Police Public Call Box: Christmas Specials
Created | Updated Jan 15, 2011
A Spaceman Came Travelling
A man comes down from the sky on Christmas Eve in a new form. He travels around with his friends and followers, doing miraculous and strange things, saving people's lives and causing upset with people who don't agree with him. After suffering at the hands of his own people he puts himself in the place of mankind. He takes all the pain for them and dies as a sacrifice.
The Tenth Doctor1 has helped establish the Christmas Specials for Doctor Who, starring in all five of them so far. As we approach the Eleventh Doctor's first festive outing2 I look back on the life, and death, of the Tenth Doctor.
The Tenth Doctor crashed onto our screens on Christmas Day 2005. 'The Christmas Invasion' was David Tennant's first proper episode as the Doctor and also the first Christmas Special for Doctor Who. It's a hard start for this Doctor. He's just regenerated from the Ninth Doctor 3 and has now taken his companion Rose Tyler back home for Christmas. Unfortunately, the Doctor is struggling with the process of changing. He collapses, becoming bed-ridden and suffering flu-like symptoms. So, for most of this episode, whilst the aliens threaten the earth, the Doctor is incapacitated. In what could be seen as a Deus ex machina, a spilt cup of tea onto the TARDIS systems revives the Doctor. In the first key moment of the Tenth Doctor's life, he opens the doors of the TARDIS – a fresh new Doctor appearing in a pair of pyjamas and a dressing gown.
"Did you miss me?"
He finds his new behaviour rather erratic initially, not knowing what he is doing and finds himself risking the survival of the human race, twice. He soon finds that he lacks in mercy and is quick to dispose of two people who go against his moral principles. This is a recurring theme and trait in the Doctor. Early on in the next series 4 this is particularly challenged, coming face to face with villains such as the Sisters of Plenitude and Mr. Finch – the Doctor even considers starting war with the Krillitanes.
This anger and merciless behaviour later develop from something deeper in his heart – Rose. The love story between him and Rose becomes his character, and in many ways becomes the plot. The latter part of Series Two creates stories focusing on the separation (and reunion) of the Doctor and Rose. The series finale emphasises this separation, concluding with the two of them finding themselves trapped in parallel universes. The Doctor manages to have a short goodbye with Rose on Bad Wolf Bay and he seems all too human. Rose declares her love for him and he accepts it, though he is hesitant in the return of the sentiment trying to postpone the inevitable. He doesn't get to say what he is thinking – the transmission is cut off, leaving the two of them teary-eyed and sobbing.
The loss of Rose has a big impact on the Tenth Doctor. In 'The Runaway Bride', at Christmas 2006, the Doctor is suddenly jolted back to reality after losing a loved one, and flung head first into the barmy behaviour of the Bride – Donna Noble. Rose is heavy on the Doctor's mind still, though, and he mentions to Donna about the Christmas they spent together. He keeps all his feelings close to him, only at the very end even mentioning her name. I reckon most of his feelings are being kept bottled up and can only be released through anger and regret. When given the chance to unleash this on the Empress of the Racnoss he seems to do so with much malice. Given this Doctor's set record for ruthlessness it is hard to pinpoint the reason for his cruelty. It is likely that his upset emotions contribute to, and amplify, his want for justice and reveal an arrogant personality. The Doctor remains caught up in the act of destruction and Donna has to bring him out of it. Though, when asked to join him she says she wouldn't be able to if every day was like the one she had just had. She leaves the Doctor with wise advice though:
"Find somebody... I think sometimes you need somebody to stop you."
Following that Christmas, we next see the Tenth Doctor meeting Martha Jones. He is reluctant to let Martha travel with him, only initially allowing two journeys with her. The Doctor remains rather closed through their travels together. He admits to her early on that he has lied to her about Gallifrey and the Time Lords and that they are both destroyed. At times, the Doctor seems lost and caught up in his thoughts about Rose. What also makes it hard for the Doctor is the fact that Martha fancies him. He claims not to realise that he knows this but it gives a further explanation to why he finds it hard to connect with her, following the loss of his friend and lover. The Doctor recognises Martha as a proper companion after the events of the episode '42' where he feels indebted to her.
The Tenth Doctor's world is about to be rocked yet again when he realises that the Master, another Time Lord, is still alive. These two have history, about 900 years of it probably, and the Doctor knows that he's up to no good. Though all he wants to do is help him and support him, giving forgiveness for all he has done. Even at the conclusion of the story when the Master is fatally shot, the Doctor holds him and wants him to survive. The Master sees how much pain his death would mean to the Doctor, and willingly dies, just so he can claim to 'win'.
