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  • Nu-Who
    1. Ncuti Gatwa
    2. Jodie Whittaker
    3. Peter Capaldi
    4. Matt Smith
    5. David Tennant
    6. Christopher Eccleston
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    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    B-Bye Bradley

    October 6, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    2024Kristmas #4 – Twice Upon the First

    December 21, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    2024Kristmas #3 – The Man With All The Toys

    December 16, 2024

    2024Kristmas #2 – It’ll Be a Wild Blue Christmas

    December 10, 2024

    2024Kristmas #1 – Seasons Beastings

    December 3, 2024

    Pre-Embering the Fireplace

    May 5, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    The Dark Jacket Dimension

    November 13, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

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    May 21, 2025
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    Hurt So Good: A Doctor and His Umbrella

    April 27, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    Ten’ll Get You Five

    September 4, 2020

    Double Doctor Dastardly Danger

    April 25, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    McGann Before McGann

    May 26, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    Ghost Re-Write

    November 16, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Dup-topia

    January 29, 2020

    The Glue Guy

    June 24, 2018

    Doctor on Doctor ACTION!

    November 19, 2017

    The Wheel in Cheese

    August 10, 2014

    The Hurt Locker

    May 25, 2013

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Colo(u)r
    1. Sylvester McCoy
    2. Colin Baker
    3. Peter Davison
    4. Tom Baker
    5. Jon Pertwee
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    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    A Studio Film (or rather a film in the studio)

    June 9, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Fivey at Forty: The First Companion Death of 1982

    March 16, 2022

    Sweet, not Effete

    April 5, 2025

    Arguably Arguable

    August 19, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    The End of Enlightenment

    January 13, 2025

    What’s in a Number? Occasionally Everything

    November 23, 2024

    A Spot of Gray in a Sea of Color

    November 19, 2024

    ⅔ of a Magic Number, but None Too Shabby Either

    October 1, 2024

    The Truth That Supports the Lie

    March 15, 2025

    The Golden Sweep of Tom Baker Begins

    December 28, 2024

    Déjà Who, All Over Again

    February 8, 2024

    XCited for Tom

    January 27, 2024

    Living Day-to-Day with The Candy Man

    July 31, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Monochrome
    1. Patrick Troughton
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    Stock(s) Company

    September 9, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    The TARDIS whirled on it’s way again…

    December 24, 2024

    Have a Feast @ Doctor Who’s Tragical History Tour!

    December 6, 2024

    Quarter Zip

    July 21, 2024

    Roll Without the Rock, or the Schlock

    July 15, 2024

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
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Xmas Marks the Spot Matt Smith David Tennant Christopher Eccleston

The Last ‘Last Christmas’ Specials Rankings #3

By -- DSWDecember 24, 201804 Mins Read
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So this is the inevitable IT.  What we here at the Tour assume will be our final look at the legacy of 13 years, and 16 overall Doctor Who Christmas Specials.  These are the final five.

#5 – The Dæmons – The #5 entry is quite frankly a bit of a cheat as it’s a bit of a stretch to make the list, but on December 28, 1971, BBC One aired the omnibus movie version of The Dæmons. That sure sounds like a Christmas Special to us here at THT Worldwide.  Of course in terms of pure feel, The Dæmons is much more of a Halloween story (even though the story itself takes place in April) but the joy of it all is watching the pure esprit-de-corps of the cast moving through the story. The stakes here are every bit as high as during any of the ‘modern’ Christmas specials, but this is a team effort, and not just the Doctor up against a series of explosions.

#4 – The Snowmen – On the scale of Smith-massy-ness the ranges runs from The Time of the Doctor (low) to A Christmas Carol (very high–and yet to show on the list).  The Snowmen, #4 on our countdown, attempts to split the difference between the two.  On the one hand it’s very much a bridge episode between Series 7a and 7b and it brings back the Great Intelligence to set up Series 7b.  At the same time there are definite dream-like qualities as Clara ascends the staircase to the stars and such.  Those parts were lovely.  And since The Snowmen is Jenna Coleman’s first proper story, it’s certainly an inflection point for the Matt Smith era.

#3 – The Unquiet Dead – Who said the Christopher Eccleston didn’t have a Christmas Special?  Okay technically he didn’t, but he did have a Christmas story.  And what a joy it was.  You can’t get more Dickensian than a story which features the man (Simon Callow) himself.  #3 in our Christmas countdown, was a deliberate throwback in style and intent,  The Unquiet Dead was not only a story set in the past, but done at Christmas time, and a zombie-story (of sorts) to boot.  It was understandable that long-term fans would gravitate immediately to this story more than others for the more traditional elements within the story, but the reason it rings in at #2 here is that 5+ years on (and also incidentally the only story in our list NOT to be shown on Christmas day itself) it that deftly turned Dickens own story a bit on Dickens himself, keeping the joy for the character but also providing a touchstone for viewers as well.

#2 – The Christmas Invasion – For a long time this was always our #1 story, but this time around there’s no shame in slipping a spot to #2. What can we say, you never forget your first special. The first of the modern run of Christmas Specials not only had to entertain the masses, it was the first post-regenerative story in the modern era and had to educate viewers in that as well.  Then RTD made the bold decision to work against viewers expectations by withholding Tennant’s full appearance until the last third of the story. But what sets this story ahead of all others in our opinion is it’s sense of scale. While very much a Christmas story, the invasion as the title suggests was massively global, and the way the cast reacts seems very in keeping. Rose’s increasing helplessness and courage in the face of the threat make the story work. Piper was probably never better than here. And Tennant showed in his brief twenty minutes many of the manic qualities which defined his early run of stories.

#1 – A Christmas Carol – The final story in our Christmas countdown was also the first…. for Matt Smith.  A Christmas Carol was a deft combination of Moffat-style timey-wimey as well as a neat turn of the Dickens classic.  For this reason alone it stands atop of the Christmassy-ness of all the Christmas Specials to date.  The fairy tale qualities of flying fish and masterpiece casting of Michael Gambon provided an amazing first Smithmas for us all.  Any story which gets Tour Honchos a little misty at the end of the story is almost by definition a great story, and having watched it again quite recently only reaffirmed it’s ascension to #1 in our eyes.

Short Hops:

Pieces of Eight — The 8 Specials of Christmas The Ten Specials of Christmas — #4 The Last ‘Last Christmas’ Specials Rankings #2
The Snowmen A Christmas Carol The Christmas Invasion Christopher Eccleston The Unquiet Dead The Dæmons Xmas Marks the Spot Matt Smith David Tennant Jenna Coleman
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

June 2025

Saturday June 21

1969: The War Games [10]
Recurs yearly
2008: Turn Left
Recurs yearly

Sunday June 22 – Monday June 23

2024: Empire of Death
Recurs yearly

Monday June 23

1973: The Green Death [6]
Recurs yearly
2007: The Sound of Drums
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Tuesday June 24

1967: The Evil of the Daleks [6]
Recurs yearly
1972: The Time Monster [6]
Recurs yearly
2006: Fear Her
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2017: World Enough and Time
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Wednesday June 25

1966: The War Machines [1]
Recurs yearly

Thursday June 26

1965: The Chase [6--The Planet of Decision]
Recurs yearly
2010: The Big Bang
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Friday June 27

1964: The Sensorites [2--The Unwilling Warriors]
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Saturday June 28

2008: The Stolen Earth
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Monday June 30

2007: The Last of the Time Lords
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Random Thoughts

Fashionably Hate

By -- DSWNovember 10, 2017 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read

Somewhere JN-T must be smiling about now.

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The Sunday Stratagem

By -- DSWMay 4, 2025 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read
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