The 13 Best – and Worst – Presents in Doctor Who History!
The Doctor Who Team
Christmas is a time for family and friends, for relaxing and watching the Doctor Who special… But let’s be honest, it’s also a time for gifts, gifts, gifts!
The Doctor never seems materialistic (‘I don’t want money… I've got no use for the stuff!’) but he’s given some cracking presents over the years! And so in this special festive feature we look at the best – and some of the worst – gifts that have been given in the show’s 54 year history…
What a picture!
One of Bill’s big regrets was not having any photos of her late mum… The Doctor secretly popped back in time, took a load of snaps and then left them for his new companion to treasure forever. In terms of gifts, that’s got to define ‘picture perfect’.
Come fly with me
As a ‘thank you’ to Martha for helping him sort out the Judoon platoon on the moon, the Doctor gave her a TARDIS pass (so to speak) and took her to Olde England, New Earth and New York in the 1930s. As thank you presents go, that definitely beats a bunch of flowers from the garage.
A girl’s best friend
After leaving the TARDIS, Sarah Jane Smith visited her Aunt Lavinia for the seasonal holidays and found a present the Doctor had left her… K-9! Sarah and her new ‘best friend’ formed a great partnership, fighting evil and injustice and ensuring this dog wasn’t just for Christmas.
A gift of the TARDIS…
The Fourth Doctor called it ‘…a Time Lord’s gift I allow you to share…’ and the Ninth termed it ‘a gift of the TARDIS’. But wherever the gift is from, it’s a corker – the ability to converse in and understand almost any language in the universe! Now that translates as cool however you look at it.
Sonic saviour!
A sonic screwdriver has to be one of the best presents ever but when the Doctor gave River Song a sonic it turned out to be the device that saved her life (sort of) and let her live with her friends in harmony forever (sort of).
Jackpot!
The Doctor gave Donna a lottery ticket for her wedding present, bought with £1 that was given to him by her dad. Scooping the triple rollover jackpot meant Donna probably wouldn’t be rushing back to temp work any time soon…
Presents to Ponder
Donna may have won the lottery with her wedding present but the Doctor gifted the Ponds a gorgeous house and Rory’s dream car. Rory’s only fear was that Amy would reject them. ‘She’ll say that we can’t accept it because it’s too extravagant and we’ll always feel a crippling sense of obligation...’ he told the Doctor, bravely adding, ‘It’s a risk I’m willing to take.’
Flower power
Fair play to Amy – she didn’t just receive good presents, she knew how to pick them. After meeting Vincent Van Gogh, as a thank you for his help, she bought a dazzling amount of sunflowers and displayed them in his courtyard, hoping it would inspire him to start painting some of his most famous works. Although he voiced reluctance to commit them to canvas, the Doctor felt sure he’d rise to the challenge…
Magic carpet?
Bill gave the Doctor a rug for Christmas, which the TARDIS later landed on, suggesting to Bill that her new tutor had even more secrets than she realised… Okay, a rug may not be the most exciting present in the world but after everything the Doctor has done for humanity, it felt nice that he was finally getting a little something back.
But not all the gifts in Doctor Who have been so superb… Here’s our list of four of the worst presents…
Breath of fresh air!
Okay, it’s the thought that counts, but when the great and the good gathered to watch the destruction of Earth and the Doctor felt compelled to give Jabe (above) a gift, he could surely have had a root round his pockets for a jelly baby or a banana or pretty much anything apart from ‘air from my lungs’. To be fair, Jabe seemed tickled to death and called it ‘intimate’ but we don’t recommend breathing all over your best friend next time you forget their birthday…
A host of golden daffo-kills…
In the first adventure to feature the Master, the Autons looked like they’d turned over a new leaf when they started handing out daffodils to the general public. Unfortunately, these synthetic flowers ‘came alive’, spat out a film of plastic and caused a spate of deaths across England. And we thought hay fever was bad.
Crystal clear?
The Doctor’s former companion, Jo, had one of those awkward moments when she decided to return the Time Lord’s wedding present… Turns out the blue crystal of Metebelis 3 was, well, cursed! Jo’s guides through the Amazon branded the gem ‘bad magic’ and insisted that ‘it goes or they go…’ Turns out it was just as well she ditched the gift as the next person to examine it was seized by a malign, invisible force and was mysteriously killed moments after handling the crystal… What can we say? Hope you kept the receipt, Doctor…
Killer present…
Worst gift ever? In Pyramids of Mars, Sutekh’s servant is a barrel of laughs, emerging from the sarcophagus above and declaring: ‘I bring Sutekh’s gift of death to all humanity...’ That’s one prezzie we think we’ll skip, thanks.
