BBC Claims, 'It’s Too Early' to Confirm A 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special This Year

Doctor Who, the BBC’s longest running science fiction show, has a place in every fans heart since it launched back in 1963 on BBC One. Ever since the very first story featuring William Hartnell as the first doctor, “An Unearthly Child,” the Doctor has had many faces, many lives, and they’ve all been truly wonderful and unique.

What else is wonderful and unique is the annual tradition of being treated to a Christmas Day special every year since the show was revived back in 2005. From battling the Sycorax during the unexpected Christmas Invasion, to remembering our troops during the Christmas Truce in the most recent special “Twice Upon A Time,” Christmas Day plays a massive part in Doctor Who’s current run. However, recent rumours as stated by The Mirror claim that the Christmas Special this year has been ditched and new show runner, Chris Chibnall, is introducing a brand new tradition of New Year’s special episodes. The statement read:

“BBC bosses have already made the bold move of shifting the entire series from Saturday to Sunday nights so they won’t be scared about moving the festive special from Christmas to New Year.”

This statement follows the quote that the inside sources at The Mirror have been told that the Doctor Who writers have “run out” of festive special ideas.

In light of these rumours, fans of the show have been divided into two groups—group one being in favour of bringing back the Christmas Special and group two being in favour of a New Year’s Special. Taking away the Christmas Special from fans is like getting a lump of coal in your stocking when you bounce out of bed on the big day. One user online said:

“Doctor Who is an integral part of Christmas Day. It’s one of those things that Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without, like the Queen’s speech.”

Another user said:

“The Doctor Who Christmas Special is a tradition just like Christmas dinner.”

With the change to New Year’s set to become confirmed, one Doctor Who fan, Niall Moran, has launched a petition to get the Christmas Special slot back again in 2019, as it’s not fair on Jodie and Team TARDIS not to get a festive special and instead lumbered with a New Year’s special. In his petition, Niall said:

“Chris Chibnall, the showrunner of Doctor Who, has indirectly informed the public that he will not be writing a Doctor Who Christmas Special. This move - that clearly sends the message “bah humbug,” — breaks 13 years of tradition, and easily lands Chibnall a cold spot amongst some of Christmas’s most notorious detractors, such as Ebenezer Scrooge or The Grinch.”

The petition, which you can sign by clicking below, has gained 1,982 signatures at the time of writing this piece. This evidently shows that fans aren’t happy that the annual Christmas Special has been ditched. Vocal Creator, Lewis Jefferies, contacted the BBC for a comment regarding the change, Over the phone, the BBC told Lewis that “It’s too early to confirm the schedule [at this time] and we will let you all know when we know more.”

With Christmas fast approaching, the BBC needs to step up and put Doctor Who fans’ minds at rest. Will there be a Christmas Special, or will there be a New Year’s Special? We know which one is more likely considering the lack of news on the special, but fans need to sit tight and await the news to come.

Doctor Who continues every Sunday evening on BBC One and BBC America, with Jodie Whittaker as the 13th doctor.