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Is there a Doctor Who Christmas special this year?

Doctor Who is about to enter a brand new phase, with a new Doctor and new showrunner. But, is there a Doctor Who Christmas special this year?

Doctor Who: Will there be a Christmas special this year? David Tennant as the 14th Doctor

Now is a very, very good time to be a Doctor Who fan – but is there a Doctor Who Christmas special this year? Doctor Who has a long history of memorable Christmas special episodes, and the regeneration stories of both the 11th Doctor, and the 12th Doctor, are Christmassy tales.

However, in recent years the sci-fi series has dropped the beloved Christmas special format, and has had a more unpredictable output. That’s all set to change though.

As we know, former showrunner Russell T Davies is returning to lead the series after Jodie Whittaker’s final episode The Power of the Doctor. He will be helming the Doctor Who 60th anniversary episodes, with David Tennant returning as the 14th Doctor. Then, he will also be in charge from Doctor Who series 14 onwards where Ncuti Gatwa will be the 15th Doctor. So, it’s all change. But will that include a Doctor Who Christmas special for this year?

Will there be a Doctor Who Christmas special this year?

Sadly, there will be no Doctor Who Christmas special this year. However, don’t give up all hope just yet. Russell T Davies only recently confirmed that Doctor Who would be returning to an annual Christmas special format. That’s a Christmas miracle, for sure.

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That means that when the science fiction drama series kicks back into top gear, we’ll be getting a Doctor Who Christmas adventure every single year from 2024 onwards. On top of that, Davies also confirmed that there would be a new Doctor Who season each year with no breaks. This is also a departure from recent years, where production on the TV series has been more stop and start.

For more on Doctor Who, check our guide to the 15th Doctor’s companion Ruby Sunday, or the scariest Doctor Who episodes.