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{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|name = A Christmas Carol
|image             = Frozen.jpg
|image = Frozen.jpg
|series            = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|season number = [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|Series 6]]
|series2          = [[Christmas special]]s
|story number = 213
|special          = [[Christmas Special]] 2010
|doctor = Eleventh Doctor
|story number     = 213
|companions = [[Amy Pond|Amy]], [[Rory Williams|Rory]]
|script            = A Christmas Carol: Draft 1 (script)
|featuring = [[Kazran Sardick|Kazran]], [[Abigail Pettigrew|Abigail]]
|scripturl        = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/doctor-who-6-christmas-a-christmas-carol-pink-revisions-12072010.pdf
|enemy = [[Kazran Sardick|Kazran]]
|doctor            = Eleventh Doctor
|setting = [[Sardicktown]], [[Ember (planet)|Ember]], [[44th century]]
|companions       = [[Kazran Sardick|Kazran]], [[Abigail Pettigrew|Abigail]]
|writer = [[Steven Moffat]]
|featuring         = [[Amy Pond|Amy]], [[Rory Williams|Rory]]
|director = [[Toby Haynes]]
|enemy             = [[Elliot Sardick]]
|producer = [[Sanne Wohlenberg]]
|setting           = [[Sardicktown]], [[4398]]
|confidential = Principally:<br />[[Christmas Special 2010]]<hr>Shorts:<br />[[Charlie McDonnell - Runner|Runner]], [[Charlie McDonnell - TARDIS|TARDIS]], [[Charlie McDonnell - Decorating Bus|Decorating Bus]] and [[Charlie McDonnell - Christmas Presents (badger)|Christmas Presents]]
|writer           = Steven Moffat
|broadcast date = [[25 December (releases)|25 December]] [[2010]]
|director         = [[Toby Haynes]]
|network = [[BBC One]]
|producer         = [[Sanne Wohlenberg]]
|format = 60 minutes
|confidential       = Christmas Special 2010 (CON episode)
|production code = 6.X
|broadcast date   = 25 December 2010
|prev = The Big Bang (TV story)
|network           = BBC One
|next = Space (TV story)|Space (TV story) ''(mini episode), ''The Impossible Astronaut (TV story) ''(full episode)''
|format           = 1x60 minute special
}}
|production code   = 2.X
'''''A Christmas Carol''''' was the [[2010]] ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Christmas]] special. It was the first [[BBC Wales]] Christmas special neither written by [[Russell T Davies]] nor starring [[David Tennant]].
|prev             = The Big Bang (TV story)
|next             = The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)
|prev2            = The End of Time (TV story)
|next2            = The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)
|clip              = It's Christmas! - Doctor Who A Christmas Carol - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip2            = Big Fishy! - Doctor Who A Christmas Carol - Doctor Who - BBC
|bts              = Doctor Who Confidential - Christmas Special 2010 preview - BBC Three
}}{{you may|A Christmas Carol|A Christmas Carol (reference book)|n1=the novel|n2=the reference book}}{{dab page|Caroline (disambiguation)}}
'''''A Christmas Carol''''' was the 2010 [[Christmas Special]] of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]''.
 
It was the show's sixth Christmas special since its revival and the first Christmas special starring [[Matt Smith]] as [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]].
 
It was the first [[BBC Wales]] Christmas special neither written by [[Russell T Davies]] nor starring [[David Tennant]]. Like other Christmas specials before it, a renowned guest star was signed on to portray a major character. This special played host to the talents of actor [[Michael Gambon|Sir Michael Gambon]], who was given two roles, portraying both the main antagonist and that character's lookalike father. ''A Christmas Carol'' was also the first Christmas story whose title was inspired by a previous Christmas tale, [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.
 
This episode contains a small hint about Amy's pregnancy. When the Doctor scans the crashing star-ship, the life signs he gets has one more than there are actual people on-board, due to it counting the baby in Amy's womb.


Furthermore, it broke the record for least delay between [[UK]] and [[US]] premiere broadcasts of an episode of ''Doctor Who''. Previously held by ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', whose US debut of Part One was a single day later, the delay between [[BBC One]] and [[BBC America]] (easternmost) broadcasts was a mere eight hours. [[Australia]] was equally well-served, with the delay being something on the order of seven hours, depending on time zone.
Furthermore, it broke the record for least delay between [[UK]] and [[US]] premiere broadcasts of an episode of ''Doctor Who''. Previously held by ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', whose US debut of Part One was a single day later, the delay between [[BBC One]] and [[BBC America]] (easternmost) broadcasts was a mere eight hours. [[Australia]] was equally well-served, with the delay being something on the order of seven hours, depending on the time zone.


Behind the scenes, it was significant for the number of new faces in most departments – more than on any other single episode since ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''. Of those new to [[BBC Wales]] ''Doctor Who'', the most prominent were those of [[production designer]] [[Michael Pickwoad]], [[costume designer]] [[Barbara Kidd]], and [[editor]] [[Adam Recht]].
Behind the scenes, it was significant for the number of new faces in most departments – more than on any other single episode since ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''. Of those new to [[BBC Wales]] ''Doctor Who'', the most prominent were those of [[production designer]] [[Michael Pickwoad]], [[costume designer]] [[Barbara Kidd]], and [[editor]] [[Adam Recht]]. On the subject of a new costume designer, [[Matt Smith]]'s Shetland tweed jacket ensemble made its debut in this special, replacing the outfit he wore during [[Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 5]]. It remained in use up to ''[[The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel (webcast)|The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel]]'', before Smith once again had a costume change.


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?
[[Amy Pond]] and [[Rory Williams]] are trapped on a crashing [[Spaceship (A Christmas Carol)|space liner]], and the only way the [[Eleventh Doctor]] can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is [[Kazran Sardick]], the richest man in [[Sardicktown]], beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of [[Christmas Eve]]?


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
A [[spaceship (A Christmas Carol)|spaceship]] plunges towards an unknown planet. Its captain orders the pilot to try steadying the ship. A distress call has been sent from the ship's honeymoon suite, angering the captain as she does not know who sent it. [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rory Williams|Rory]], honeymooners aboard the craft, rush to the bridge of the spaceship to see if they can help. Amy was the one who placed the distress call. Rory holds an odd device with a light attached wondering if he has to change the bulb or if the Doctor received the signal; Amy quiets him, praying that the Doctor isn't late. All of a sudden, the ship's computers register a small object approaching the ship; the [[TARDIS]] soars into view, beaming the message, "Come along, Pond."
A [[spaceship (A Christmas Carol)|spaceship]] plunges towards an unknown [[planet]]. Its [[Captain (A Christmas Carol)|captain]] orders the [[Pilot (A Christmas Carol)|pilot]] to try steadying the ship. A distress call has been sent from the ship's honeymoon suite, angering the captain as she does not know who sent it. [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rory Williams|Rory]], honeymooners aboard the craft, rush to the bridge of the spaceship to see if they can help; Amy is in her [[police woman]] [[kissogram]] outfit and Rory in a [[centurion]] uniform. Embarrassed, they explain they were having "fun".
 
Amy was the one who placed the distress call. Rory holds an odd device with a light attached and is wondering if he has to change the bulb or if [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]] has received the signal; Amy quiets him, praying that the Doctor isn't late [[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|this time]]. All of a sudden, the ship's [[computer]]s register a small object approaching the ship; [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] soars into view, beaming the message, "Come along, Pond." When asked what the message means, Amy simply answers that it's Christmas.
 
[[File:Kazran-old-age.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kazran Sardick]] is introduced.]]
[[Kazran Sardick]], a wealthy, heartless man, owns much of the planet below — and the [[cloud belt]] above, where the ship is trapped. His money comes from a loansharking business he inherited from his father. To secure loans, he [[cryogenic]]ally preserves family members of borrowers for collateral. On [[Christmas Eve]], he meets with one such family in his library. They beg for the release of a family member to spend Christmas Eve with them. Kazran rejects this proposal. He takes a phone call from the president of the planet, asking his permission to land the star-liner safely; he refuses. As he returns to berating the family, a boy notices the sound of the TARDIS landing above them.
 
Suddenly, the Doctor slides down the chimney into the room, calling it a whim. Babbling, he notices a "flashy-lighty thing" machine and tells the group that it's what brought him there; he tries to use the controls to open the cloud belt, but cannot use them. Kazran says the machine is [[isomorphic controls|isomorphic]]. The Doctor wonders who Kazran is, confusing the rich miser as everyone on the planet should know him; the Doctor changes the subject, wondering who the girl in the ice box is. Kazran says she is no one important, amazing the Doctor as he has ''never'' met anyone who wasn't important. He asks Kazran to help him save the ship stuck in the cloud belt, but Kazran refuses.
 
Kazran orders the Doctor and the family removed from his home. The servants grab the Doctor to pull him away. The family's young son throws a chunk of coal at Kazran's head. Kazran moves to strike him, but doesn't; he orders the family and the Doctor to be thrown out. The Doctor returns to ask why he didn't hit the boy. Though Kazran is less than cooperative, the Doctor quickly pieces together Kazran's personality from the arrangement of his furniture. There is a picture of his father, deceased for twenty years, but Kazran keeps his chair pointed away. Kazran fears being like his father. The Doctor says he is not because he didn't hit the boy.
 
Outside, the Doctor speaks to Amy over her [[mobile phone]], but is distracted by the sight of some [[sky fish]] swimming around a lamp. The unnaturally high water level in the cloud belt, combined with the slight electrical charge, allows the fish to swim amongst the fog. A carol begins playing in the speakers in the street, preventing Amy from hearing the Doctor properly; she informs him that the ship only has an hour left. The Doctor begins panicking about what to do, babbling about what he knows about the situation; he has to turn a very mean man into a nice man on Christmas Eve. Amy asks him what the singing is in the background, but cannot hear him; the Doctor repeatedly tells her that the noise is a Christmas carol, and then suddenly gets an idea. The Doctor suddenly smiles and looks up at Kazran's mansion, and wishes Kazran a merry Christmas.
 
Kazran is asleep in his library, dreaming of Christmas Eve when he was only twelve years old and tried to film his encounter with a [[sky fish]]. Kazran wakes to find this video being projected onto a wall in his library; in the video, [[Elliot Sardick|Kazran's father]] storms into the room and strikes his son, furious that he has disobeyed him by researching the fish. The Doctor appears behind the adult Kazran (whose entire staff has left after winning the lottery, despite there not actually being one) and wonders if he ever saw the fish; Kazran reveals that this was the day where he first began to realise that there was no one who would ever help him and that he was on his own in the world. When asked who he is, the Doctor retorts that for this night, he is the Ghost of Christmas Past.
 
The Doctor reveals that he can change the past and takes off as Kazran derisively declares this to be impossible. The sound of the TARDIS is heard; in the video, young Kazran looks around just as the Doctor steps into his room via the window. He gleefully jumps around, revealing that he is Kazran's new babysitter; the old one having also won the non-existent lottery. The Doctor addresses the camera, telling the future Kazran his past will now start changing; the new memories will scare him at first, but he'll get the hang of it. The adult Kazran protests that this didn't happen, but suddenly remembers that it did.
 
In the past, Kazran wonders who the Doctor is. The Doctor takes out his [[Psychic Paper]] to show him that he's universally recognised as a mature and responsible adult. However, it only appears as a bunch of wavy lines to the boy. The Doctor scoffs, putting the paper away; "finally a lie too big." Knowing how much Kazran wants to see a fish, the Doctor decides to help the young man make his dream come true.


