December 25 will be here before you can say timey-wimey, and the countdown to the Doctor Who Christmas Special is on.
Written by Steven Moffat, this year’s Whovian Christmas treat brings us The Doctor’s new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) and a new story with the homo-reptilian Silurian Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) and her human companion Jenny (Catrin Stewart), both of whom we first met in “A Good Man Goes to War.”
Matt Smith had this to say about the Christmas Special in an interview with Collider:
“We’ve got the wonderful Richard E. Grant who’s brilliant as a sort of villainous role. We meet the new companion… And we’ve got Vastra, Jenny and Strax are making a return appearance which is terribly exciting. And it does the sort of wonderful Doctor Who-ey Christmas things, you know, snow, aliens, good will, good cheer, someone trying to take over the world. Hopefully it makes for good Christmas day telly.”
A sneak peek of the Special airs aired tonight on BBC in the UK during the annual Children in Need telethon. As soon as the video is available, I’ll post it here. Here it is.
And here’s the trailer…
By the way, if you would like to support the Children in Need charity, you can bid on items it has up for auction on eBay UK, including a Matt Smith cement hand cast, a Matt Smith autograph, and two Pudsey Bears — one signed by David Tennant (the 10th Doctor) and the other signed by John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness).
UPDATE PART 2: BBC America just announced that the title of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special is “The Snowmen.” Per the press release:
“A new companion, a new look for the Doctor, plus a new monster will all be introduced in this movie-scale episode. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and introducing Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion Clara, ‘The Snowmen’ follows their adventures as they embark on a mission to save Christmas from the villainous Doctor Simeon (Richard E Grant, The Iron Lady, Dracula) and his army of icy snowmen.
“Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, said: ‘The Doctor at Christmas is one of my favorite things – but this year it’s different. He’s lost Amy and Rory to the Weeping Angels, and he’s not in a good place; in fact, he’s Scrooge. He’s withdrawn from the world and no longer cares what happens to it. So when all of humanity hangs in the balance, can anyone persuade a tired and heartbroken Doctor that it’s time to return to the good fight. Enter Jenna-Louise Coleman…’
“Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, commented: ‘For this year’s Christmas special we have the wonderfully villainous Richard E Grant as Doctor Simeon. As well as lizards, Victorian assassins and deranged warriors from the future, who all return to convince the Doctor that he should board the TARDIS again and save the world. Add to that Jenna-Louise Coleman and so begins the Christmas Special 2012. I hope everyone enjoys it!'”
The Doctor Who Christmas Special premieres December 25 at 9PM Eastern on BBC America. Until then, enjoy the Specials from years past and the ever-popular exclusive Doctor Who Children in Need minisode, “Time Crash.”
In other Who news…
Doctor Who is a People’s Choice Awards 2013 nominee for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show. Visit the People’s Choice Awards website and cast your votes for Doctor Who and others of your favorites!
As for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, mum’s still the word. All we know for sure is that Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor) and John Barrowman have not (yet?) been asked to appear in any anniversary episodes, Russell T Davies will not be involved in any capacity, and Neil Gaiman has written an episode featuring the Cybermen. Stay tuned for updates.
Have a fab weekend!
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