What with David Tennant back in the TARDIS, Ncuti Gatwa’s brand-new Doctor around the corner, and the 60th anniversary officially here in just a few weeks, there’s never been a better time to be a Doctor Who fan. And the good news just keeps on rolling in as new/old showrunner Russell T. Davies has confirmed that one of the show’s most beloved traditions that was bizarrely junked five years ago is finally making a comeback.
That’s right, Doctor Who Christmas specials are making their return. One of the best innovations of the revived series, which began airing in 2005, was the creation of an annual festive standalone adventure for the Doctor, which quickly became a fixture for both fans and casual viewers. Sadly, though, the yuletide treat was ditched for the Jodie Whittaker era, replaced by a much less satisfying run of New Year Specials.
With Davies, the man who came up with the Christmas Special concept in the first place, now back at the helm, however, the yearly one-offs will be returning starting next year. Speaking in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (via TVZone), Davies confirmed that he’s currently penning the script for Christmas 2024’s episode, thereby revealing we’ll be getting a special every year like old times.
“For the first time ever, I’m writing a Christmas Special… at Christmas!” Davies teased. “And this isn’t for next year, no, the 2023 script has been long since signed-off. The new one is for end-of-year 2024!”
As you’d expected, Whovians are going wild over this news, with #DoctorWho trending on Twitter this Wednesday morning as the celebrations got underway.
Expect many more iconic RTD Christmas moments to come our way over the next few years.
In the same interview, Davies promised that he has big ambitions for the show moving forward. “It takes a while to get the empire in shape, but that’s a serious plan: annual Doctor Who, no gap years,” he assured us. For some fans, that’s the biggest thing to get excited about.
Has Doctor Who found its own answer to Marvel’s Kevin Feige? Let’s hope so.
Doctor Who returns to mark its 60th birthday in November 2023.