[[File:Kazran-old-age.jpg|thumb|left|Kazran Sardick introduced]]
[[File:Sky shark christmas carol.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Things get out of hand, ''again''.]]
Kazran and the Doctor hide in Kazran's wardrobe, luring the sky fish in through the open window with the [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]] on a string tied to the Doctor's finger. Kazran confesses to the Doctor that he is the only student in his class who has never seen a fish; he was sick at home when the cloud belt broke open and released a school-worth. Now every kid has a story except him. A moment later, the string starts moving. The Doctor opens the wardrobe door to see a small fish curiously playing with the sonic. The Doctor steps out — with the adult Kazran, remembering the event, warning him not to — and [[deduce]]s how the fish survive in the fog. Suddenly, a large [[sky shark]] swoops in and gobbles up the smaller fish and half of the sonic screwdriver.


[[Kazran Sardick]], a wealthy, heartless man, owns much of the planet below -- and the [[Cloud bank|cloud belt]] above, where the ship is trapped. His money comes from a loansharking business he inherited from his father. To secure loans, he cryogenically preserves family members of borrowers for collateral. On Christmas Eve, he meets with one such family in his library. They beg for the release of a family member to spend Christmas Eve with them. Kazran rejects this proposal. He takes a phone call from the president of the planet, asking his permission to land the star-liner safely; he refuses. As he returns to berating the family, a boy notices the sound of the TARDIS landing above them. Suddenly, the Doctor slides down the chimney into the room, calling it a whim. Babbling, he notices a "flashy-lighty thing" machine and tells the group that it's what brought him there; he tries to use the controls to open the cloud belt, but cannot use them. Kazran says the machine is [[isomorphic controls|isomorphic]]. The Doctor wonders who Kazran is, confusing the rich miser as everyone on the planet should know him; the Doctor changes the subject, wondering who the girl in the ice box is. Kazran says she is no one important, amazing the Doctor as he has ''never'' met anyone who wasn't important. He asks Kazran to help him save the ship stuck in the cloud belt, but Kazran refuses.
A scared Doctor backs up to the wardrobe, shutting himself inside. He tells Kazran that on the plus side, he now has a story. The shark tries getting in and rams its head into the door. Seeing its mouth stuck open, and the sonic glowing inside, the Doctor decides to give his "two tries" at getting it back. After a struggle, the Doctor manages to stun the shark, which cannot survive outside the fog belt. The Doctor tries to console a young Kazran, confessing there is nothing he can do for the shark without his sonic screwdriver, half of which is still inside the fish; though he has a means of returning it to the sky, it would never survive the trip without some form of life support. To his surprise, Kazran offers an ice box.


Kazran orders the Doctor and the family removed from his home. The servants grab the Doctor to pull him away. The family's young son throws a chunk of coal at Kazran's head. Kazran moves to strike him, but doesn't; he orders the family and the Doctor thrown out. The Doctor returns to ask why he didn't hit the boy. Though Kazran is less than cooperative, the Doctor quickly pieces together Kazran's personality from the arrangement of his furniture. There is a picture of his father, deceased for twenty years, but Kazran keeps his chair pointed away. Kazran fears being like his father. The Doctor says he is not because he didn't hit the boy.
Kazran leads the Doctor to a large storeroom in the [[basement]], which is filled with rows of ice boxes, all of which hold frozen people. Stopping in front of one ice box, Kazran plays its video message: its occupant is a young woman called [[Abigail Pettigrew]], who expresses her gratitude towards Elliot Sardick and her love of the fish. Kazran explains that the people in the boxes are family members of those who have borrowed money from his father, but he insists that they can borrow Abigail's box for the night, unlocking it. Before she fully awakes, the two realise that the shark has followed them to the vault, temporarily revived by swimming in the fog that is settled on the floor.


Outside, the Doctor speaks to Amy over her mobile phone, but is distracted by the sight of some [[sky fish]] swimming around a lamp. The unnaturally high water level in the cloud bank, combined with the slight electrical charge, allows the fish to swim amongst the fog. A carol begins playing in the speakers in the street, preventing Amy from hearing the Doctor properly; she informs him that the ship only has an hour left. The Doctor begins panicking about what to do, babbling about what he knows about the situation. Amy asks him what the singing is in the background, but cannot hear him; the Doctor repeatedly tells her that the noise is a Christmas carol, suddenly getting an idea from his repeated sentence. The Doctor suddenly smiles and looks up at Kazran's mansion, saying, "Merry Christmas, Mr Sardick".
[[File:Cloud belt.jpg|thumb|220x220px|The TARDIS in the cloud belt.]]
Following a short chase, the shark is put to sleep by Abigail's singing. The Doctor explains that her voice resonates with and aligns the fog crystals in the same way that Sardick's machine does. In the present day, Kazran turns to a picture on the wall, realising that it is of Abigail. He then remembers "it's bigger on the inside". In the past, Kazran and Abigail marvel at the TARDIS. The Doctor dismisses it.


Kazran is asleep in his library, dreaming of Christmas Eve when he was only twelve years old and tried to film his encounter with a sky fish. Kazran wakes to find this video being projected onto a wall in his library; in the video, [[Elliot Sardick|Kazran's father]] storms into the room and strikes his son, furious that he has disobeyed him by researching the fish. The Doctor appears behind the adult Kazran and wonders if he ever saw the fish; Kazran reveals that this was the day where he first began to realise that there was no one who would ever help him, and that he was on his own in the world. The Doctor reveals that he can change the past and takes off as Kazran derisively declares this to be impossible. The sound of the TARDIS is heard; in the video, young Kazran looks around just as the Doctor steps into his room via the window. He gleefully jumps around, revealing that he is Kazran's new babysitter. The adult Kazran protests that this didn't happen, but suddenly begins to remember that it did.
With the shark in Abigail's box, the Doctor pilots the TARDIS into the cloud belt. Dismissing his time machine as impressive, the Time Lord tells the children that he keeps the true wonders outside of the doors. He opens them, revealing the sky full of fish. They release the shark, which swims after a new meal. The Doctor notices a dial set at eight on Abigail's ice box. When he asks her if it relates to her, she responds by asking if he is one of her [[doctor]]s; however, he is distracted by something else before she can explain.


Young Kazran and the Doctor hide in Kazran's wardrobe, luring the sky fish in through the open window with the [[sonic screwdriver]]. Kazran confesses to the Doctor that he is the only student in his class who has never seen a fish; a few minutes later, the Doctor opens the wardrobe door to see a small fish curiously playing with the sonic. The Doctor steps out -- with the adult Kazran, remembering the event, warning him not to -- and deduces how the fish survive in the fog. Suddenly, a large [[sky shark]] swoops in and gobbles up the smaller fish and half of the sonic screwdriver. After a struggle, the Doctor manages to stun the shark, which cannot survive outside the fog belt. The Doctor tries to console a young Kazran, confessing there is nothing he can do for the shark without his sonic screwdriver, half of which is still inside the fish; though he has a means of returning it to the sky, it would never survive the trip without some form of life support. To his surprise, Kazran offers an ice box.
The Doctor and Kazran return Abigail and her box to the vault, with Kazran promising that they will return and wake her every Christmas Eve from now on. The Doctor starts to complain as Abigail watches the door shut. However, she is next awoken by Kazran and the Doctor, wearing Santa hats. Using the sonic, he calls the shark down to pull a sleigh for them.


Kazran leads the Doctor to a large store room in the basement, which is filled with rows of ice boxes, all of which hold frozen people. Stopping in front of one ice box, Kazran plays its video message: its occupant is a young woman called [[Abigail Pettigrew]], who expresses her gratitude towards Elliot Sardick and her love of the fish. Kazran explains that the people in the boxes are family members of those who have borrowed money from his father, but he insists that they can borrow Abigail's box for the night, unlocking it. Before she fully awakes, the two realise that the shark has followed them to the vault, temporarily revived by swimming in the fog that is settled on the floor. Following a short chase, the shark is put to sleep by Abigail's singing. The Doctor explains that her voice resonates with and aligns the fog crystals in the same way that Sardick's machine does. He places the shark inside the box and brings the trio to the TARDIS, which they use to return the shark to the sky. In the present day, Kazran turns to a picture on the wall, realising that it is of Abigail.
A third Christmas comes, with the Doctor offering to take the duo wherever in time they wish for Christmas. In the present, Kazran sees a tin-worth of pictures, showing new memories of his Christmases together with Abigail and the Doctor; he's been to New York, the Pyramids, etc. He is happy and confused by this. In the past, each Christmas has the dial on Abigail's ice box count down.


In the TARDIS, the Doctor notices a dial set at eight on Abigail's ice box. When he asks her if it relates to her, she responds by asking if he is one of her doctors; however, he is distracted by something else before she can explain. The Doctor and Kazran return Abigail and her box to the vault, with Kazran promising that they will return and wake her every Christmas Eve from now on; the Doctor feels obliged to do this to keep Kazran happy, and so every time he visits, he takes the pair to new and distant places -- including a sleigh ride through the cloud bank, New York City, and the pyramids. However, with each visit, the dial on Abigail's ice box counts down.
[[File:Kazran-teenage.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Teenage Kazran.]]
On the sixth Christmas Eve, Abigail finds Kazran much older than before and appears attracted to him. This Christmas, she requests that they visit her family; she and Kazran watch her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew prepare for the festivities through the window from outside. Abigail cries; when Kazran wonders why, she explains that it is because she is watching the life she will never be able to have. To their shock, the Doctor has gotten the family to invite them in. Abigail tells her sister of her Christmases but declines to stay the day for dinner. As a result, they have it then. The Doctor attempts a card trick, which he fails at ''repeatedly.'' Abigail's sister warns her that Kazran will turn out just like his father; however, Abigail knows there's kindness in his heart that Elliot lacks. At the end of the night, Abigail kisses a nervous Kazran.


On the sixth Christmas Eve, Abigail finds Kazran much older than before, and appears attracted to him. This Christmas, she requests that they visit her family; she and Kazran watch her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew prepare for the festivities through the window from outside. Abigail cries; when Kazran wonders why, she explains that it is because she is watching the life she will never be able to have. The family invites the trio in for dinner, where Abigail's sister warns her that Kazran will turn out just like his father. Meanwhile, the adult Kazran reflects on his newfound memories.
The following Christmas finds the trio at a [[20th century]] [[Hollywood]] party. Kazran finds a crying Abigail by the pool; when he expresses concern for her, she explains that it is time for her to tell him the truth. A few minutes later, the Doctor finds the couple kissing passionately, but impatiently requests to leave, as he has accidentally become engaged to [[Marilyn Monroe]]; he leaves with her nevertheless. Abigail sadly tells Kazran that there is nothing that can be done. When the Doctor and Kazran return Abigail to her ice box, the couple bids each other a silent and emotional goodbye. When the Doctor tells Kazran that he'll come back next year, Kazran explains that he has outgrown Christmas and would like to end their yearly ritual. With the Doctor reflecting that Kazran has not changed nearly as much as he would have liked, he offers Kazran his half of the sonic screwdriver in case Kazran ever needs him; Kazran assures him that he won't. Meanwhile, Abigail's dial has turned to one.


