Let’s travel back to 2005, and the first ever Doctor Who Christmas special: The Christmas Invasion. Here are five reasons to re-visit this 20 year-old classic (or watch it for the first time!)
1) It’s the original, you might say
As previously mentioned, ‘The Christmas Invasion’ is the first ever Doctor Who special, and is worth watching for its historical significance, if nothing else. There may be some fact-fans in the webosphere who would argue that ‘The Feast of Steven‘ was the very original, but that’s currently missing from the archives, and it came halfway through another story that just happened to be transmitting on December 25th. We will also skip over ‘The Unquiet Dead’ because, even though it has a strong Christmas flavour, it wasn’t a bona fide Christmas special – just a rather good episode from Mark Gatiss.
So yes – ‘The Christmas Invasion’ is the very first of a long line of specials, and it’s staggering to think that the episode is now 20 years old. It has everything you could hope for from a festive Doctor Who outing – killer Christmas trees, killer Santas, killer satsumas… There’s something for all the family!
2) It’s David Tennant’s first episode
Pitchforks down, The Internet – we hear you. David Tennant first appeared in ‘The Parting of the Ways,’ after he regenerated from Christopher Eccleston, and there was the Children in Need minisode (unofficially titled ‘Pudsey Cutaway’) which depicted Rose’s first conversation with the Tenth Doctor. But neither of these were full Doctor Who adventures – they were scenes.
‘The Christmas Invasion,’ therefore, is David Tennant’s first outing – and what an outing it is. Admittedly, he spends the first half of the episode lying unconscious in Rose Tyler‘s flat while people mop his brow, but all this builds up to a dramatic reveal in the final act where he emerges triumphantly from the TARDIS, armed to the teeth with deadly fruits and big threatening buttons. It’s possibly one of the strongest beginnings of any Doctor.
3) Harriet Jones (yes, you know who she is)
David Tennant may have spent half of ‘The Christmas Invasion’ in bed, but he is supported by a superb cast. This episode would have been very different without Penelope Wilton as the hapless Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. The PM finds herself dealing with a crisis of truly festive portions, as huge swathes of the world population teeter on ledges, threatening to plunge to their doom. They are being controlled by the invading Sycorax, who want to claim the Earth for themselves, and enslave the human race.
It wouldn’t be fair to describe Harriet Jones as the ‘comic relief’ in this story (she’s so much more than that) but she is a warm and amusing character – a level-headed individual who carries herself with much decorum and grace as robot Santas terrorise the streets.
Alas, things don’t go well for Ms. Jones. Towards the end of ‘The Christmas Invasion,’ she makes a decision that the Time Lord is none too pleased with, and he responds by (effectively) having her deposed. But did he have the right?
It’s a shame that the pair couldn’t have parted on more amicable terms, but their final scene together is nothing if not dramatic, and well worth your time.
4) Song for Ten
‘The Christmas Invasion’ is one of the first Doctor Who episodes to have a custom song composed for it. It’s not quite ‘The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon’ but it is a banger. Written by Murray Gold, the famous ‘Song for Ten’ plays out as the Tenth Doctor browses the TARDIS wardrobe in search of his new clobber.
The version that features in ‘The Christmas Invasion’ has never (surprisingly) been released, commercially. When the song eventually came out on the official soundtrack, it was performed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy; the original was sung by Tim Phillips, and it’s quite different.
But whichever version you prefer, it’s a terrific Christmas number, and works perfectly for the closing minutes of this epic adventure.
As an aside, if you watch the TARDIS wardrobe scene closely, the production team hid all of the Time Lord’s previous outfits on the rails, so keep your eyes peeled for question mark sweaters…
5) Rose Tyler
So much happens in ‘The Christmas Invasion’: Sally, Sycorax, soups and sandwiches… but ultimately, this story is about the relationship between the Doctor and Rose. In Series One, she fell in love with the leather-jacketed northerner from outer space, but that man has gone – forever. She saw him explode in a fireball and emerge with a new face, and she doesn’t know who this new person is, or what he’s like, or if he still wants her. At one point, the Time Lord’s life hangs in the balance, and Rose falls into her mum’s arms, sobbing, “He’s gone – the Doctor’s gone. He left me, Mum!” It’s heart-breaking to watch.
Undoubtedly, ‘The Christmas Invasion’ owes a huge amount to the character of Rose Tyler, and the acting ability of Billie Piper. She gives a first-class performance, and really carries this episode. Rose is overwhelmed with the feelings of love, loss, self-doubt, terror… Planet Earth is under attack, and she doesn’t know what to do. She’s lost the man she loves, and he’s not coming to save her.
In ‘The Christmas Invasion,’ Rose echoes the thoughts and feelings of the viewers: We loved the Doctor, and he’s gone. What’s going to happen to the new man? Is the Whoniverse going to die before our very eyes? Will things ever be the same again? So many fears, doubts, and unanswered questions… We’re thinking Rose’s thoughts, and we’re feeling her pain. ‘The Christmas Invasion,’ for all its thrills, spills and explosions, is a rollercoaster of emotion. You won’t want to miss it.
So there we are. If you’ve never seen ‘The Christmas Invasion,’ now is the time to boot up the Blu-ray / DVD / iPlayer app, and return to the Powell Estate. Just save us a chipolata.
So tell us: What’s your favourite moment from the ‘original’ Doctor Who Christmas special? Let us know in the comments below.
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