For the past 20 years, families across the UK have gathered around the TV to watch the Doctor get up to a whole host of festive shenanigans.
Normally, on Christmas night (or occasionally on New Year’s Day), Doctor Who would mark the turning of another year as the Tardis crash-landed into yet another adventure.
In 2025, however, the long-running sci-fi show is breaking with tradition after a turbulent time in which the very future of the flagship BBC series was up in the air.
Although showrunner Russell T Davies has confirmed the Doctor (whoever that may be) will return for a Christmas special in 2026, it does mean that this is the first yuletide in a long time without a new episode to look forward to.
Fret not, however, because with over 15 specials to choose from (and that’s just counting the Christmas Day episodes), in the spirit of Doctor Who, it’s the perfect time to take a trip down memory lane and dive into a classic.
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Now, look, the choosing of a favourite Doctor Who Christmas special is a very personal experience. One fan’s delight is another’s horror, a comfort watch for one is an ‘avoid at all costs’ for someone else.
Some scenes will be forever iconic, whether it’s the Doctor quoting The Lion King, going to The Ponds for dinner, spending their final 24 years with River or singing the Goblin Song.
I’m certainly not here to rain on anyone’s parade, but I am here to remind everyone how excellent the 2007 Doctor Who special, The Voyage of the Damned, is. And if you don’t agree, well, this is your sign to rewatch it.
For those of us watching at the time, we had just come off the history-making run of episodes from Human Nature to Last of the Time Lords, and we were on a high!
Jack Harkness was the Face of Boe, Martha reclaimed her agency, and Jonn Simm had just wrapped up one of the most gutwrenching scenes in Who history as the Master.
Enter our forlorn Time Lord (David Tennant), careening into the height of his Doctor Who fame without a companion to call his own.
Cue the space Titanic. Already an excellent start (yes, I know, cheesy, cliche, but, hey, that’s what Christmas is all about!).
Before you know it, the Doctor is a stowaway on a space-nautical vessel upon which the Neighbours icon and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head hitmaker herself, Kylie Minogue, plays the plucky Astrid.
As the name dictates, soon enough, the Titanic is in grave peril as the Doctor races to save everyone on board and on Earth from a grisly death, and he picks up a merry band of strays along the way.
The Doctor Who Christmas special that almost made it
As mentioned, a case could very well be made for any of the Christmas specials, with each of them bringing its own charm!
Doctor Who’s 2010 Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol, came in at a very close second, so if you’re not in the mood for Tennant, then this might be the one for you.
Amy and Rory are on their honeymoon when their ship starts crashing, and it’s down to the Scrooge of Christmas, Kazran (the late Michael Gambon), to save them from certain death.
Featuring yet another iconic singer (perhaps that’s the magic ingredient), Katherine Jenkins as the ethereal Abigail, the episode is stocked full of beautiful music, heartfelt life lessons and a touching character redemption arc. It’s enough to bring a tear to the eye!
One of my favourite aspects of Who is when we get to meet a rich array of side characters who we grow to know and love over the course of the episode – and Voyage of the Damned certainly achieves this.
Shiphand Alonso (allons-y Alonso), portrayed by Russell Tovey, remains a fan-favourite to this day, and even made a cameo later down the line.
There’s also the arrogant toff that gets his comeuppance, Rickston; the Van Hoff’s, the underdogs who rise up; Bannakaffalatta, an alien rivalling Raxacoricofallipatorious for most bonkers name; and the penniless Mr Copper who thinks humans worship the great God, Santa.
Last but not least, of course, there’s Kylie, who will always be the companion that never was – dissolved into star dust after sacrificing her life at the last moment by flinging herself into a nuclear explosion (or something that dramatic).
Plus, the halo-wearing Angel statues (the Host) not only thoroughly creeped me out as a kid but, hold up pretty well as a disturbing, if not rudimentary, portrayal of technology gone rogue.
‘Information: You’re all going to die.’ Chills, literal chills.
In other words: it’s camp, it’s fun, and it has just enough stakes to keep you hooked to the very end. (Will the faux-Titanic crash into Buckingham Palace? I simply can’t say!)
So if, like me, you’ll be sorely missing the Doctor this Christmas, then I would recommend giving Voyage of the Damned another whirl.
What’s more, it’s separate enough from the rest of the show that you don’t need any other context to understand what’s going on, so it’s perfect to wrangle your family into as well.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, including The Voyage of the Damned.
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