To prepare for Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode as The Doctor this Christmas, my husband and I decided to rewatch all the Doctor Who Christmas specials. We’ve been doing a rewatch of NuWho recently (Eccleston through Whittaker) and rating each episode to get a good idea of which seasons and Doctors are ~scientifically~ our favorites. We decided to continue this for the Christmas specials since “The Church on Ruby Road” comes out today. And because I write this blog, I decided to bring you guys along for the ride.

Some housekeeping – We are only considering NuWho Christmas specials. There were no Christmas episodes under the Ninth Doctor or Thirteenth Doctor, sadly. Spoilers have been kept to a minimum, but if you’re sensitive to spoilers and haven’t seen these episodes, you may not want to read our commentary!

Without further ado, here is our definitive ranking of every Doctor Who holiday special (at least until we change our minds).

1. “A Christmas Carol,” Aired December 25, 2010, Eleventh Doctor. Episode 213

Husband [H]: 10/10. The best Christmas special. I don’t think one will beat this.

Back Shelf Books [BSB]: Wow. Strong words. I love Michael Gambon in this. I agree it’s a 10. You don’t even have to really know Doctor Who to enjoy this one.

Average Score: 10

–This is our top pick if you know nothing or next to nothing about Doctor Who. It’s a great Christmas episode themed around A Christmas Carol. It’s got Michael Gambon and Matt Smith at his best. It’s wonderful steampunk science fiction, and a great new Christmas tradition to try.

2. “The Next Doctor,” Aired December 25, 2008, Tenth Doctor. Episode 199

BSB: I love Jackson Lake so much. This may be my favorite of the Christmas episodes.

H: I give it a 10.

BSB: I concur.

Average Score: 10

Check out the Ten Days of Christmas anthology for even more Jackson Lake!

3. “Voyage of the Damned,” Aired December 25, 2007, Tenth Doctor. Episode 188

H: This one is peak David Tennant as the Doctor. But dang it, RTD (Russell T. Davies) always makes it sad.

BSB: I know. So well acted. And Kylie Minogue is in this!! Mr. Copper is so precious. And Alonso, of course. It’s a 9 for me.

H: I agree. 9

Average Score: 9

4. “The Runaway Bride,” Aired December 25, 2006, Tenth Doctor. Episode 178

H: This was a fun romp after the Tenant episodes with Rose.

BSB: It was really fun after the recent Tenant specials, too. RTD really came through. Rating?

H: 10. It’s so good. Peak.

BSB: 8. I don’t know about the spider lady. Donna was great, though.

Average Score: 9

5. “The Husbands of River Song,” Aired December 25, 2015, Twelfth Doctor, Episode 263

BSB: I can’t believe this is the only River Song holiday special.

H: Yeah. It’s a really good conclusion to River’s storyline. I’d rate it a 9.

BSB: I’d probably give it an 8.5. I also love Nardole here.

Average Score: 8.75

6. “The Time of the Doctor,” Aired December 25, 2013, Eleventh Doctor, Episode 241

H: A great close to Matt Smith’s era. It’s got a lot of great call-backs and it’s a fun recap to his time as the Doctor. I’ll rate it a 9.

BSB: I loved the town of Christmas. I wouldn’t put this in the top tier of the Christmas specials, but it’s really good. It’s not one I would rewatch as a standalone every year, though. 8.

Average Score: 8.5

7. “The Snowmen,” Aired December 25, 2012, Eleventh Doctor. Episode 231

BSB: I really love the Paternoster Gang in this one. Vastra and Jenny and Strax are amazing. AND it has Ian McKellan.

H: Really good synergy of the characters. Not my favorite sci-fi, though. 8 stars. What’s your rating?

BSB: 9 stars.

Average Score: 8.5

8. “The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe,” Aired December 25, 2011, Eleventh Doctor. Episode 225

H: This was a fun romp. A different sort of set up for modern Who. There was zero expectation of these characters returning and there was no angst.

BSB: Yeah, I liked the obvious Narnia reference, too. I give it a 7.5.

H: It was a good Christmas episode that could live on its own. 8

Average Score: 7.75

9. “Last Christmas,” Aired December 25, 2014, Twelfth Doctor, Episode 253

H: This one was pretty good. It’s what you expect from Moffat, but it’s also Christmas. 7.

BSB: This is really good sci-fi. If this was a ranking of the best sci-fi in Doctor Who, I would ranker higher. I’ll give it an 8 for the Alien references and for having Faye Marsay (Andor, Game of Thrones).

Average Score: 7.5

10. “Twice Upon a Time,” Aired December 25, 2017, Twelfth Doctor, Episode 276

H: I love that they gave Capaldi his own monologue at the end.

BSB: Only Capaldi! He’s such a great Doctor. I love this regeneration. I’d rate this one an 8, I think. It’s solid, with some surprises and some call-backs.

H: I give it a 6.5.

Average Score: 7.25

11. “The Christmas Invasion,” Aired December 25, 2005, Tenth Doctor. Episode 167

BSB: The Doctor isn’t even in most of this episode.

H: No, he just showed up right at the end and did some fencing. Not very Christmas-y.

BSB: It’s a 7 for me.

H: 7. The rest of the cast sort of carries it.

Average Score: 7

12. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” Aired December 25, 2016, Twelfth Doctor, Episode 264

H: The Doctor and Nardole are excellent in this one. The attempt to do Americanized superhero tropes fell flat. At best it was cringey.

BSB: Yeah, this one didn’t work for me. I’ll give it a 6.5.

H: 6 for me.

Average Score: 6.25

13. “The End of Time, Part One,” Aired December 25, 2009, Tenth Doctor. Episode 202a

Note: Part Two came out on January 1st and isn’t part of our ranking.

H: Just reviewing Part One, it’s a 6.

BSB: It gets better with the second part for sure. I love Wilfred. I’ll give it a 6, as well.

H: A weak start to a great two-part special.

Average Score: 6

If you made it all the way to the end, thanks a ton! Please share your favorite Doctor Who Christmas special and your favorite Doctor. My favorites are actually Christopher Eccleston and Jodie Whittaker!

How’d you like today’s post? It was totally different from my normal book reviews, but we had so much fun with it. Huge thanks to my husband who stuck with me through all 13 episodes and dealt with my constant, “Okay, what were your thoughts??”

Merry Christmas!