Where Does Ncuti Gatwa’s ‘Doctor Who’ Debut Rank Among Christmas Specials Past?

After a short duet with David Tennant’s resurgent Doctor in the 60th-anniversary finale, Ncuti Gatwa made his proper debut in “The Church on Roby Rose,” but how does the Fifteenth’s first Doctor Who outing stack up against previous Christmas specials?

There’s always been something incredibly thrilling about these Christmas outings, being a natural retreat from the show’s continuity and overarching plot, where showrunners can incorporate all sorts of whacky narrative elements to capture the spirit of the holiday season. Sometimes, that can be as subtle as a small nod to the fact that it’s Christmas. Sometimes, Santa Claus himself might make an appearance to help The Doctor get out of whatever festive knot the TARDIS has pushed him into this time.

For Gatwa, that first holiday outing involved singing goblins and the introduction of a new companion, not to mention a very enigmatic, as-of-yet unconfirmed character. So, how would we go about ranking the Doctor Who Christmas specials now that we have “The Church on Ruby Rose” in the competition?

14. “The Runaway Bride” (2006)

You may not have expected to find “The Runaway Bride” all the way at the bottom of this list (or the top, considering how you look at it) but I think showrunner Russell T. Davies’ idea for this particular story simply doesn’t have what it takes to land, at least not in the way he probably wanted it to. Still, the introduction of Donna Noble this early into the narrative was a nice touch.

13. “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” (2011)

This Christmas special coming after the sixth season was so forgettable that I had to go back and rewatch it to write this article. The episode’s only saving grace is in the final moments where The Doctor is reunited with the Ponds and realizes that he still has a family he can go back to, and people who seem to genuinely care about him.