The following Christmas finds the trio at a 20th century Hollywood party. Kazran finds a crying Abigail by the pool; when he expresses concern for her, she explains that it is time for her to tell him the truth. A few minutes later, the Doctor finds the couple kissing passionately, but impatiently requests to leave, as he has accidentally become engaged to Marilyn Monroe; he leaves with her nevertheless. Abigail sadly tells Kazran that there is nothing that can be done. When the Doctor and Kazran return Abigail to her ice box, the couple bids each other a silent and emotional goodbye. When the Doctor tells Kazran that he'll come back next year, Kazran explains that he has outgrown Christmas and would like to end their yearly ritual. With the Doctor reflecting that Kazran has not changed nearly as much as he would have liked, he offers Kazran his half of the sonic screwdriver in case Kazran ever needs him; Kazran assures him that he won't. Meanwhile, Abigail's dial has returned to one.
[[File:Elliot Sardick.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Elliot figures out how to control the clouds.]]
A few Christmas Eves later, Elliot Sardick is celebrating with his son -- his machine is complete, and the planet is theirs; Elliot finally figured out part of the truth. Confused on what he should do from now on, Kazran runs to his room and takes the screwdriver out of his desk, considering using it to call the Doctor. He turns to see the Doctor standing just outside his window. Kazran goes to the window and looks on as the Doctor gives him a smile, hoping he can be of help. Angrily, Kazran shuts the curtains on him and returns the screwdriver to his desk drawer.
A few Christmas Eves later, Elliot Sardick is celebrating with his son his machine is complete, and the planet is theirs; Elliot finally figured out part of the truth. Confused on what he should do from now on, Kazran runs to his room and takes the screwdriver out of his desk, considering using it to call the Doctor. He turns to see the Doctor standing just outside his window. Kazran goes to the window and looks on as the Doctor gives him a smile, hoping he can be of help. Angrily, Kazran shuts the curtains on him and returns the screwdriver to his desk drawer.


In the present day, Kazran goes to his old and disused room and takes the screwdriver out of the drawer and holds it, contemplating what to do. He receives another call from the president of the planet, who demands the cloud belt be opened and allow the star-liner to land safely. However, Kazran simply refuses; he explains that a very old friend (the Doctor) took many years to show him life isn't fair. Suddenly, a hologram of Amy appears in the library; she is the ghost of Christmas present. She brings him to the vault, where she has summoned dozens of holograms of the spaceship's passengers, who are singing for their lives; she explains that the Doctor was only trying to turn Kazran into a kinder man, but Kazran insists that people can't be rewritten. He destroys the holograms and stops in front of Abigail's ice box, revealing to Amy that Abigail was mortally ill when she volunteered for the ice, and the dial showed how many days she had left to live. If he were to let her out now, he would only have one day with her. Determined, Amy projects a hologram of Kazran onto the ship's deck, where he is able to witness the chaos as the ship plunges towards the planet; the captain angrily tells Kazran that the Doctor has the ship's passengers singing with the hope that they might stabilize the ship -- as Abigail was able to calm the shark -- but it's not working; now, they're doing it because it gives them hope. When he is appealed to again to save the ship, Kazran angrily declares that everyone must die. Amy reveals that the Doctor has been listening, and he returns Kazran's consciousness to his body in the vault, apologising.
In the present day, Kazran goes to his old and disused room and takes the screwdriver out of the drawer and holds it, contemplating what to do. He receives another call from the president of the planet, who demands the cloud belt be opened and allow the star-liner to land safely. However, Kazran simply refuses; he explains that a very old friend (the Doctor) took many years to show him life isn't fair. Suddenly, a hologram of Amy appears in the library; she is the ghost of Christmas present. She brings him to the vault, where she has summoned dozens of holograms of the spaceship's passengers, who are singing for their lives; she explains that the Doctor was only trying to turn Kazran into a kinder man, but Kazran insists that people can't be rewritten.


The Doctor says that he will now show Kazran the future, and Kazran welcomes this, knowing that he will die alone and afraid as everyone does; he repeats that he doesn't care about the people on the ship and goads the Doctor into showing him the future -- only to be surprised when the Doctor explains that he already is. He points to a twelve-year-old Kazran standing in front of the TARDIS; the boy mistakes his older self for his abusive father, infuriating the elder Kazran, who goes to strike him. However, a rush of memories cause him to break down and embrace his younger self before he decides to save the ship.
He destroys the holograms and stops in front of Abigail's ice box, revealing to Amy that Abigail was mortally ill when she volunteered for the ice, and the dial showed how many days she had left to live. If he were to let her out now, he would only have one day with her. Determined, Amy projects a hologram of Kazran onto the ship's deck, where he is able to witness the chaos as the ship plunges towards the planet; the captain angrily tells Kazran that the Doctor has the ship's passengers singing with the hope that they might stabilise the ship — as Abigail was able to calm the shark but it's not working; now, they're doing it because it gives them hope. When he is appealed to again to save the ship, Kazran angrily declares that everyone must die. Amy reveals that the Doctor has been listening, and he returns Kazran's consciousness to his body in the vault, apologising.
[[File:Kazran_Sardick_-_Old.jpg|thumb|left|Kazran watches in amazement as it snows]]
With only a few minutes left, the Doctor and Kazran go to the cloud bank controls only to find that Kazran has changed too much and the machine no longer recognises him as Elliot would never let a kind person use the machine.   
The elder Kazran gives the Doctor his half of the sonic screwdriver; the Doctor realises that he can transmit a signal from one half to the other -- which is still contained in the shark floating in the cloud bank -- but he needs it to transmit something else, something they know will work. Apologising to Kazran, he explains that they will need to release Abigail; her voice resonates perfectly with the fog crystals, and only that will calm the sky. Kazran is reluctant to let her out, but when he does so, she insists that she would have chosen Christmas Day with him for her final day. She begins to sing [[Abigail's Song|her song]], which unlocks the cloud belt and causes a snowfall for the first time in years. The ship's crew realises that they are able to land the ship safely, and Rory and Amy embrace. The Doctor departs with young Kazran as old Kazran and Abigail wave goodbye; they then notice that a sleigh lies behind where the TARDIS was.


Amy and Rory meet up with the Doctor on the ground, where she notices he has built numerous snowmen along the street. The Doctor wonders why they are dressed in their costumes; Rory explains that they lost their luggage despite having a safe landing. However, the Doctor wonders why they are dressed like that ''at all''; Amy hushes the Doctor and tries warming herself up. Rory asks if the Doctor has any more ideas for honeymoon locations. The Doctor begins babbling on about a carnivorous "moon" made of "honey" that has some "lovely views"; Rory is less than excited to hear about this idea and walks into the TARDIS. Amy asks the Doctor if it is okay to leave things the way they are; Abigail and Kazran only have one day left together. However, the Doctor tells her that if nothing ever ended, nothing would ever get started. Rory pops out of the TARDIS, saying he answered the phone; Marilyn has called the Doctor. The Doctor tells Rory to inform Marilyn hat he will call her back, "and that was never a real chapel".
[[File:The Doctor facing Kazran.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Kazran demands the Doctor show him the future.]]
The Doctor says that he will now show Kazran the future, and Kazran welcomes this, knowing that he will die alone and afraid like everyone else; he repeats that he doesn't care about the people on the ship and goads the Doctor into showing him the future — only to be surprised when the Doctor explains that he already is. He points to a twelve-year-old Kazran standing in front of the TARDIS; the Doctor made Kazran the Ghost of Christmas Future. The Doctor asks the boy if he wants to turn into a heartless monster like his father. The boy mistakes his older self for his abusive father, infuriating Kazran, who goes to strike him.


Amy wonders where Kazran and Abigail have gone, but the Doctor only answers "Christmas"; Amy enters the TARDIS and the Doctor follows shortly after looking up into the sky. The scene pans above to show the snowing night sky as Kazran and Abigail fly by on their shark-drawn sleigh.
However, Kazran is bombarded by his new memories of the love he and Abigail shared. Seeing his younger self cowering, Kazran realises he has to break free of his father's influence and become his own person. He hugs his trembling younger self, telling him it will be okay. Seeing he's changed Kazran into a better person, the Doctor asks him if he's ready to save the ship. With only a few minutes left, the Doctor and Kazran go to the cloud belt controls only to find that Kazran has changed too much and the machine no longer recognises him as Elliot would never let a kind person use the machine.
 
The elder Kazran gives the Doctor his half of the sonic screwdriver; the Doctor realises that he can transmit a signal from one half to the other — which is still contained in the shark floating in the cloud belt — but he needs it to transmit something else, something they know will work. Apologising to Kazran, he explains that they will need to release Abigail; her voice resonates perfectly with the fog crystals, and only that will calm the sky. Kazran is reluctant to let her out, but when he does so, she insists that she would have chosen [[Christmas Day]] with him for her final day.
 
[[File:Kazran_Sardick_-_Old.jpg|thumb|Kazran watches in amazement as it snows.]]
She begins to sing [[Abigail's Song|her song]], which unlocks the cloud belt and causes a [[snow]]fall for the first time in years. The townsfolk gather, watching in amazement at the sight of snow. Kazran watches Abigail sing, mesmerised by his beloved's beauty; she gently caresses his face. The ship's crew realises that they are able to land the ship safely, and Rory and Amy embrace. The Doctor departs with young Kazran, who now knows how his future will play out, regardless of his heartless father's actions. Old Kazran and Abigail wave goodbye; they then notice that a sleigh lies behind where the TARDIS was.
 
Amy and Rory meet up with the Doctor on the ground, where she notices he has built numerous snowmen along the street. The Doctor wonders why they are dressed in their costumes; Rory explains that they lost their luggage despite having a safe landing. However, the Doctor wonders why they are dressed like that ''at all''; Amy hushes the Doctor and tries warming herself up. Rory asks if the Doctor has any more ideas for honeymoon locations. The Doctor begins babbling on about a carnivorous "moon" made of "honey" that has some "lovely views"; Rory is less than excited to hear about this idea and walks into the TARDIS.
 
Amy asks the Doctor if it is okay to leave things the way they are; Abigail and Kazran only have one day left together. However, the Doctor tells her that if nothing ever ended, nothing would ever get started. Rory pops out of the TARDIS, saying he answered the phone; Marilyn has called the Doctor. The Doctor tells Rory to inform Marilyn that he will call her back, "and that was never a real chapel". Amy wonders where Kazran and Abigail have gone, but the Doctor only answers "Christmas"; Amy enters the TARDIS and the Doctor follows shortly after looking up into the sky.
 
