Doctor Who's best 10 Christmas specials ranked – from The Christmas Invasion to The Church on Ruby Road

Dear reader, we have terrible news to impart. There will be no Doctor Who Christmas special this year.

"Christmas won't be Christmas without Doctor Who!" we hear you shout. We agree! Luckily, there are masses of Christmas/festive specials from over the years to dive into. As a disclaimer, yes, these are technically all classed as festive specials, as they were released over the festive period.

Incredibly, this year marks 20 years since the very first modern Christmas special, The Christmas Invasion (feeling old yet?). So, clearly, it's the perfect time to share what we think are the best of the best.

And if you're desperate for something new? Check out all the details we have so far about the 2026 Christmas special, which will be written by showrunner Russell T Davies. Until then...

10. Spyfall (2020)

Glossy, confident and unapologetically big, this James Bond-inspired opener gave Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor her most cinematic outing yet, with globe-trotting action, genuinely unsettling villains and a show-stopping cliffhanger.

The episode smartly reintroduces the Doctor and her companions while making room for character moments, emotional fallout and a huge twist with the return of the Master (Sacha Dhawan) that instantly reshaped the era. Not festive, perhaps – and technically not a Christmas special at all, with Part One instead airing on New Year’s Day – but undeniably event television. - Morgan Jeffery

9. Twice Upon a Time (2017)

Christmas is always a nice time to take stock and look forward with a sense of renewal. Steven Moffat certainly delivers this principle in spades with the final outing for Peter Capaldi’s contradictory and charismatic Twelfth Doctor as he comes face to face with the First Doctor, here played by the magnetic and transformative David Bradley.

In an episode laced with nostalgia, Yuletide tragedy, and the emotive use of time travel, Twice Upon a Time certainly adds bittersweet final outing to Twelve’s canon. There’s also time for some final goodbyes to the likes of Bill Potts (the underrated Pearl Mackie) and the long-running companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman returning for an emotive cameo here). Get your tissues ready and prepare for a sweet rewatch and the end of an era (for Moffat too as his reign over the franchise came to an end) - Lewis Knight.

8. Voyage of the Damned (2007)

What more do you need from a campy Christmas special than Kylie Minogue, the Titanic, and an endearing red alien named Bannakaffalatta?

The 2007 Christmas followed followed David Tennant's Tenth Doctor as he steps aboard a spaceship called the Titanic, only to discover that someone has purposefully set it on a collision course with Earth and that robots dressed up like angels are going about killing people.

Somehow, he and Kylie (excuse me, Astrid Perth) have to save humanity – and Christmas! It's a gloriously fun watch and still remains the most-watched Christmas special ever. Plus, keep an eye out for Bernard Cribbins's first appearance as our beloved Christmas-loving Wilf! - Louise Griffin.

7. The Snowmen (2012)

Surely one of the most visually festive Christmas specials so far, The Snowmen manages to do a lot of things all at once, and do each of them exceptionally well. The episode has to tell a one-off, Christmas-centric story, while also introducing this version of Clara and setting up the character’s ongoing arc, as well as dealing with the fallout from the Doctor losing Amy and Rory.

Throw in a terrific villain in the form of Richard E Grant’s Dr Simeon, and a best-ever appearance from the Paternoster Gang, and it all makes for a special which is oft-overlooked on many best-of lists, but really shouldn’t be - James Hibbs.

6. The Church on Ruby Road (2023)

Christmas 2023 brought us the gift of a brand new Doctor – and what a gift he was! Ncuti Gatwa rocketed onto screens in The Church on Ruby Road, bringing all the energy and charm we could ever want from the Fifteenth Doctor.

The festive tale saw the Doctor meet his new companion, foundling Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson) who, after an interview with none other than Davina McCall, finds herself running into a whole bunch of bad luck thanks to a hoard of ghastly goblins.

Bringing fun, silliness, and even an unexpected musical number, courtesy of the iconic herself Janis Goblin (voiced by Christina Rotondo), The Church on Ruby Road was a stellar start to Gatwa's run as the Doctor - Louise Griffin.

