First Broadcast December 25th 2012 @ 5.15pm (9.87m viewers)
Villainous Snowmen on Christmas Day. Is there anything more Doctor Who than that? The action also takes place in the 19th Century because period Christmases seem a lot more romantic than modern ones. After losing his friends Amy and Rory, The Doctor is sulking/pouting/brooding on a cloud. Nearby are his friends Vastra, Jenny and the hilarious Strax. The episode also features the dulcet tones of Sir Ian McKellen, an appearance by Richard E Grant and a return of The Great Intelligence decades on from ‘The Web of Fear’. In a miraculous twist of fate the majority of that story would be rediscovered months later. However the big news was a new friend for The Doctor.
In a first for a Doctor Who Christmas Special ‘The Snowmen’ introduced a new companion for the show. But we’d already met her. Or have we? We’d have to wait a while for all that to get cleared up. Anyway, Jenna Coleman leaves a very good impression. She is likeable, funny and brave. Perfect companion material. Until she dies. Then is shown to be alive on modern Earth. Timey Wimey. Anyway, ‘The Snowmen’ heralds a new era. There’s a new title sequence, new theme arrangement and a new TARDIS.
Memorable Moment (Spoiler Warning)
It is always an exciting moment when a new TARDIS interior is unveiled to viewers. On this occasion it was particularly thrilling with a perfectly executed tracking shot into the Time and Space machine. Fans of a certain age will remember such a movement was achieved in the 30th Anniversary documentary ’30 Years in the TARDIS’. However it was delivered in this episode of the TV show for the first time and spectacularly well too. The new TARDIS console room is simply glorious. The panels, particularly on the outside ring, and colour scheme do scream a bit Starship Enterprise but the scale and shape and feel is stunning. No wonder it’s still going strong, after some slight redecorating, four years on.
Also First Aired On This Day…
- The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Feast of Steven
- The Christmas Invasion
- The Runaway Bride
- Voyage of the Damned
- The Next Doctor
- The End of Time: Part One
- A Christmas Carol
- The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
- The Time of the Doctor
- Last Christmas
- The Husbands of River Song
- The Return of Doctor Mysterio