The Doctor spends the next Christmas onboard the Titanic in space. Though, as Christmases always do with the Doctor, things suddenly all go wrong. This Titanic seems to be as doomed as the famed Earth equivalent and collides with an asteroid shower, causing serious damage. The Doctor takes on Titanic waitress Astrid Peth as a companion and promises to take her travelling with him. Joined as a group by the few survivors, they journey through the ship. The robot staff – the Host, have turned on the guests and are killing them off one by one. They soon threaten the Doctor and his group, leading to the loss of 3 people. The Doctor, angered by the deaths, announces "No more..." In the Doctor's showdown with Max Capricorn, Astrid gives her life to kill Max. The Doctor manages to stop the Titanic from crashing into London. He regrets that he can't restore Astrid back to life and laments the others who have died. The Doctor and Mr Copper transport to earth, to go on living and travelling separately.
"If you could decide who lives and who dies... that would make you a monster."
The Doctor soon finds himself meeting Donna Noble again. She's been trying to find him and they re-join forces and travel together. Meanwhile Rose has found a way of jumping the parallel universes to warn the Doctor of what she's seen in the future of her universe. The Series Four finale sees the Daleks, back again, invade the earth, but more than that, they've been moving planets. The Tenth Doctor's companions join together to help, finding themselves prisoners in Davros' chamber.5 This leads the Doctor to realise how many people have died 'in his name' and how his companions are putting their own lives in danger. Donna then turns up with a clone of the Tenth Doctor grown from his spare hand.6 They have merged brain and body and Donna is part Time Lord. She deactivates the Daleks and starts sending the planets back to where they came from. The clone Doctor, still with vengeance in him, blows up the Dalek fleet, the proper Doctor offering to rescue Davros from the inferno but is not able to. All the companions are dropped off in their right places and the clone/human Doctor is given to Rose, as he is able to express his love for her. Donna is not able to cope with the Human/Time Lord metacrisis and the Doctor, with deep regret, has to wipe her mind so that she doesn't remember him. He takes her home and resumes his travels alone.
It finally properly snows when the Doctor lands in Victorian London. He is greeted by another 'Doctor', a man called Jackson Lake who believes to be the Doctor. This is the most relaxing Christmas that the Tenth Doctor has and it allows him to have some fun. He ends the episode sharing a Christmas meal with his new found friends, allowing a reflection on his previous companions.
"I suppose in the end, they break my heart."
We next meet the Doctor in Easter 2009 when he follows a bus through a wormhole onto another planet. Whilst there, he meets a lady called Carmen, a low-level psychic, who gives the Doctor a prophecy:
Your song is ending sir, It is returning. It is returning through the dark, oh but then... He will knock four times."His next journey takes him to a human outpost on Mars in the near future. He finds out that this is the same base that suffers a mysterious explosion and all the crew die. He knows he needs to go, but is not able to. Without a trusting companion at his side, he cannot hold back his urge to be in control. He claims to be the 'Time Lord Victorious' over the Laws of Time and breaks them to save three members of the base. Approached by Ood Sigma, he considers his death...
The Doctor dwells on his death when arriving at his final Christmas. He knows of the resurrection of the Master and assumes it is him who will kill him. He meets up with Donna's granddad Wilf and they go to find the Master together. Unbeknownst to both the Doctor and the Master, there are more than two Time Lords out on this Christmas Eve. As the Master takes over the Human Race, the President of the Time Lords arrives out of the Time War with their home planet Gallifrey in tow. A showdown commences between them, but at the end of it all, the Master and the Time Lords disappear back into the destruction of the War. And the Doctor has survived.
Then he sees Wilf, tapping a four-beat rhythm. He is trapped in a control booth which is about to flood with lethal radiation. The Doctor can't get him out unless he goes into the other side and sets it off. The Doctor knows he can't leave him there and he has to save him. The regeneration process starts and heals his cuts. Holding off his death he says goodbye to Wilf and then visits all of his companions one by one, gaining his reward. Not able to hold it off any longer, the Doctor stumbles into the TARDIS and explodes into golden streams of energy, becoming a new man...
"I don't want to go."
The Tenth Doctor realised that life as a companion is often very dangerous. The Doctor is trying all he can do to save their lives. Even to the very last. If the Tenth Doctor can tell us anything about what Christmas should be, it's that Christmas is a time for sharing with friends.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special is on BBC One at 6:00pm.
Have a happy Christmas and I'll see you in the New Year.
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