5. The Runaway Bride (2006)

Some Doctor Who moments stick in your memory forever and, "They had the reception without me?!" is one we certainly didn't forget in a hurry. Comedian Catherine Tate was a complete coup for Doctor Who, providing out and out hilarity in her first appearance as Donna Noble.

Reluctantly teaming up with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor after she's unceremoniously teleported into the TARDIS, Donna discovers her fiancé Lance (Don Gilet) is in cahoots with the Racnoss Empress and plans to use Donna as a key to awaken the Racnoss children hibernating at the centre of the Earth.

It's an unforgettable adventure, completely elevated by the glorious chemistry between Tennant and Tate, which would go on to define season 4 - Louise Griffin.

4. The End of Time Part 1 and 2 (2009/10)

We have to admit that David Tennant’s swansong isn’t particularly Christmassy, but what it lacks in tinsel and turkey it more than makes up for in emotional heft. Bernard Cribbins gives his best-ever turn as Wilf, who is rightfully given a prominent role here, while John Simm brings the chaos as he reprises his role as the Master. It all leads up to what is perhaps Tennant’s finest hour, as he makes his devastating sacrifice.

The farewell tour pre-regeneration and the Tenth Doctor’s reluctance to change may not be to every fan’s tempo, but there’s no doubt it was a bold, different take, a brilliant capper to the Time Lord Victorious arc, and it captured the audience sentiment perfectly. There really wasn’t a dry eye in the house when part 2 first aired back in 2010 – and there hasn’t been on any of the plentiful rewatches since. - James Hibbs.

3. Last Christmas (2014)

Steven Moffat’s Last Christmas is a festive special that refuses to play it safe. Blending Yuletide whimsy with genuine horror, it filters Doctor Who through Inception-style dream logic and Alien-inspired scares, resulting in something far smarter than a throwaway seasonal romp.

Nick Frost’s charming Santa adds warmth, but it’s the nightmarish Dream Crabs that linger in the memory. Crucially, the episode digs deep into the fractured relationship between the Doctor and Clara, using its dreamscape to explore grief, guilt and love. Funny, frightening and thoughtful, it proves Christmas Doctor Who can still have real bite - Morgan Jeffery

2. A Christmas Carol (2010)

Steven Moffat declared that he'd "waited a lifetime" to write A Christmas Carol, and it's easy to see why. The showrunner's first festive special riffs on the Charles Dickens classic but smartly avoids just retreading old ground. Instead, the familiar tale serves as a loose template to frame an adventure that bounces around from dimly lit streets where fish lurk in the fog, to impending disaster on a spaceship carrying Amy and Rory, to a chilling basement of frozen loved ones.

Matt Smith is at his fast-talking, big-hearted best, and the script perfectly balances moments of moving humanity with sci-fi silliness that would have been pure humbug in the hands of lesser TV series. After all, what other show could have you feeling emotional at the sight of Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins riding through the air on a rickshaw being pulled by a flying shark? - Christian Tobin.

1. The Christmas Invasion (2005)

The very first Christmas special, by our estimations, simply can't be beaten. Companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), her incomparable mum Jackie (Camille Coduri), and boyfriend Mickey (Noel Clarke) are forced to try to save humanity from an alien invasion by the Sycorax, with the Doctor (David Tennant) out of action after his regeneration.

The episode balances heart-racing tension with festive fun as Tennant's Doctor is introduced to the world – with a hint of the silliness that has come to be a staple of the Doctor Who Christmas special (who could forget Jackie Tyler almost being killed by a spinning Christmas tree?!). It's an absolute joy to watch and should be revisited at least once a year – if only to hear Murray Gold's beautiful Song for Ten again.

Not only did The Christmas Invasion begin Tennant's beloved run as the Tenth Doctor, it immediately secured Doctor Who's status as an essential part of the Christmas TV schedule. Long may it continue! - Louise Griffin.

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