The scene pans above to show the snowing night sky as Kazran and Abigail fly by on their shark-drawn sleigh.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
* [[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
* [[Amy Pond]] - [[Karen Gillan]]
* [[Amy Pond]] - [[Karen Gillan]]
* [[Rory Williams]] - [[Arthur Darvill]]
* [[Rory Williams|Rory]] - [[Arthur Darvill]]
* [[Kazran Sardick]] / [[Elliot Sardick]] - [[Michael Gambon]]
* [[Kazran Sardick|Kazran]]/[[Elliot Sardick]] - [[Michael Gambon]]
* [[Abigail Pettigrew]] - [[Katherine Jenkins]]
* [[Abigail Pettigrew|Abigail]] - [[Katherine Jenkins]]
* [[Captain (A Christmas Carol)|The Captain]] - [[Pooky Quesnel]]
* [[Kazran Sardick|Middle Kazran]] - [[Danny Horn]]
* [[Kazran Sardick|Young Kazran]] - [[Laurence Belcher]]
* [[Kazran Sardick|Young Kazran]] - [[Laurence Belcher]]
* [[Kazran Sardick|Adult Kazran]] - [[Danny Horn]]
* [[Pilot (A Christmas Carol)|Pilot]] - [[Leo Bill]]
* [[Captain (A Christmas Carol)|Captain]] - [[Pooky Quesnel]]
* [[Co-pilot (A Christmas Carol)|Co-pilot]] - [[Micah Balfour]]
* [[Co-pilot (A Christmas Carol)|Co-pilot]] - [[Micah Balfour]]
* [[Benjamin (A Christmas Carol)|Old Benjamin]] - [[Steve North]]
* [[Boy (A Christmas Carol)|Boy]] & [[Benjamin (A Christmas Carol)|Benjamin]] - [[Bailey Pepper]]
* [[Chief servant|Servant]] - [[Tim Plester]]
* [[Eric (A Christmas Carol)|Eric]] - [[Nick Malinowski]]
* [[Eric (A Christmas Carol)|Eric]] - [[Nick Malinowski]]
* [[Benjamin (A Christmas Carol)|Older Benjamin]] - [[Steve North]]
* [[Chief Servant]] - [[Tim Plester]]
* [[Isabella (A Christmas Carol)|Isabella]] - [[Laura Rogers]]
* [[Isabella (A Christmas Carol)|Isabella]] - [[Laura Rogers]]
* [[Pilot (A Christmas Carol)|Pilot]] - [[Leo Bill]]
* [[Boy (A Christmas Carol)|Boy]] - [[Bailey Pepper]]
* [[Benjamin (A Christmas Carol)|Benjamin]] - [[Bailey Pepper]]
* [[Isabella (A Christmas Carol)|Old Isabella]] - [[Meg Wynn-Owen]]
* [[Isabella (A Christmas Carol)|Old Isabella]] - [[Meg Wynn-Owen]]


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|2ndAD=James DeHaviland
|2ndAD=James DeHaviland
|3rdAD=Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
|3rdAD=Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
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|AD=Jay Harley{{!}}Janine H. Jones <nowiki>[Jay Harley]</nowiki><!--new-->
|AD2=Michael Curtis
|AD2=Michael Curtis
|Runner=
|Runner=
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|UnitManager=Rhys Griffiths
|UnitManager=Rhys Griffiths
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|ProductionManager=Steffan Morris
|ProductionManager=
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Claire Hildred
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Claire Hildred
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=Helen Blyth
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=Helen Blyth
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|ArtDeptProdManager=
|ArtDeptProdManager=
|AssociateDesigner=
|AssociateDesigner=
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris (crew){{!}}Ben Morris
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|PropsBuyer=
|PropsBuyer=
|PettyCashBuyer=Kate Wilson<!--new-->
|PettyCashBuyer=Kate Wilson (crew)<!--new-->
|StandbyArtDirector=Ciaran Thompson
|StandbyArtDirector=Ciaran Thompson (crew){{!}}Ciaran Thompson
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|SetDesigner=
|SetDesigner=
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|AssistantPropsMaster=
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|PropsChargehand=Rhys Jones
|PropsChargehand=Rhys Jones (props)
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|DressingProps=Stuart Mackay
|DressingProps=Stuart MacKay
|DressingProps2=Kristian Wilsher
|DressingProps2=Kristian Wilsher
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|PropsFabricationManager=
|PropsFabricationManager=
|PropsMaker=Penny Howarth
|PropsMaker=Penny Howarth
|PropsMaker2=Nicholas Robato
|PropsMaker2=Nicholas Robatto
|PropsMaker3=
|PropsMaker3=
|PropsDriver=Medard Mankos<!--new-->
|PropsDriver=Medard Mankos<!--new-->
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|Make-upDesigner=Barbara Southcott
|Make-upDesigner=Barbara Southcott
|VisualEffects=The Mill
|VisualEffects=The Mill
|VisualFXProducer2=
|VisualFXSupervisor=
|VisualFXSupervisor2=
|SpecialEffects=Real SFX
|SpecialEffects=Real SFX
|Prosthetics=Millennium FX
|Prosthetics=Millennium FX
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|ProductionDesigner=Michael Pickwoad
|ProductionDesigner=Michael Pickwoad
|DOP=Stephan Pehrsson
|DOP=Stephan Pehrsson
|ProductionManager=
|LineProducer=Diana Barton
|LineProducer=Diana Barton
|AssociateProducer=
|AssociateProducer=
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|Producer2=
|Producer2=
|Director=Toby Haynes
|Director=Toby Haynes
|ExecutiveProd=Piers Wenger
|ExecutiveProd=Steven Moffat
|ExecutiveProd2=Beth Willis
|ExecutiveProd2=Piers Wenger
|ExecutiveProd3=Steven Moffat
|ExecutiveProd3=Beth Willis
|DedicatedTo=<!--This exact credit never actually used as of April 2010; left for future use-->
|DedicatedTo=<!--This exact credit never actually used as of April 2010; left for future use-->
|InMemoryOf=
|InMemoryOf=
|Note2=In [[CON]]: ''[[Charlie McDonnell - Runner]]'', [[Janine H. Jones]] was described as a [[runner]], and even depicted as delivering [[tea]] to cast and crew.  However, she's credited here as an "assistant director", albeit lower than the [[3rd AD]], which does still essentially mean that she was a runner.
|Note=This episode marked the ''Doctor Who'' debut of [[production designer]] [[Michael Pickwoad]], the [[BBC Wales]] debut of [[costume designer]] [[Barbara Kidd]], and the first time that something like twenty team members had been credited for their work on ''Doctor Who''. It was the biggest sea change of behind-the-scenes personnel in [[BBC Wales]] history, much bigger, in fact, than the changes that had occurred with ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]''.
|Note3=This is the first episode of the [[BBC Wales]] series in which the title "Script Editor" is not used.
|Note2=<br /><br />In [[CON]]: ''[[Charlie McDonnell - Runner (CON episode)|Charlie McDonnell - Runner]]'', [[Jay Harley]] — then credited under their [[T:ACTOR#Crediting trans people|deadname]] — was described as a [[runner]], and even depicted as delivering [[tea]] to cast and crew. However, they're credited here as an "assistant director", albeit lower than the [[3rd AD]], which does still essentially mean that they were a runner.
|Note=This episode marked the ''Doctor Who'' debut of [[production designer]], [[Michael Pickwoad]], the [[BBC Wales]] debut of [[costume designer]], [[Barbara Kidd]], and the first time that something like 20  team members had been credited for their work on ''Doctor Who''. It was the biggest sea change of behind-the-scenes personnel in [[BBC Wales]] history, much bigger, in fact, than the changes that had occurred with ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]''.
|Note3=<br /><br />This is the first episode of the [[BBC Wales]] series in which the title "Script Editor" is not used.
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
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--><!--The following credits are generally more "American", and thus almost exclusively limited to the 1996 Paul McGann movie. -->
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== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== The Doctor ===
* The Doctor admits he thinks bow ties are cool because '[he wears them] and [doesn't] care'.
 
=== Culture ===
=== Culture ===
* Abigail's song mentions "[[The Silence|Silence]]" several times.
* Abigail's song mentions "[[The Silence|Silence]]" several times.
* The song Abigail sings to calm the shark is "In the Bleak Midwinter", a Christmas carol based on a poem by English poet Christina Rossetti.
* The Doctor wonders if Kazran has seen ''[[Mary Poppins]]''.
* The Doctor wonders if Kazran has seen ''[[Mary Poppins]]''.
* The Doctor hears the song "[[Ding Dong Merrily on High]]" playing.
* The Doctor hears the song "[[Ding Dong Merrily on High]]" playing.
* The passengers of the ship are singing "[[Silent Night]]".
* The passengers of the ship are singing "[[Silent Night]]".
=== The Doctor ===
* The Doctor gets married to [[Marilyn Monroe]] - although questioning the validity of the chapel - and she has the number to the TARDIS phone.
* The Doctor displays an inability to perform [[playing card|a card trick]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'')
* The Doctor has employees leave by having them mysteriously win the [[lottery]] as in ''[[School Reunion]]''.


=== Individuals ===
=== Individuals ===
*Mrs [[Mantovani]] was Kazran's nanny.
* Mrs [[Mantovani]] was Kazran's nanny.


=== Locations ===
=== Locations ===
* The Doctor, Kazran and Abigail appear to have visited (according to Kazran's photos): the Pyramids and the Sphinx in [[Egypt]]; the [[Sydney Opera House]] and [[Uluru]] in [[Australia]]; the [[Eiffel Tower]] in [[France]]; and the [[Statue of Liberty]], the [[Empire State Building]], and [[1952]] [[California]] (specifically [[Hollywood]]) in the [[United States of America]].
* The Doctor, Kazran and Abigail appear to have visited (according to Kazran's photos): the [[Pyramid]]s and the [[Sphinx]] in [[Egypt]]; the [[Sydney Opera House]] and [[Uluru]] in [[Australia]]; the [[Eiffel Tower]] in [[France]]; and the [[Statue of Liberty]], the [[Empire State Building]], and [[California]] in [[1952]], specifically [[Hollywood]] in the [[United States of America]].
* Elliot Sardick has a [[Cryo-Cave]] below his house.


=== Species ===
=== Species ===
* The [[Eleventh Doctor]] mentions [[face spider]]s.
* The Doctor mentions [[face spider]]s.
 
=== Influences ===
 
* The episode is loosely based on the [[Charles Dickens]] novel [[A Christmas Carol|of the same name]], with Kazran Sardick being Ebenezer Scrooge, [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]] being the [[Ghost of Christmas Past]], [[Amy Pond|Amy]] being the [[Ghost of Christmas Present]] and Kazran himself being the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_Christmas_Yet_to_Come Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come]. [[Steven Moffat]] stated that ''A Christmas Carol'' was "probably [his] favourite Christmas story" and that it lent itself to ''Doctor Who'', as there was an aspect similar to time travel in the story.
* The flying shark was inspired by [[Steven Moffat]]'s childhood fear of sharks rising out of water, which was compounded by ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film) Jaws]''.
* The bridge of the ''Thrasymachus'' was designed to evoke the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|Starship Enterprise]].
* Kazran's house was inspired by Xanadu from ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane Citizen Kane].''


