03. Voyage of the Damned
A personal favourite, this episode does its own take on Poseidon, though the ship is a nuclear-powered space cruiser named after the most famous doomed ship in history. You know the one. Though the true villain is a little cheesy, I do enjoy this episode. You learn a lot about the culture of another planet we don’t even see, some great acting, particularly from Clive Swift, and I really like the supporting characters in this. Maybe I just like the disaster genre a lot. The killer angel robots are quite threatening and there is some lovely music. On the negative side, Kylie Minogue, who started off as an actress, somehow gives a weak performance and Geoffrey Palmer was wasted.
02. The End of the Time
This was going to be number one, but I decided to change my mind. The Tenth Doctor’s last episode is long, drawn out, and worth every moment for the sheer raw emotion that David Tennant brings to his beloved version of the Doctor. The story isn’t all that thrilling on paper, but the acting makes it worth while – the Master (John Simms) makes a comeback, much more likeable after Simms’ over-hammy performance in the character’s appearance, and formulates a sinister plot to find the origin of the tormenting drumbeat in his head.
Accompanied by Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins), Donna’s granddad, the Doctor has to stop his old enemy, particularly when the Time Lords make their fantastic comeback led by President Rassilon (played by an outstanding Timothy Dalton).
I admit the Tenth Doctor’s goodbye is dragged out, but I don’t care, since this did count as a goodbye to then-showrunner Russell T. Davies and the characters he had created. At times, it does feel there was a limited budget, since it comes with choppy special effects, boring aliens, and a lot of time running around quarries and a spaceship’s underbelly. Cribbins, Simms, and Tennant are all just brilliant, it is sad saying farewell to the Davies-era cast (who I still long to see again), and the musical use during Tennant’s regeneration is some of the show’s most iconic. I didn’t want you to go either, Doctor.
01. The Christmas Invasion
The first Christmas special and definitely the best, mainly because it was my first, and the story is pretty awesome. The newly regenerated Doctor and Rose (Billie Piper) crashland in London, but the Doctor has to spend most of the episode in bed. This doesn’t help when a giant island-shaped spaceship appears over London and the evil Sycorax hypnotise a third of mankind to stand on roofs. Believe me, it was quite disturbing seeing imagery of all those people looking ready to jump at the age of fourteen. David Tennant and Billie Piper give great performances, and I love the sense of despair and betrayal Rose goes through following the Doctor’s regeneration. The creepy Santa pilot fish with their weaponised instruments and the killer Christmas tree are great monsters. Definitely a winner!
What is your favourite Doctor Who Christmas special? Have they improved or worsened in quality? Leave a comment below or on our Twitter feed.
