Doctor Who Christmas Specials

Doctor Who Christmas Specials, which are often more light-hearted than the series stories, are now an annual tradition that began in 2005 with The Christmas Invasion.

Prior to 2005 there had only been one Doctor Who episode broadcast on Christmas Day, the 1965 missing episode 'The Daleks' Master Plan: The Feast of Steven'.

Unlike its much-revered modern-day contemporaries, this episode did not go down well with many of the viewers, according to this BBC Audience Research Report from 1966.

While the pictures of the missing episode might be lost in time, the sounds live on in the BBC Archives.

The Doctor continued to make festive appearances, even if it wasn't on UK television screens. Here is Tom Baker (The Fourth Doctor) turning on the Derry Christmas Lights in 1978 in front of a huge crowd of adoring fans.

In 2005 showrunner Russell T Davies started what was to become a festive fixture on BBC One in the UK - the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Here, David Tennant and Phil Collinson talk about the first Doctor Who Christmas special and establishing the new tradition.

In this clip, first broadcast on The One Show in 2008, Jon Culshaw goes behind the scenes of 'The Next Doctor'.

Doctor Who’s Christmas Special became such a firm fixture in the schedules that The Doctor fronted BBC One’s festive promotions.

After five Christmas specials, David Tennant made way for the Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith. This clip from Doctor Who Confidential (2012) takes a look behind the scenes of 'The Snowmen', the first Christmas special featuring Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman.

Joining The Doctor in The Snowmen are the Paternoster Gang, better known as Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax.

In 2014 Peter Capaldi filmed the first of his four festive specials as The Twelfth Doctor. Whilst promoting his 2016 Christmas episode, The Return of Doctor Mysterio, he spoke to Sophie Raworth about how the Christmas Day episode has a special role to play and how it has become a British tradition.

And finally, in this short clip broadcast in 2007, producer Phil Collinson discusses his hope that children will grow up with Doctor Who as part of their Christmas.