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
* ''A Christmas Carol'' is loosely based on the [[Charles Dickens]] novel [[A Christmas Carol|of the same name]], with Kazran Sardick being Ebenezer Scrooge, [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]] being the Ghost of Christmas Past, [[Amy Pond|Amy]] being the Ghost of Christmas Present and Kazran himself being the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
* The first footage from this special was screened on [[19 November (releases)|19 November]] in the form of a trailer as part of the BBC's [[Children in Need]].
* The first footage from this special was screened on [[19 November (releases)|19 November]] in the form of a trailer as part of the BBC's [[Children in Need]].
* The interior design and look of the crashing space liner is very similar to the style of the Starfleet ships from the 2009 [[Star Trek (franchise)|''Star Trek'']] film, in terms of layout (though more compact) and touchscreen controls. There is also moderate use of lens flares during the scenes on the ship, which was significantly used during the interior shots of the various ships in that film. The space liner is described as "galaxy class", which is the class of the USS Enterprise in ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''. In addition, one of the crewmen is of African descent and wears an odd eyepiece, similar to the character of Geordi LaForge.
* [[Arthur Darvill]] is promoted to the main cast from this episode onwards with his name appearing in the opening titles.
* [[Arthur Darvill]] is promoted to the main cast from this episode onwards with his name appearing in the opening titles.
* [[Steven Moffat]] said before it aired that this episode would be the most "Christmassy Christmas special ever," adding, "It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters and the Doctor and a honeymoon..."<ref>http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s7/doctor-who/news/a242161/bbc-teases-doctor-who-special-plot.html</ref>
* [[Steven Moffat]] said before it aired that this episode would be the most "Christmassy Christmas special ever," adding, "It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters and the Doctor and a honeymoon..."<ref>http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s7/doctor-who/news/a242161/bbc-teases-doctor-who-special-plot.html</ref>
* This is the first Christmas special since ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]'' to feature the Doctor's regular companions. This is also the first Christmas special not to be set primarily on or near Earth.
* This is the first Christmas special since ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'' to feature the Doctor's regular companions. This is also the first Christmas special not to be set primarily on or near Earth.
* [[Paul Cornell]]'s short story ''[[The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (short story)|The Hopes and Fears of All the Years]]'' likewise features the Doctor visiting an individual every year at [[Christmas]] time (though in that case on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve) by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve the Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.
* [[Paul Cornell]]'s short story ''[[The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (short story)|The Hopes and Fears of All the Years]]'' likewise features the Doctor visiting an individual every year at [[Christmas]] time, though in that case on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve the Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.
* This is the first Christmas special not to feature [[David Tennant]] and the first one not to be written by [[Russell T Davies]]. It is the first one to feature [[Matt Smith]] and first to be written by [[Steven Moffat]].
* This is the first Christmas special not to feature [[David Tennant]] and the first one not to be written by [[Russell T Davies]]. It is the first one to feature [[Matt Smith]] and first to be written by [[Steven Moffat]].
* The shark, despite being a female, was named "Clive" behind the scenes. Smith and Belcher also claimed to have called it "Percy" and "Clyde".
* The shark, despite being a female, was named "Clive" behind the scenes. [[Matt Smith]] and [[Laurence Belcher]] also claimed to have called it "Percy" and "Clyde".
* Murray Gold revives his custom of composing a special song for the Christmas Specials, after not doing so for [[TV]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' or ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]''.
* Excluding the little fish eaten by the shark, this is the first Christmas special without a character's death.
* Excluding the little fish and Abigail Pettigrew and Elliot Sardick's off-screen deaths, this is the first Christmas special without a character's death.
* Since Amy was replaced with a Ganger in the following season, this is presumably the last episode to feature the actual Amy Pond until the end of ''[[The Almost People (TV story)|The Almost People]]''.
* Since Amy was replaced with a Ganger in the following season, this is presumably the last episode to feature the actual Amy Pond until the end of ''[[The Almost People]]''.
* "Abigail's Song" is the first English-language song to be composed for ''Doctor Who'' since "[[The Stowaway]]" and is the first original song to actually play a direct role in resolving the plot.
* "Abigail's Song" is the first English-language song to be composed for ''Doctor Who'' since "[[The Stowaway]]" and is the first original song to actually play a direct role in resolving the plot.
* Michael Gambon is well known for taking over the role of Albus Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'', coincidentally the only Harry Potter film that includes time travel.
* [[Michael Gambon]] is well known for taking over the role of [[Albus Dumbledore]] in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban_(film) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]'', coincidentally the only ''[[Harry Potter]]'' film that includes time travel.
* The Doctor travelling back in time to make someone react more favorably to him was part of the plot of the [[Decalog 3: Consequences]] short story ''[[Continuity Errors (short story)|Continuity Errors]]'', also written by Moffatt.
* The Doctor travelling back in time to make someone react more favourably to him was part of the plot of the ''[[Decalog 3: Consequences]]'' short story ''[[Continuity Errors (short story)|Continuity Errors]]'', also written by Moffat.
* As is routine for Christmas specials, a "COMING SOON" trailer for the next series is shown at the end of the episode. This "COMING SOON" trailer features clips from the first half of [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|Series 6]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut]]'', ''[[Day of the Moon]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot]]'', ''[[The Doctor's Wife]]'', ''[[The Rebel Flesh]]'', ''[[The Almost People]]'' and ''[[A Good Man Goes to War]]''.
* [[Andy Pryor]], the casting director, did not believe that [[Michael Gambon]] would be available, and was surprised when Gambon accepted the role. [[Matt Smith]], [[Karen Gillan]], and [[Arthur Darvill]] were very honoured to work with him.
* This episode was [[Katherine Jenkins]]' acting début. She got the news that she'd been cast on her thirtieth birthday.
* [[Michael Gambon]] is only the second knighted actor to appear in the series. The first was Sir [[Derek Jacobi]], the third was Sir [[Ian McKellen]] and the fourth was Sir [[John Hurt]].
* [[Steven Moffat]] wrote the script in [[Los Angeles]], as he, [[Matt Smith]], [[Karen Gillan]] and others were stranded there while on a promotional junket thanks to the eruption of the Iceland volcano [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull Eyjafjallajökull]. Moffat set to work on scripting the Christmas special despite his decidedly non-wintry surroundings, eventually downloading a playlist of seasonal tunes to help him overcome writer's block.
* [[Danny Horn]] admitted to actually being nervous about his on-screen kiss with [[Katherine Jenkins]], largely because her boyfriend at the time was somewhat intimidating and happened to be on set that day.
* The painting of Kazran's father was created by taking a picture of [[Michael Gambon]], lightly printing it on a canvas, and painting in the details.
* Kazran's controls were inspired by a [[church]] [[organ]].
* Nearly all the windows in the town are round, reminiscent of [[submarine]]s.
* For the scene in which a sky fish nibbles on the sonic screwdriver, the screwdriver was dangled in front of a greenscreen and tapped with a pen to create the effect of the fish nudging it.
* The Doctor produces a picture of himself with [[Albert Einstein]] towards the beginning of the special. [[Matt Smith]] wrote [[fan fiction]] about the Doctor meeting Einstein after being cast to prepare himself for the role.{{fact}}
* [[Matt Smith]] named this as his favourite Christmas Special.
* [[Tim Plester]] would later play Walder Rivers on [[Game of Thrones|''Game of Thrones'']]. [[Matt Smith]] would later play Daemon Targaryen on the prequel series ''[[House of the Dragon]]''.
* [[Michael Gambon]] had previously voiced the [[Ghost of Christmas Present]] in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Carol:_The_Movie A Christmas Carol: The Movie].''
* [[Michael Gambon]] told London Film and Comic Con in [[2015]] that while he found the experience "good fun", he didn't think he was very good in the special, saying that "I tried hard, but I didn't quite get it". He loved working with [[Matt Smith]], calling him "a great bloke" and joked that he tried it on with [[Katherine Jenkins]] (No, too old. No hair").
* The spaceship was named after the Greek orator [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrasymachus Thrasymachus].
* The vessel originally carried four hundred and three passengers and crew, rather than four thousand and three.
* A significant challenge was finding someone to play Abigail Pettigrew, given the fact that the story's climax would hinge upon her singing ability. An early idea was for the actress to mime along to a vocal track, perhaps provided by [[Katherine Jenkins]]. It was then suggested that Jenkins might be interested in actually appearing as Abigail. Although she was not a trained actress, [[Steven Moffat]] and [[Toby Haynes]] were impressed with Jenkins' talent and enthusiasm during a meeting and they decided to offer her the role, which she nervously accepted.
* "Silence is All You Know" was the first song [[Murray Gold]] composed for a Christmas special since "[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]" and "[[The Stowaway]]" for ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]].''
* [[Steven Moffat]] noted that Kazran was unlike other villains found in the series, as he was not completely "wicked". Instead he was more of a "damaged" character; the Doctor recognises this when Kazran demonstrates his inability to hit a little boy, due to it reminding him of when his father beat him. This allowed the Doctor to want to change his past and "defrost" his soul. The phrase "halfway out of the dark" is used in the episode, a reference to the fact that the hard winter is almost over as well as a metaphor for Kazran.
* [[Toby Haynes]] said that acting came naturally to [[Laurence Belcher]] and he "captured the story" and drew the audience in.
* [[Steven Moffat]] stated, "[[Michael Gambon]] is as distinguished an actor as I can imagine and the fact that he was [[Albus Dumbledore|Dumbledore]] means that he is already known to millions of children".
* The episode marked the debut of [[Michael Pickwoad]] as the new set designer. He worked together with [[Toby Haynes]] to create the town, incorporating elements that would be needed in a society that shared its daily life with fish.
* Kazran's study was designed to be very large, as Kazran spent several scenes in there alone and would feel "dwarfed" by it. The walls were intended to look like copper that had turned green, which when combined with the red drapes created the Christmas colours of red and green.
* [[Matt Smith]] was pleased with the Doctor's entrance, noting similarities between the Doctor and Santa Claus. However, a stuntman performed the scene.
* The scenes in which the characters ride through the air in a sleigh pulled by one of the flying sharks was filmed in front of a greenscreen. The sleigh was in fact a rickshaw which crew members rocked back and forth as a wind machine created the effect of flying through the air. As it was impossible to film underneath the rickshaw, a miniature model of the sleigh was used for the shots underneath the sleigh rather than computer-generated effects.
* [[Katherine Jenkins]] did a demo of "Silence is All You Know" and then sang the song while filming the actual scene, as she thought it would look more natural. Afterwards she sang the final version and a new, lighter arrangement was composed by the National Orchestra of Wales.
* [[Steven Moffat]] wanted to make the special "really Christmassy" because the previous Christmas special, ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', had been darker than usual as it led to the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s regeneration. He stated that he had "never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April".[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrasymachus]


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
* 10.3 million (Overnight)
* 10.3 million (Overnight)
* 12.11 million (BARB)
* 12.11 million (BARB)<ref>[http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2018/01/twice-upon-time-official-rating.html Ratings - DW News]</ref>


=== Rumours ===
=== Rumours ===
* The villain has been confirmed by the BBC to be a CGI "Flying Shark". <ref>http://news.whoviannet.co.uk/2010/08/christmas-special-rumours-from-the-daily-star/</ref> ''Although the main enemy was [[Kazran Sardick]], there was a menacing, flying shark.''
* The villain has been confirmed by the BBC to be a CGI "Flying Shark". <ref>http://news.whoviannet.co.uk/2010/08/christmas-special-rumours-from-the-daily-star/</ref> ''Although the main enemy was [[Kazran Sardick]], there was a menacing, flying shark.''
* The episode could be a musical.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-christmas-musical-10119.htm</ref> ''This was false, although Katherine Jenkins did sing.''
* The episode could be a musical .<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-christmas-musical-10119.htm</ref> ''This was false, although Katherine Jenkins did sing.''
* The episode will be set on a planet that looks Victorian and will have flying sharks.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-ghost-of-christmas-past-8920.htm</ref>''This was true.''
* The episode will be set on a planet that looks Victorian and will have flying sharks.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-ghost-of-christmas-past-8920.htm</ref>''This was true.''
* In the episode, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] will get engaged.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/a-christmas-engagement-12447.htm</ref> ''He was accidentally engaged to Marilyn Monroe, and this leads up to a gag at the end of the episode.''
* In the episode, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] will get engaged. <ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/a-christmas-engagement-12447.htm</ref> ''He was accidentally engaged to Marilyn Monroe, and this leads up to a gag at the end of the episode.''
* The Doctor will pose as a Ghost of Christmas Past.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-ghost-of-christmas-past-8920.htm</ref> In a trailer for the BBC's Christmas season, the Doctor is heard saying "I'm a ghost of Christmas Past".<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBf2zvGMCDA&feature=player_embedded#!</ref>''This was true, with the Doctor travelling back in time to Kazran's past, and from there, affect his future.''
* The Doctor will pose as a Ghost of Christmas Past. <ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-ghost-of-christmas-past-8920.htm</ref> In a trailer for the BBC's Christmas season, the Doctor is heard saying "I'm a ghost of Christmas Past". <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBf2zvGMCDA&feature=player_embedded#!</ref>''This was true, with the Doctor travelling back in time to Kazran's past, and from there, affect his future.''


