered the aftereffects of regeneration, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) reunited with her family to deal with the Sycorax ship appearing over London. The Doctor eventually woke and saved the day and had Christmas dinner before leaving with Rose.
20) “The Runaway Bride” (December 25, 2006)
After the tragic ending of the Doctor and Rose’s adventures together in “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday,” he was suddenly joined in the TARDIS by Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). Donna had been manipulated by her fiancé (Don Gilet) and the Empress of the Racnoss (Sarah Parish), who wanted to feed her children at the center of the Earth. The Doctor was saved during “The Runaway Bride” by Donna, and while she initially refused to travel with him, she joined him later on as a permanent companion in the TARDIS.
19) “Voyage of the Damned” (December 25, 2007)
Doctor Who’s 2007 Christmas special again picked up after the departure of a companion from the TARDIS, this time Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). The Doctor accidentally collided in space with a space-faring version of the Titanic, where he met Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue), who helped him find and defeat Max Capricorn (George Costigan) after the cyborg set the ship on a collision course with Earth. Astrid wasn’t lucky enough to survive, but the Doctor was joined by Midshipman Alonso Frame, played by Russell Tovey, who has been recast in The War Between the Land and the Sea.
18) “The Next Doctor” (December 25, 2008)
After Donna departed the TARDIS with one of Doctor Who’s most emotional scenes, the Tenth Doctor embarked on a few solo adventures leading up to his eventual regeneration. His first saw him cross paths with a man claiming to be the Doctor in “The Next Doctor,” but he turned out to be Jackson Lake (David Morrissey), a Victorian man who was attacked by Cybermen and absorbed the memories of the Doctor while fighting them. The Doctor freed Jackson, reminded him of his past, and reunited him with his son before sharing Christmas dinner with him in a rarity.
17) “The End of Time — Part One” (December 25, 2009)
Released on December 25, 2009, “The End of Time — Part One” marked the start of the Tenth Doctor’s final regular adventure. He teamed up with Wilfred Mott (the late Bernard Cribbins), Donna Noble’s grandfather, to investigate the Master’s (John Simm) resurrection and scheme to take over the world and bring the Time Lords and Gallifrey out of the Time War and into the present day. “The End of Time — Part One” explored a hugely emotional turning point for the Doctor, as he knew his time in this popular incarnation was coming to an end.
16) “The End of Time — Part Two” (January 1, 2010)
“The End of Time — Part Two” completed the Tenth Doctor’s final story on New Year’s Day, 2010. The Master almost succeeded in his plans to bring the Time Lords back, but Rassilon (Timothy Dalton) planned for them to ascend to non-corporeal forms while the rest of creation would be destroyed. The Doctor and the Master teamed up to defeat them, but Wilfred Mott found himself trapped in a cubicle about to be flooded with deadly radiation. The Doctor took his place, bringing on his regeneration after a beautiful and heartfelt farewell tour, and a seriously heart-wrenching goodbye to David Tennant.
15) “A Christmas Carol” (December 25, 2010)
Matt Smith took over as the Eleventh Doctor and embarked on his first Christmas special in 2010’s “A Christmas Carol,” inspired by the Charles Dickens story. The Doctor took on the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past, as he traveled through miser Kazran Sardick’s (Michael Gambon) history to turn him into a better person so he might turn off a cloud layer on his world in the present, allowing a crashing ship to land safely. This was a beautiful—and at times hilarious—story, made even more spectacular by the addition of Katherine Jenkins as Abigail.
14) “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” (December 25, 2011)
In a solo Christmas adventure, the Doctor took on a job as the caretaker of recently widowed Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) during their holiday vacation in 1941. The Doctor gifts the children a portal to another world where the Christmas trees are alive, but their timing is poor, as a team have been sent to raze the trees for energy. The Arwells help the Doctor save the trees, and also use their new power to save Madge’s husband, Reg (Alexander Armstrong), giving everyone a Christmas to remember and a happy ending.
13) “The Snowmen” (December 25, 2012)
Following a tragic and emotional farewell to Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), the Eleventh Doctor retired and exiled himself to 1892 London. A chance meeting with Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna Coleman), who had previously appeared as a human converted into a Dalek, and the arrival of the Great Intelligence manipulating snowmen and toying with Dr. Simeon (Richard E. Grant), draws him back into action, however. This Clara isn’t lucky, but the Doctor found another version of her, and her repeated appearances earned her the title of the “Impossible Girl.”
12) “The Time of the Doctor” (December 25, 2013)
After David Tennant said goodbye to Doctor Who in a Holiday special, Matt Smith followed in his footsteps, as he finally regenerated after protecting the town of Christmas on Trenzalore in “The Time of the Doctor.” At this time, Doctor Who had established that the Doctor was in his final incarnation, so Clara begged the Time Lords—through the crack in the universe—to give him more regenerations, allowing him to regenerate and continue. This has since been retconned, but it was great to see the Doctor use his upcoming regenerative energy to finally bring down his enemies.
11) “Last Christmas” (December 25, 2014)
Following the shocking battle against Missy (Michelle Gomez), the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara found themselves briefly separating. They came back together in “Last Christmas,” however, which saw them join a team of unlikely individuals in a dreamscape involving alien parasites and Santa Claus (Nick Frost). “Last Christmas” was a surprisingly emotional Christmas special for Doctor Who, not one that is all fun and festive games, but one with deep heart and rawness in the wake of the Cybermen’s attack and Danny Pink’s (Samuel Anderson) death.
