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  • Colo(u)r
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  • Nu-Who
    1. Ncuti Gatwa
    2. Jodie Whittaker
    3. Peter Capaldi
    4. Matt Smith
    5. David Tennant
    6. Christopher Eccleston
    7. View All

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Tweeners
    1. John Hurt
    2. Paul McGann
    3. The Master List
    4. Regeneration X
    5. The Mystery Guest
    6. The Hand of Fear
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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

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 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

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 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

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Monochrome
    1. Patrick Troughton
    2. William Hartnell
    3. View All

    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

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Tour du Jour
    • On This Day in Doctor Who History
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Roundel Roundabouts Xmas Marks the Spot David Tennant Series 6

The Seven Specials of Christmas — #1

By -- DSWDecember 25, 201002 Mins Read
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A week’s worth of anticipation culminates in this… the unveiling of our #1 in our Christmas Countdown.  If you have been following along you’ve probably already guessed it by process of elimination but it is 2005’s The Christmas Invasion.  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.

Well, well done all the way around.  To recap here was our Christmas Countdown…

  • #7 – Voyage of the Damned
  • #6 – The Feast of Steven
  • #5 – The Next Doctor
  • #4 – The Runaway Bride
  • #3 – The End of Time Pt I
  • #2 – The Unquiet Dead
  • #1 – The Christmas Invasion

Just for grins SFX Magazine did their own genre countdown of 35 Christmas episodes across series… Their (Doctor Who) results were:

  • #22 – The Feast of Steven
  • #16 – Voyage of the Damned
  • #14 – The Unquiet Dead
  • #11 – The Next Doctor
  • #9 – The End of Time Pt I
  • #8 – The Runaway Bride
  • #5 – The Christmas Invasion

For the sake of completeness in the SFX survey #3 in their countdown was the 1965 Avengers story Too Many Christmas Trees — highly, highly recommended and #1 was an episode of Supernatural.

Happy Holidays to all… have a tremendous A Christmas Carol.

Short Hops:

The Ten Specials of Christmas — #1 Pieces of Eight — The 8 Specials of Christmas On the Eleventh Special of Christmas, Doctor Who Gave to me …
Voyage of the Damned The Unquiet Dead Billie Piper The End of Time Pt I Xmas Marks the Spot Roundel Roundabouts David Tennant The Feast of Steven The Christmas Invasion The Runaway Bride The Next Doctor
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

May 2025

Friday May 23

1964: The Aztecs [1--The Temple of Evil]
Recurs yearly
1970: Inferno [3]
Recurs yearly

Saturday May 24

1969: The War Games [6]
Recurs yearly
2025: Wish World
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Sunday May 25

1968: The Wheel in Space [5]
Recurs yearly
1974: Planet of the Spiders [4]
Recurs yearly
2024: 73 Yards
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Monday May 26

1973: The Green Death [2]
Recurs yearly
2007: Human Nature
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Tuesday May 27

1967: The Evil of the Daleks [2]
Recurs yearly
1972: The Time Monster [2]
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2006: The Idiot's Lantern
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2017: The Pyramid at the End of the World
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Wednesday May 28

1966: The Savages [1]
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2005: The Doctor Dances
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Random Thoughts

A Flighty Wind

By -- DSWJuly 23, 2014 Roundel Roundabouts 2 Mins Read

Moffat in the First Degree

By -- DSWFebruary 27, 2016 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read

Bubblehead Doll

By -- DSWJune 6, 2024 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read
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