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
Line 443: Line 511:
=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
{{Discontinuity}}
{{Discontinuity}}
* When the Doctor first goes back to Kazran's childhood, the light from the TARDIS windows can be seen through the crack in the door after the supposed departure.
* When the Doctor first goes back to Kazran's childhood, the light from the TARDIS windows can be seen through the crack in the door after the supposed departure. Additionally, though the TARDIS can be seen in the background at the beginning of this scene, it is absent in the exterior shot where the Doctor is standing in the window.
*According to a previous episode in which Rose and Doctor travel to the past to see Rose's father, touching one's past self causes a paradox. In this episode, however, Kazran is seen touching his past self and no such thing can be observed.
* When the Doctor hurriedly tells Kazran and Abigail they have to leave the party in 1952, the boom mic can briefly be seen in the shot.
*The Doctor states that he has never met someone who is not important, however he does say Donna is not (though he was later proven wrong) and said the same type of thing about Mia and Yuri. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'', ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'')


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Amy says, "Don't be late, Doctor, just this once." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'')
* Amy says, "Don't be late, Doctor, just this once." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'')
* The Doctor sends a message to Amy saying, "Come Along Pond." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'')
* The Doctor sends a message to Amy saying, "Come Along Pond." ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'')
* The Doctor attempts and fails to perform [[playing card|card]] tricks. He previously displayed this in [[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''.
* The Doctor attempts and fails to perform [[playing card|card]] tricks. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'')
* The Doctor produces a photograph of himself and [[Father Christmas]] with [[Albert Einstein]] at [[Frank Sinatra]]'s hunting lodge. It was previously suggested in [[TV]]: ''[[Time and the Rani]]'' that the Doctor and Einstein were friends.
* The Doctor produces a photograph of himself and [[Father Christmas]] with [[Albert Einstein]] at [[Frank Sinatra]]'s hunting lodge. It was previously suggested that the Doctor and Einstein were friends. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'') This is later proven when the Doctor and Einstein are together on the TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death Is the Only Answer (TV story)|Death Is the Only Answer]]'')
* While in the honeymoon suite, Amy wears her policewoman kissogramme garb, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'') and Rory wears a [[Rome|Roman]] Centurion's outfit, just like the one worn by his [[Rory Williams (Auton)|Auton self]], and previously by his real self (as seen in a photograph in Amy's house), or this was the Christmas event that the photograph was of. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')
* While in the honeymoon suite, Amy wears her [[policewoman]] [[kissogram]] garb, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'') and Rory wears a [[Rome|Roman]] [[Centurion]]'s outfit, just like the one worn by his [[Rory Williams (Auton)|Auton self]], and previously by his real self (as seen in a photograph in Amy's house), or this was the Christmas event that the photograph was of. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')
* The Doctor is seen, once again, in a [[fez]], but this time it's because he's actually going to [[Egypt]]. Kazran's photographs prove that the time travellers spent one [[Christmas Eve]] at the [[pyramid]]s.
* Once again, the Doctor replaces somebody who unexpectedly wins the lottery, despite the fact that that person would not normally play it. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
* During one of his visits to Abigail, the Doctor and Kazran wear a scarves similar to the [[The Doctor's scarf|one]] worn by his [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation.]] During this Christmas, Abigail's timer shows "004."
* The Doctor once again wears a [[fez]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'') but this time he's actually going to [[Egypt]].
* The Doctor has previously observed and attempted to use devices with isomorphic controls to no avail, a notable example being [[the Master]]'s [[laser screwdriver]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'') The Doctor has also previously stated (apparently falsely) that the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] has isomorphic controls. ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars]]'')
* During one of his visits to Abigail, the Doctor and Kazran wear long scarves similar to the [[The Doctor's scarf|one]] worn by the Doctor's [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', et al.) During this Christmas, Abigail's timer shows "004."
* Abigail says she cannot enter her home, before seconds later seeing the Doctor within - closely resembling the Doctor telling Amy not to interfere before she sees him on the TARDIS monitor doing so. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Beast Below]]'')
* The Doctor has previously observed and attempted to use devices with isomorphic controls to no avail, a notable example being [[the Master]]'s [[laser screwdriver]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') The Doctor has also previously stated (apparently falsely) that [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] has isomorphic controls. ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'')
* Abigail says she cannot enter her home, before seconds later seeing the Doctor within - closely resembling the Doctor telling Amy not to interfere before she sees him on the TARDIS monitor doing so. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'')
* The Captain claims that "Christmas is cancelled!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The Captain claims that "Christmas is cancelled!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The Doctor once again says, "Geronimo!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Beast Below]]'', ''[[The Big Bang]])''
* The Doctor once again says, "Geronimo!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'', ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]])''
* The Doctor gets himself into a problematic marital situation with [[Marilyn Monroe]]. He previously had a failed marriage with [[Elizabeth I|Queen Elizabeth I]], and he has stated that he is "rubbish at weddings... especially my own." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[Blink]])''
* The Doctor gets himself into a problematic marital situation with [[Marilyn Monroe]]. He previously had a failed marriage with [[Elizabeth I|Queen Elizabeth I]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'') and he has stated that he is "rubbish at weddings... especially my own." ([[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'')
* The Doctor, when speaking to Kazran, said, "900 years of time and space, I've never met someone who wasn't important". He said something along the same lines to [[Craig Owens]] when Craig was sick. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'')
* The Doctor, when speaking to Kazran, said, "900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important". He said something along the same lines to [[Craig Owens]] when Craig was sick. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'') This is also similar to his lines while talking to another bride and groom ([[TV]]: ''[[Father's Day (TV story)|Father's Day]]'') and later while examining stone dust. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
* The Doctor previously mentioned having seen fish that fly. ([[TV]]: ''[[Marco Polo (TV story)|Marco Polo]]'')
* The Doctor previously mentioned having seen fish that fly. ([[TV]]: ''[[Marco Polo (TV story)|Marco Polo]]'')
* If [[River Song|Melody Pond]] was conceived on Amy and Rory's wedding night ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'') as suggested in [[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War]]'' then Amy is pregnant with River in this episode.
* The Doctor gives Sardick a choice: help those people on the starliner or face the consequences. When he refuses the Doctor says, "Whatever happens here tonight, remember: You brought this on yourself." The [[Tenth Doctor]] told the [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress of the Racnoss]] much the same thing when he offered her a choice to either leave or face the consequences. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Doctor gives Sardick a choice: help those people on the starliner or face the consequences. When he refuses the Doctor says, "Whatever happens here tonight, remember: You brought this on yourself." The [[Tenth Doctor]] told the [[Empress of the Racnoss]] much the same thing when he offered her a choice to either leave or face the consequences. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The [[psychic paper]] has failed before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'', ''[[The Vampires of Venice (TV story)|The Vampires of Venice]]'')
* This is not the first time the [[psychic paper]] failed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[The Shakespeare Code]]'', ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]'')
* This episode marks the fifth time [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver]] has been destroyed. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'', ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', [[COMIC]]:'' [[The Flood (comic story)|The Flood]]'') The device would later suffer heavy damage for a sixth time. ([[TV]]: ''[[Oxygen (TV story)|Oxygen]]'')
* The ''[[Byzantium (ship)|Byzantium]]'' was also identified as a Galaxy Class ship. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]'')
* The ''[[Byzantium (spacecraft)|Byzantium]]'' was also identified as a Galaxy Class ship. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of Angels (TV story)|The Time of Angels]]'')
* Amy and The Doctor once again have an adventure in [[Christmas]]. ([[GAME]]: ''[[Shadows of the Vashta Nerada (video game)|Shadows of the Vashta Nerada]]'').
* At the party where he ended up engaged to Marilyn Monroe, he met up with [[John F. Kennedy]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Shroud of Sorrow (novel)|Shroud of Sorrow]]'')
* At the party where he ended up engaged to Marilyn Monroe, he met up with [[John F. Kennedy]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Shroud of Sorrow (novel)|Shroud of Sorrow]]'')
* The Eleventh Doctor claimed to accidentally become engaged to Marilyn Monroe. The [[First Doctor]] also accidentally became engaged, to [[Cameca]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Aztecs (TV story)|The Aztecs]]'')
* During his travels with the Doctor as a young man, Kazran met [[Winston Churchill]] and the two of them became stranded in [[Britain]] in [[BC#1st century BC|55 BC]] during [[Julius Caesar]]'s invasion. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Living History (audio story)|Living History]]'')
* During his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]], the Doctor previously sang another duet with Sinatra, though much less successfully on that occasion. [[Melanie Bush]] noted that the two of them and [[Ace]] were lucky to escape with their lives since Sinatra was less accommodating than the Doctor had hoped. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Maker of Demons (audio story)|Maker of Demons]]'')


== DVD release ==
== Home video releases ==
[[File:A-christmas-carol-dvd-cover.jpg|thumb|DVD cover of the episode.]]
[[File:A-christmas-carol-dvd-cover.jpg|thumb|A Christmas Carol DVD cover]]
This story was released on DVD and Blu-ray on [[24 January (releases)|24 January]] [[2011]] in UK markets and [[15 February (releases)|15 February]] [[2011]] in North American markets.


The episode was later released in the complete series 6, which included the first and second half of the series, was released on DVD and Blu Ray on the [[21 November (releases)|21 November]] [[2011]].
=== DVD & Blu-ray releases ===
* ''A Christmas Carol'' was released as a standalone DVD and Blu-ray in region 1/A on [[15 February (releases)|15 February]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], in region 2/B on [[24 January (releases)|24 January]] 2011 and in region 4/B on [[3 March (releases)|3 March]] 2011.
* The episode was later included in the Complete Sixth Series boxset on both DVD and Blu-ray, in region 1/A on [[22 November (releases)|22 November]] 2011, in region 2/B on [[21 November (releases)|21 November]] 2011 and in region 4/B on [[1 December (releases)|1 December]] 2011.
* ''A Christmas Carol ''was released as part of "The Time of the Doctor + Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials" sets on DVD and Blu-ray, in region 2/B on [[20 January (releases)|20 January]] [[2014 (releases)|2014]] and region 4/B on [[22 January (releases)|22 January]] 2014. Other Christmas episodes from Matt Smith's tenure were included: [[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|''The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe'']], ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]] and [[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]].''


