David Tennant's 'Voyage of the Damned' Remains Most Watched 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special

With the Christmas season (just about) lingering around still, Doctor Who fans reflect on the science-fiction's most lovable Christmas Special episodes.

From giant spiders to deadly snowmen, since the revival in 2005, hardcore fans have been treated to a mix of adventures centred around the festive period. David Tennant was the first Doctor to star in a Christmas Special since 2005, as the Ninth Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston tragically bowed out the hit BBC show after just one Series.

Over time, the Christmas Special episodes have covered a wide range of angles, some of which proving to be much better than others. Tennant's Tenth Doctor found himself onboard the Titanic in space. Whereas, Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor recreated the classic story A Christmas Carol.

However, Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor had more unique stories, but some remain forgotten. Is this because they weren't as creative as previous episodes?

Following Peter Capaldi's final episode of Doctor Who entitled "Twice Upon A Time," the current leaderboard has been finalised based on viewing figures for each of the episodes, and it doesn't look good for Peter Capaldi.

Tennant smashes the top ten with five episodes.

Based on the final consolidated +7 viewing figures, it has been made clear which festive Doctor Who episode has ranked best, and the winner is... The 2007 special "Voyage of the Damned" with a whopping 13.31 millionviewers.

The episode saw singer and actress Kylie Minogue star alongside David Tennant as they both had a wild time onboard the Titanic through space. Minogue's one-off companion Astrid Peth was loving life with the Doctor before she was brutally killed off towards the end.

"Voyage of the Damned"also saw the introduction of Wilfred Mott—the grandfather to Donna Noble, who becomes the Tenth's Doctor's next full time companion.

What about the rest of the specials?

It's alright for Tennant and Smith as their Christmas adventures all score a place in the top ten. But, when it comes to Peter Capaldi, it's bad news for him as his stories only secure one place in the top ten. The leaderboard is as follows:

1. "Voyage of the Damned" (2007) - 13.31 million
2. "The Next Doctor" (2008) - 13.10 million
3. "A Christmas Carol" (2010) - 12.11 million
4. "The End of Time – Part 1" (2009) - 12.04 million
5. "The Time of the Doctor" (2013) – 11.14 million
6. "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" (2011) - 10.77 million
7. "The Snowmen" (2012) – 9.87 million
8. "The Christmas Invasion" (2005) - 9.84 million
9. "The Runaway Bride" (2006) - 9.35 million
10. "Last Christmas" (2014) - 8.28 million
11. "Twice Upon A Time" (2017) - 7.92 million
12. "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" (2016) - 7.83 million
13. "The Husbands of River Song" (2015) - 7.69 million

As you can see, all of Capaldi's Christmas episodes flop to the bottom of the table. But that doesn't mean that fans don't enjoy them. When Peter Capaldi's regeneration episode was broadcast, fans expressed their views on Twitter. One user tweeted:

"I finally got round to watching the Christmas episode of Doctor Who Twice Upon a Time what a way for current Doctor to go. Plus a good story from out going exec producer Steven Moffat. Here's to the 13th Doctor Who."

Another user said:

'I finished watching Twice Upon a Time, it was so simple, not as spectacular as the 2013 Christmas special but it was very good, the feels were there and there was a bunch of memorable jokes and moments.Aaand the regeneration was just BRILLIANT.'

Despite the smaller ratings for Capaldi's Christmas Specials, fans will continue to love and enjoy them as much as they did when the story originally broadcast.

The question now is how well will Jodie Whittaker's Christmas stories perform? Whittaker is the first actress to play the Doctor and will make her full debut in Series 11, which will air in the Autumn (fall) this year.

What is your favourite Doctor Who Christmas Special?