Tonight at 6pm GMT on BBC1, and in a promising development, at 8pm EST on BBC America. Woot!
So what’s it all about? It called A Christmas Carol so at least part of the plot can be guessed, and after all it’s a pretty time-travel friendly story. It’s written by The Moff himself, and apart from the regulars, stars Michael Gambon and buxom Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins.
Here’s the trailer:
and as an extra special bonus here’s Matt, Karen and Arthur singing a Christmas song:
I assume the latter was filmed during the wrap party, as there is clearly drink involved.
A quick look around the net seems to show I am in the minority, but I thought that was sodding awful. Cheesy, schmaltzy and plot holes a mile wide.
Oh and stunt casting by people that clearly can’t act annoys me as well.
However for me the lowest point was
the “we don’t have much time” panicking with the machine. All I could think was “you have all the time in the world - you have a sodding time machine”.
I missed it. I am doing the “Christmas visiting family” thing and my Parents changed channel during the credits. I had no idea there was going to be a preview. I need to try and dig out a copy online now.
For those who want to see the Season 6 teaser, which may or may not screen in your region.
I thought it was wonderful. Yes, it was deliberately manipulative and had the usual plot holes that time travel and kids TV have, but it also played with time and adjusted the familiar story around it in a way that worked wonderfully well. And Michael Gambon elevated it to an all new level again. I certainly think it’s the best Christmas Special Doctor Who has ever had.
Really enjoyed it here, Matt Smith’s Doctor seems crazy and out of this world (he is) but then is always noticing the little details like positioning of chairs and portraits.
One little thing: The Doctor was bitten twice by a fish that wasn’t there. Setting something up for the next season?
Hello, my name is Illuminatiprimus, and I’m addicted to having my emotions manipulated by Doctor Who episodes.
I don’t care if it was cheesy or schmaltzy in places, I loved this. Engaging story, wonderful acting and some incredibly touching moments. The episode starts with Gambon’s character dismissing Abigail as no-one important, and then during the course of the episode she became so important to him he couldn’t bear to lose her. Then her choosing to die by helping the others, saying “let it be Christmas for one day”. I admit it, choked back a few tears.
I agree that season 6 looks hot as hell - check out the American desert shots! As for “Moffat’s running a multi-season story!”, well I think that much was obvious given how little was actually resolved during the end of the last series.
I just loved it. I honestly don’t care about plot holes in a DW Christmas special. I thought the acting was great, the story fun and touching and the Doctor acted very much like the Doctor. I do have one complaint and that’s
the whole thing at the very end when the machine doesn’t work for Scrooge and the Doctor has to do his technobable thing. After all the development of the Scrooge character it should have been him that came up with a solution.
You continue to surprise me. I found myself wondering during the commercials “Dr Who being British naturally brings to mind IP, however, would he be the sort of person to enjoy this program?” Or in fact “is he the sort of person who even watches TV”. I think I have this impression that you conscientiously abstain from certain social norms, but other than the ones I happen to know about I’m crap at guessing how you react to ones I don’t know about.
I enjoyed the episode. Especially the fact that it aired in America without undue delay! I think I also probably enjoyed the fact that the episode did not follow my expectations. I was expecting more of a traditional Christmas Carol, with the Doctor actually physically transporting the Miser back into his own past, present and future via Tardis. It kind of ended up being more of a Santa Claus theme than a Past Present Future theme. Especially future - which was just the present from the past’s perspective. I was a little unclear about the ending, but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the new season (too far away!).
I’ve probably watched 6 episodes of Doctor Who in the past ten years, but the constant commericals made me decide to tune in tonight. I liked it, and I was surprised how easy it was to follow considering my virtual non-viewership. I never would have guessed that A Christmas Carol on another planet would work, but it did pretty well; I expecially liked how they handled Christmas Furture. And how awesome is a shark as a reindeer?
Actually you intuition is correct - I generally don’t watch TV, and when I do it’s nearly all at my leisure by DVD rather than grazing whatever the idiot box happens to have on. I wouldn’t say I conscientiously abstain from following social norms, just that I’m not too fussed about following them. Being someone who actively abstains from whatever everyone else is doing makes you just as much of a sheep as someone who jumps on every bandwagon in sight.
It was pretty good. It bugged me that the Doctor took them several places in time (including a party with Marilyn Monroe), but nowhere that had a real doctor to help the lady with the great voice?
I’m greedy and wanted a happy ending.
speaking of happy endings… did Rory get one with Amy? Seemed like their got interrupted at a bad time.
Cheesy and schmaltzy are exactly what I want from an Xmas special. I wouldn’t want the whole series to be like that, but, hey, it’s Christmas! I’m fine with a whole dollop of cheese and schmaltz on Xmas day.
Seemed like their got interrupted at a bad time.