The episode is one of two stories omitted entirely from [[Netflix]]' run of the show, alongside ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]''. Series 5 ends with [[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'', and Series 6 begins with [[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]''.
=== Digital releases ===
* A bundle including the Christmas Specials mentioned above was released on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video in HD or SD. It included the ''Farewell to Matt Smith ''featurette. The Amazon Instant Video release also added ''[[Prequel (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)|Prequel to the Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]], [[Vastra Investigates: A Christmas Prequel (webcast)|Vastra Investigates]] ''and ''[[The Great Detective (TV story)|The Great Detective]]''.
* The story was missing from [[Netflix]] until 2014 when it was added as episode 14 of [[Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 5]], in contrast with previous Christmas specials which are considered episode 1 of the following series (for example, ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'' is considered the beginning of [[Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 2]]). It is also available on Hulu and iTunes.
* In the United Kingdom, this story is available on [[BBC iPlayer]] as part of Series 5.


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
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Latest revision as of 21:32, 9 December 2024

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You may be looking for the novel or the reference book.
You may wish to consult Caroline (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

A Christmas Carol was the 2010 Christmas Special of Doctor Who.

It was the show's sixth Christmas special since its revival and the first Christmas special starring Matt Smith as the Doctor.

It was the first BBC Wales Christmas special neither written by Russell T Davies nor starring David Tennant. Like other Christmas specials before it, a renowned guest star was signed on to portray a major character. This special played host to the talents of actor Sir Michael Gambon, who was given two roles, portraying both the main antagonist and that character's lookalike father. A Christmas Carol was also the first Christmas story whose title was inspired by a previous Christmas tale, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

This episode contains a small hint about Amy's pregnancy. When the Doctor scans the crashing star-ship, the life signs he gets has one more than there are actual people on-board, due to it counting the baby in Amy's womb.

Furthermore, it broke the record for least delay between UK and US premiere broadcasts of an episode of Doctor Who. Previously held by The End of Time, whose US debut of Part One was a single day later, the delay between BBC One and BBC America (easternmost) broadcasts was a mere eight hours. Australia was equally well-served, with the delay being something on the order of seven hours, depending on the time zone.

Behind the scenes, it was significant for the number of new faces in most departments – more than on any other single episode since Rose. Of those new to BBC Wales Doctor Who, the most prominent were those of production designer Michael Pickwoad, costume designer Barbara Kidd, and editor Adam Recht. On the subject of a new costume designer, Matt Smith's Shetland tweed jacket ensemble made its debut in this special, replacing the outfit he wore during Series 5. It remained in use up to The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel, before Smith once again had a costume change.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Amy Pond and Rory Williams are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Eleventh Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

A spaceship plunges towards an unknown planet. Its captain orders the pilot to try steadying the ship. A distress call has been sent from the ship's honeymoon suite, angering the captain as she does not know who sent it. Amy and Rory, honeymooners aboard the craft, rush to the bridge of the spaceship to see if they can help; Amy is in her police woman kissogram outfit and Rory in a centurion uniform. Embarrassed, they explain they were having "fun".

Amy was the one who placed the distress call. Rory holds an odd device with a light attached and is wondering if he has to change the bulb or if the Doctor has received the signal; Amy quiets him, praying that the Doctor isn't late this time. All of a sudden, the ship's computers register a small object approaching the ship; the TARDIS soars into view, beaming the message, "Come along, Pond." When asked what the message means, Amy simply answers that it's Christmas.

Kazran Sardick is introduced.

Kazran Sardick, a wealthy, heartless man, owns much of the planet below — and the cloud belt above, where the ship is trapped. His money comes from a loansharking business he inherited from his father. To secure loans, he cryogenically preserves family members of borrowers for collateral. On Christmas Eve, he meets with one such family in his library. They beg for the release of a family member to spend Christmas Eve with them. Kazran rejects this proposal. He takes a phone call from the president of the planet, asking his permission to land the star-liner safely; he refuses. As he returns to berating the family, a boy notices the sound of the TARDIS landing above them.

Suddenly, the Doctor slides down the chimney into the room, calling it a whim. Babbling, he notices a "flashy-lighty thing" machine and tells the group that it's what brought him there; he tries to use the controls to open the cloud belt, but cannot use them. Kazran says the machine is isomorphic. The Doctor wonders who Kazran is, confusing the rich miser as everyone on the planet should know him; the Doctor changes the subject, wondering who the girl in the ice box is. Kazran says she is no one important, amazing the Doctor as he has never met anyone who wasn't important. He asks Kazran to help him save the ship stuck in the cloud belt, but Kazran refuses.

Kazran orders the Doctor and the family removed from his home. The servants grab the Doctor to pull him away. The family's young son throws a chunk of coal at Kazran's head. Kazran moves to strike him, but doesn't; he orders the family and the Doctor to be thrown out. The Doctor returns to ask why he didn't hit the boy. Though Kazran is less than cooperative, the Doctor quickly pieces together Kazran's personality from the arrangement of his furniture. There is a picture of his father, deceased for twenty years, but Kazran keeps his chair pointed away. Kazran fears being like his father. The Doctor says he is not because he didn't hit the boy.

Outside, the Doctor speaks to Amy over her mobile phone, but is distracted by the sight of some sky fish swimming around a lamp. The unnaturally high water level in the cloud belt, combined with the slight electrical charge, allows the fish to swim amongst the fog. A carol begins playing in the speakers in the street, preventing Amy from hearing the Doctor properly; she informs him that the ship only has an hour left. The Doctor begins panicking about what to do, babbling about what he knows about the situation; he has to turn a very mean man into a nice man on Christmas Eve. Amy asks him what the singing is in the background, but cannot hear him; the Doctor repeatedly tells her that the noise is a Christmas carol, and then suddenly gets an idea. The Doctor suddenly smiles and looks up at Kazran's mansion, and wishes Kazran a merry Christmas.

Kazran is asleep in his library, dreaming of Christmas Eve when he was only twelve years old and tried to film his encounter with a sky fish. Kazran wakes to find this video being projected onto a wall in his library; in the video, Kazran's father storms into the room and strikes his son, furious that he has disobeyed him by researching the fish. The Doctor appears behind the adult Kazran (whose entire staff has left after winning the lottery, despite there not actually being one) and wonders if he ever saw the fish; Kazran reveals that this was the day where he first began to realise that there was no one who would ever help him and that he was on his own in the world. When asked who he is, the Doctor retorts that for this night, he is the Ghost of Christmas Past.

The Doctor reveals that he can change the past and takes off as Kazran derisively declares this to be impossible. The sound of the TARDIS is heard; in the video, young Kazran looks around just as the Doctor steps into his room via the window. He gleefully jumps around, revealing that he is Kazran's new babysitter; the old one having also won the non-existent lottery. The Doctor addresses the camera, telling the future Kazran his past will now start changing; the new memories will scare him at first, but he'll get the hang of it. The adult Kazran protests that this didn't happen, but suddenly remembers that it did.

In the past, Kazran wonders who the Doctor is. The Doctor takes out his Psychic Paper to show him that he's universally recognised as a mature and responsible adult. However, it only appears as a bunch of wavy lines to the boy. The Doctor scoffs, putting the paper away; "finally a lie too big." Knowing how much Kazran wants to see a fish, the Doctor decides to help the young man make his dream come true.

Things get out of hand, again.

Kazran and the Doctor hide in Kazran's wardrobe, luring the sky fish in through the open window with the sonic screwdriver on a string tied to the Doctor's finger. Kazran confesses to the Doctor that he is the only student in his class who has never seen a fish; he was sick at home when the cloud belt broke open and released a school-worth. Now every kid has a story except him. A moment later, the string starts moving. The Doctor opens the wardrobe door to see a small fish curiously playing with the sonic. The Doctor steps out — with the adult Kazran, remembering the event, warning him not to — and deduces how the fish survive in the fog. Suddenly, a large sky shark swoops in and gobbles up the smaller fish and half of the sonic screwdriver.

A scared Doctor backs up to the wardrobe, shutting himself inside. He tells Kazran that on the plus side, he now has a story. The shark tries getting in and rams its head into the door. Seeing its mouth stuck open, and the sonic glowing inside, the Doctor decides to give his "two tries" at getting it back. After a struggle, the Doctor manages to stun the shark, which cannot survive outside the fog belt. The Doctor tries to console a young Kazran, confessing there is nothing he can do for the shark without his sonic screwdriver, half of which is still inside the fish; though he has a means of returning it to the sky, it would never survive the trip without some form of life support. To his surprise, Kazran offers an ice box.

Kazran leads the Doctor to a large storeroom in the basement, which is filled with rows of ice boxes, all of which hold frozen people. Stopping in front of one ice box, Kazran plays its video message: its occupant is a young woman called Abigail Pettigrew, who expresses her gratitude towards Elliot Sardick and her love of the fish. Kazran explains that the people in the boxes are family members of those who have borrowed money from his father, but he insists that they can borrow Abigail's box for the night, unlocking it. Before she fully awakes, the two realise that the shark has followed them to the vault, temporarily revived by swimming in the fog that is settled on the floor.

The TARDIS in the cloud belt.

Following a short chase, the shark is put to sleep by Abigail's singing. The Doctor explains that her voice resonates with and aligns the fog crystals in the same way that Sardick's machine does. In the present day, Kazran turns to a picture on the wall, realising that it is of Abigail. He then remembers "it's bigger on the inside". In the past, Kazran and Abigail marvel at the TARDIS. The Doctor dismisses it.

With the shark in Abigail's box, the Doctor pilots the TARDIS into the cloud belt. Dismissing his time machine as impressive, the Time Lord tells the children that he keeps the true wonders outside of the doors. He opens them, revealing the sky full of fish. They release the shark, which swims after a new meal. The Doctor notices a dial set at eight on Abigail's ice box. When he asks her if it relates to her, she responds by asking if he is one of her doctors; however, he is distracted by something else before she can explain.

The Doctor and Kazran return Abigail and her box to the vault, with Kazran promising that they will return and wake her every Christmas Eve from now on. The Doctor starts to complain as Abigail watches the door shut. However, she is next awoken by Kazran and the Doctor, wearing Santa hats. Using the sonic, he calls the shark down to pull a sleigh for them.

A third Christmas comes, with the Doctor offering to take the duo wherever in time they wish for Christmas. In the present, Kazran sees a tin-worth of pictures, showing new memories of his Christmases together with Abigail and the Doctor; he's been to New York, the Pyramids, etc. He is happy and confused by this. In the past, each Christmas has the dial on Abigail's ice box count down.

Teenage Kazran.

On the sixth Christmas Eve, Abigail finds Kazran much older than before and appears attracted to him. This Christmas, she requests that they visit her family; she and Kazran watch her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew prepare for the festivities through the window from outside. Abigail cries; when Kazran wonders why, she explains that it is because she is watching the life she will never be able to have. To their shock, the Doctor has gotten the family to invite them in. Abigail tells her sister of her Christmases but declines to stay the day for dinner. As a result, they have it then. The Doctor attempts a card trick, which he fails at repeatedly. Abigail's sister warns her that Kazran will turn out just like his father; however, Abigail knows there's kindness in his heart that Elliot lacks. At the end of the night, Abigail kisses a nervous Kazran.