10) “The Husbands of River Song” (December 25, 2015)
We first met River Song (Alex Kingston) during the Tenth Doctor’s era before she made most of her appearances as the Doctor’s wife and Amy and Rory’s daughter opposite Matt Smith. On-screen, she only met the Twelfth Doctor once, but it would be him who she’d spend the majority of her time with. “The Husbands of River Song” marked a full-circle moment as the Doctor reunited with River in the moments before she would venture to the Library and sacrifice her life. After battling robots and aliens, they spend a 24-year-long night together on Darillium, finally getting a happy ending.
9) “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” (December 25, 2016)
In 2016, we went an entire year without a full season of Doctor Who, but Peter Capaldi returned as the Twelfth Doctor after his long night on Darillium with River Song in 2016’s “The Return of Doctor Mysterio.” Years after meeting Grant Gordon (Justin Chatwin) as a child—who swallowed a wish-granting gemstone—the Doctor reunited with Grant, now operating as the superhero the Ghost, granted powers by the stone. This episode established Nardole (Matt Lucas) as the Doctor’s new companion, and was a fun standalone episode inspired by superhero characters from Marvel and DC.
8) “Twice Upon a Time” (December 25, 2017)
Following in the footsteps of David Tennant and Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi also said goodbye to Doctor Who in a Holiday special. 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time” picked up immediately after the tragic and intense two-parter, “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls.” This two-parter saw Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) converted into a Cyberman, and the Doctor shot, leading to his regeneration. The First Doctor (David Bradley) also regenerated after a battle with the Cybermen, but they joined forces to investigate Testimony and have the Twelfth Doctor’s memories restored before they were ready to move on.
7) “Resolution” (January 1, 2019)
The first Holiday special for the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) was a strong addition to her otherwise-divisive era. “Resolution” marked the shift from Christmas specials to New Year’s specials for the Thirteenth Doctor, as she and her companions reteam to take on a scout Dalek, originally out of its casing and controlling humans, on New Year’s Day in 2019. This episode had an emotional core thanks to the introduction of Aaron Sinclair (Daniel Adegboyega), the estranged father of companion Ryan (Tosin Cole), and had a new take on the Daleks, Doctor Who’s longest-running villains.
6) “Spyfall: Part 1” (January 1, 2020)
In 2017, “The Doctor Falls” seemed to see the Master (John Simm) kill his future self (Michelle Gomez) stone dead, but “Spyfall: Part 1,” 2020’s New Year’s Day special, brought back the legendary Doctor Who villain. Sacha Dhawan took on the role of the Master, and quickly became a fan-favorite addition to the series who was revealed to be manipulating events to put intelligence agents around the world under attack from alien forces. This story continued on January 5, 2020, in “Spyfall: Part 2,” which revealed that Gallifrey had once again been destroyed.
5) “Revolution of the Daleks” (January 1, 2021)
Following his return to Doctor Who in “Fugitive of the Judoon,” 2021’s New Year’s Day special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” finally reunited Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and the Doctor. Despite Barrowman being the subject of allegations, his reunion with the Doctor was welcome, and there was some fun sequences in this special that saw the Daleks—in the wake of “Resolution”—try to infiltrate the British government after the creation of drones from their casing. Ryan and Graham (Bradley Cooper) left the TARDIS in this episode, but “Revolution of the Daleks” failed to capture the emotion of this moment.
4) “Eve of the Daleks” (January 1, 2022)
In three of four of her New Year specials, the Thirteenth Doctor battled the Daleks, but 2022’s “Eve of the Daleks” put a fun twist on the story. The Doctor, Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Dan (John Bishop) find themselves stuck in a time loop with Sarah and Nick (Aisling Bea and Adjani Salmon) in a storage facility, all being pursued by an Executioner Dalek. The confinement of a storage facility provided some interesting limitations to the story, which made “Eve of the Daleks” a fun and fresh watch, even after some disappointing turns during the Thirteenth Doctor’s era.
3) “The Church on Ruby Road” (December 25, 2023)
After Doctor Who’s game-changing bi-generation in “The Giggle,” the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) retired on Earth while the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) went swanning off in the TARDIS. His first full adventure was in “The Church on Ruby Road,” which introduced Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) as the Doctor’s new companion, and saw the pair battle goblins in their flying ship over London after they attempt to kidnap a new foster baby. This episode introduced the mystery of Ruby’s birth parents—which ultimately had a lackluster ending—and showcased how high-energy and exhilarating Gatwa’s tenure in Doctor Who should have been.
2) “Joy to the World” (December 25, 2024)
Unfortunately, Russell T. Davies’ return as Doctor Who’s showrunner alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor wasn’t as well-received as many had hoped. This was even true for “Joy to the World,” despite it being written by Doctor Who alum Steven Moffat. “Joy to the World” starred Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan as Joy Almondo, who teams up with the Doctor in the wake of Ruby’s departure from the TARDIS to solve a mystery surrounding a briefcase and a time-travel hotel. With a rushed and confusing ending and seriously-boring villains, “Joy to the World” didn’t have the emotional punch it needed.
1) 2026 Christmas Special
There was a lot of confusion surrounding the departure of Ncuti Gatwa’s in “The Reality War” in 2025, as he had been expected to return for a third season as the Fifteenth Doctor. Despite the confusion, “The Reality War” set up a wild storyline for the now-confirmed 2026 Christmas special, as Billie Piper returned to Doctor Who—not as Rose Tyler, but seemingly as the Sixteenth Doctor. For a time, we didn’t know when this would be paid off, but we will see Doctor Who return on Christmas Day, 2026, after a year’s break, so hopefully this strange turn of events will be fully explained.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools. -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Courtesy of Saber Interactive
