Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The show has been a large influence in the media since its inception in 1963. Along with the regular series, special

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

episodes were initially broadcast every year, beginning with "

The Christmas Invasion "The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of David Te ...

" (2005) and ending with " Twice Upon a Time" (2017). Beginning with the

Thirteenth Doctor The Thirteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the fictional protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme, ''Doctor Who''. She is portrayed by English actress Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the character, st ...

, the traditional Christmas special episode was moved to the following

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

timeslot, with episodes being produced for the holiday, beginning with " Resolution" (2019) and the most recent special being "

Eve of the Daleks "Eve of the Daleks" is the first of the 2022 specials of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast on BBC One on 1 January 2022. It was written by Chris Chibnall, and directed by Annetta Laufer. The ep ...

" (2022).

Episodes

Classic era

During the first run of the programme (1963–1989), special episodes were not a frequent occurrence. During the third season, the twelve-part serial ''

The Daleks' Master Plan ''The Daleks' Master Plan'' is the mostly missing third serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in twelve weekly parts from 13 November 1965 to 29 January 1966. Thi ...

'' was broadcast weekly over the 1965–1966 Christmas period, with its seventh and eighth episodes scheduled for Christmas and New Year's Day respectively. The former, "The Feast of Steven", was scripted as a comic interlude in the style of a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

, in the middle of an otherwise epic adventure. In its final scene, as the Doctor and his companions celebrate Christmas with a toast, the

First Doctor The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time ...

(

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Brig ...

) turns to the camera and breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

by saying "Incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home." The following episode, "Volcano", returns to the main narrative of ''The Daleks' Master Plan'', although its ending briefly features a contemporary New Year's Eve. No subsequent episodes of the series' original run were broadcast on Christmas Day; the first episodes of '' Day of the Daleks'' (1972) and ''

The Face of Evil ''The Face of Evil'' is the fourth serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 22 January 1977. This serial marked the debut of Loui ...

'' (1977) were first shown on New Year's Day, but make no reference to the holiday season.

Revived era

Home media release

The Christmas specials between "

" and "

Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records International, CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side and B-side, A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK ...

", inclusive, were released as a DVD and Blu-ray boxset titled ''Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials'' on 19 October 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Who Christmas and New Year's specials, List of

Lists of British drama television series episodes Lists of British science fiction television series episodes Lists of television specials New Year's television specials Science fiction television specials