Who doesn't like a little mash-up with their holiday fixings. Presented here are but a few of the best of these mash-ups. Doubtless there are many others but for sake of brevity we'll limit ourselves to three. Enjoy!
Dec 242010
-- DSW
Dec 242010
For those who thought of the current spate of Christmas Specials beginning with David Tennant's arrival as the Doctor are sadly not quite fully versed in nu-Who. RTD quite cleverly crafted the first few episodes of Christopher Eccleston's single season back in 2005.
Rose was fast and furious to get viewers old and new alike up to speed, literally, with modern Doctor Who. The End of the World was a showcase designed to show-off what could be achieved within the limits of budgeting and effects. The third story, and #2 in our Christmas countdown, was a deliberate throwback in style and intent, The Unquiet Dead was not only a story set in the past, but done at Christmas time, and a zombie-story (of sorts) to boot. And what a joy it was. You can't get more Dickensian than a story which features the man (Simon Callow) himself.
It was understandable that long-term fans would gravitate immediately to this story more than others for the more traditional elements within the story, but the reason it rings in at #2 here is that 5+ years on (and also incidentally the only story in our list NOT to be shown on Christmas day itself) it that deftly turned Dickens own story a bit on Dickens himself, keeping the joy for the character but also providing a touchstone for viewers as well.
Watch it again during the season if you can.
Dec 232010
Because it culminated a year of build-up and the very occasional story The End of Time Pt I as the least Christmassy of all the specials, despite the fact that the events of the story take place in or around Christmas time. This is all the more compounded because it is the first half of a story, in this case Tennants last.
Of course the resurrection of the Master was horribly contrived, but this first-half of a story, as so many RTD two-part stories did, was compelling, and at the core of it all was the relationship between the two old souls, the Doctor and Wilf. Their scenes sparkled with the resonance of lives in full. If we were to judge both halves of this story as one for the purposes of this Christmas ranking, it would probably come out on top, but as it is it sits quite comfortably in at #3.
#2 tomorrow on Dec 24th. #1 on the day itself. All to come.
Dec 232010
The TARDIS whirled on it's way again. The Doctor listened to Sara and Steven as they recovered from their recent exertions. Sara asked, "Whatever was that place?"
"I've no idea," Steven replied, "Let's hope we never land there again." He heard a tinkling sound and looked up to see the Doctor carrying a silver tray with three crystal wine glasses, brimful. "we so rarely get a chance to celebrate," remarked the Doctor at their unspoken questions.
"Celebrate?" the mystified Steven asked.
"Don't you remember? In the Police Station – it was Christmas."
"So it was," smiled Steven, taking the proffered glass.
"Here's a toast. A Happy Christmas to all of us," said the Doctor, bending a benign smile on his young companions. Then he raised his glass high, saluting a host of Absent Friends and turned away.
"And incidentally – a happy Christmas, to all of you at home."
Dec 222010
The tent-pole of the Tour's countdown to Christmas would have been ranked at or near the bottom of the list even a year or two ago. But time, and the success of the Catherine Tate season as a companion has softened many opinions regarding The Runaway Bride, #4 in our Christmas countdown. Now it could be more rightly considered the first story, disconnected though it was, of Tennant's fourth season. RTD took the criticisms and found the character in Donna that could be sustained over the course of a season.
To review so far here is the parade in our Christmas Countdown
#7 – Voyage of the Damned
#6 – The Feast of Steven
#5 – The Next Doctor
#4 – The Runaway Bride
I wonder what #3 will be?
Dec 212010
The next of the Christmas specials is The Next Doctor, the most Victorian of the specials and perhaps the most akin to "A Christmas Carol" coming up. After going big with Voyage of the Damned RTD pulled back somewhat to explore the mystery of Jackson Lake. Sure the Cybermen were in it, but mostly as the henchmen for Miss Hartigan. The whole of the special was beautifully shot, and the Cyber King was a bit too Godzilla for our taste, but the best moments were reserved for David Morissey as Jackson Lake. Of course RTD couldn't resist the inevitable speculation that he would be Tennant's successor (just before Matt Smith was announced).
All in all a worthy effort, only down at #5 because of the quality of the others still to be revealed.