The following Christmas finds the trio at a 20th century Hollywood party. Kazran finds a crying Abigail by the pool; when he expresses concern for her, she explains that it is time for her to tell him the truth. A few minutes later, the Doctor finds the couple kissing passionately, but impatiently requests to leave, as he has accidentally become engaged to Marilyn Monroe; he leaves with her nevertheless. Abigail sadly tells Kazran that there is nothing that can be done. When the Doctor and Kazran return Abigail to her ice box, the couple bids each other a silent and emotional goodbye. When the Doctor tells Kazran that he'll come back next year, Kazran explains that he has outgrown Christmas and would like to end their yearly ritual. With the Doctor reflecting that Kazran has not changed nearly as much as he would have liked, he offers Kazran his half of the sonic screwdriver in case Kazran ever needs him; Kazran assures him that he won't. Meanwhile, Abigail's dial has turned to one.

Elliot figures out how to control the clouds.

A few Christmas Eves later, Elliot Sardick is celebrating with his son — his machine is complete, and the planet is theirs; Elliot finally figured out part of the truth. Confused on what he should do from now on, Kazran runs to his room and takes the screwdriver out of his desk, considering using it to call the Doctor. He turns to see the Doctor standing just outside his window. Kazran goes to the window and looks on as the Doctor gives him a smile, hoping he can be of help. Angrily, Kazran shuts the curtains on him and returns the screwdriver to his desk drawer.

In the present day, Kazran goes to his old and disused room and takes the screwdriver out of the drawer and holds it, contemplating what to do. He receives another call from the president of the planet, who demands the cloud belt be opened and allow the star-liner to land safely. However, Kazran simply refuses; he explains that a very old friend (the Doctor) took many years to show him life isn't fair. Suddenly, a hologram of Amy appears in the library; she is the ghost of Christmas present. She brings him to the vault, where she has summoned dozens of holograms of the spaceship's passengers, who are singing for their lives; she explains that the Doctor was only trying to turn Kazran into a kinder man, but Kazran insists that people can't be rewritten.

He destroys the holograms and stops in front of Abigail's ice box, revealing to Amy that Abigail was mortally ill when she volunteered for the ice, and the dial showed how many days she had left to live. If he were to let her out now, he would only have one day with her. Determined, Amy projects a hologram of Kazran onto the ship's deck, where he is able to witness the chaos as the ship plunges towards the planet; the captain angrily tells Kazran that the Doctor has the ship's passengers singing with the hope that they might stabilise the ship — as Abigail was able to calm the shark — but it's not working; now, they're doing it because it gives them hope. When he is appealed to again to save the ship, Kazran angrily declares that everyone must die. Amy reveals that the Doctor has been listening, and he returns Kazran's consciousness to his body in the vault, apologising.

Kazran demands the Doctor show him the future.

The Doctor says that he will now show Kazran the future, and Kazran welcomes this, knowing that he will die alone and afraid like everyone else; he repeats that he doesn't care about the people on the ship and goads the Doctor into showing him the future — only to be surprised when the Doctor explains that he already is. He points to a twelve-year-old Kazran standing in front of the TARDIS; the Doctor made Kazran the Ghost of Christmas Future. The Doctor asks the boy if he wants to turn into a heartless monster like his father. The boy mistakes his older self for his abusive father, infuriating Kazran, who goes to strike him.

However, Kazran is bombarded by his new memories of the love he and Abigail shared. Seeing his younger self cowering, Kazran realises he has to break free of his father's influence and become his own person. He hugs his trembling younger self, telling him it will be okay. Seeing he's changed Kazran into a better person, the Doctor asks him if he's ready to save the ship. With only a few minutes left, the Doctor and Kazran go to the cloud belt controls only to find that Kazran has changed too much and the machine no longer recognises him as Elliot would never let a kind person use the machine.

The elder Kazran gives the Doctor his half of the sonic screwdriver; the Doctor realises that he can transmit a signal from one half to the other — which is still contained in the shark floating in the cloud belt — but he needs it to transmit something else, something they know will work. Apologising to Kazran, he explains that they will need to release Abigail; her voice resonates perfectly with the fog crystals, and only that will calm the sky. Kazran is reluctant to let her out, but when he does so, she insists that she would have chosen Christmas Day with him for her final day.

Kazran watches in amazement as it snows.

She begins to sing her song, which unlocks the cloud belt and causes a snowfall for the first time in years. The townsfolk gather, watching in amazement at the sight of snow. Kazran watches Abigail sing, mesmerised by his beloved's beauty; she gently caresses his face. The ship's crew realises that they are able to land the ship safely, and Rory and Amy embrace. The Doctor departs with young Kazran, who now knows how his future will play out, regardless of his heartless father's actions. Old Kazran and Abigail wave goodbye; they then notice that a sleigh lies behind where the TARDIS was.

Amy and Rory meet up with the Doctor on the ground, where she notices he has built numerous snowmen along the street. The Doctor wonders why they are dressed in their costumes; Rory explains that they lost their luggage despite having a safe landing. However, the Doctor wonders why they are dressed like that at all; Amy hushes the Doctor and tries warming herself up. Rory asks if the Doctor has any more ideas for honeymoon locations. The Doctor begins babbling on about a carnivorous "moon" made of "honey" that has some "lovely views"; Rory is less than excited to hear about this idea and walks into the TARDIS.

Amy asks the Doctor if it is okay to leave things the way they are; Abigail and Kazran only have one day left together. However, the Doctor tells her that if nothing ever ended, nothing would ever get started. Rory pops out of the TARDIS, saying he answered the phone; Marilyn has called the Doctor. The Doctor tells Rory to inform Marilyn that he will call her back, "and that was never a real chapel". Amy wonders where Kazran and Abigail have gone, but the Doctor only answers "Christmas"; Amy enters the TARDIS and the Doctor follows shortly after looking up into the sky.

The scene pans above to show the snowing night sky as Kazran and Abigail fly by on their shark-drawn sleigh.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
          

This episode marked the Doctor Who debut of production designer Michael Pickwoad, the BBC Wales debut of costume designer Barbara Kidd, and the first time that something like twenty team members had been credited for their work on Doctor Who. It was the biggest sea change of behind-the-scenes personnel in BBC Wales history, much bigger, in fact, than the changes that had occurred with The Eleventh Hour

In CON: Charlie McDonnell - Runner, Jay Harley — then credited under their deadname — was described as a runner, and even depicted as delivering tea to cast and crew. However, they're credited here as an "assistant director", albeit lower than the 3rd AD, which does still essentially mean that they were a runner. 

This is the first episode of the BBC Wales series in which the title "Script Editor" is not used.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor admits he thinks bow ties are cool because '[he wears them] and [doesn't] care'.

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Abigail's song mentions "Silence" several times.
  • The song Abigail sings to calm the shark is "In the Bleak Midwinter", a Christmas carol based on a poem by English poet Christina Rossetti.
  • The Doctor wonders if Kazran has seen Mary Poppins.
  • The Doctor hears the song "Ding Dong Merrily on High" playing.
  • The passengers of the ship are singing "Silent Night".

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The first footage from this special was screened on 19 November in the form of a trailer as part of the BBC's Children in Need.
  • Arthur Darvill is promoted to the main cast from this episode onwards with his name appearing in the opening titles.
  • Steven Moffat said before it aired that this episode would be the most "Christmassy Christmas special ever," adding, "It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters and the Doctor and a honeymoon..."[1]
  • This is the first Christmas special since The Christmas Invasion to feature the Doctor's regular companions. This is also the first Christmas special not to be set primarily on or near Earth.
  • Paul Cornell's short story The Hopes and Fears of All the Years likewise features the Doctor visiting an individual every year at Christmas time, though in that case on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve the Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.
  • This is the first Christmas special not to feature David Tennant and the first one not to be written by Russell T Davies. It is the first one to feature Matt Smith and first to be written by Steven Moffat.
  • The shark, despite being a female, was named "Clive" behind the scenes. Matt Smith and Laurence Belcher also claimed to have called it "Percy" and "Clyde".
  • Excluding the little fish eaten by the shark, this is the first Christmas special without a character's death.
  • Since Amy was replaced with a Ganger in the following season, this is presumably the last episode to feature the actual Amy Pond until the end of The Almost People.
  • "Abigail's Song" is the first English-language song to be composed for Doctor Who since "The Stowaway" and is the first original song to actually play a direct role in resolving the plot.
  • Michael Gambon is well known for taking over the role of Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, coincidentally the only Harry Potter film that includes time travel.
  • The Doctor travelling back in time to make someone react more favourably to him was part of the plot of the Decalog 3: Consequences short story Continuity Errors, also written by Moffat.
  • Andy Pryor, the casting director, did not believe that Michael Gambon would be available, and was surprised when Gambon accepted the role. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill were very honoured to work with him.
  • This episode was Katherine Jenkins' acting début. She got the news that she'd been cast on her thirtieth birthday.
  • Michael Gambon is only the second knighted actor to appear in the series. The first was Sir Derek Jacobi, the third was Sir Ian McKellen and the fourth was Sir John Hurt.
  • Steven Moffat wrote the script in Los Angeles, as he, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and others were stranded there while on a promotional junket thanks to the eruption of the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajökull. Moffat set to work on scripting the Christmas special despite his decidedly non-wintry surroundings, eventually downloading a playlist of seasonal tunes to help him overcome writer's block.
  • Danny Horn admitted to actually being nervous about his on-screen kiss with Katherine Jenkins, largely because her boyfriend at the time was somewhat intimidating and happened to be on set that day.
  • The painting of Kazran's father was created by taking a picture of Michael Gambon, lightly printing it on a canvas, and painting in the details.
  • Kazran's controls were inspired by a church organ.
  • Nearly all the windows in the town are round, reminiscent of submarines.
  • For the scene in which a sky fish nibbles on the sonic screwdriver, the screwdriver was dangled in front of a greenscreen and tapped with a pen to create the effect of the fish nudging it.
  • The Doctor produces a picture of himself with Albert Einstein towards the beginning of the special. Matt Smith wrote fan fiction about the Doctor meeting Einstein after being cast to prepare himself for the role.[source needed]
  • Matt Smith named this as his favourite Christmas Special.
  • Tim Plester would later play Walder Rivers on Game of Thrones. Matt Smith would later play Daemon Targaryen on the prequel series House of the Dragon.
  • Michael Gambon had previously voiced the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol: The Movie.
  • Michael Gambon told London Film and Comic Con in 2015 that while he found the experience "good fun", he didn't think he was very good in the special, saying that "I tried hard, but I didn't quite get it". He loved working with Matt Smith, calling him "a great bloke" and joked that he tried it on with Katherine Jenkins (No, too old. No hair").
  • The spaceship was named after the Greek orator Thrasymachus.
  • The vessel originally carried four hundred and three passengers and crew, rather than four thousand and three.
  • A significant challenge was finding someone to play Abigail Pettigrew, given the fact that the story's climax would hinge upon her singing ability. An early idea was for the actress to mime along to a vocal track, perhaps provided by Katherine Jenkins. It was then suggested that Jenkins might be interested in actually appearing as Abigail. Although she was not a trained actress, Steven Moffat and Toby Haynes were impressed with Jenkins' talent and enthusiasm during a meeting and they decided to offer her the role, which she nervously accepted.
  • "Silence is All You Know" was the first song Murray Gold composed for a Christmas special since "My Angel Put the Devil in Me" and "The Stowaway" for Voyage of the Damned.
  • Steven Moffat noted that Kazran was unlike other villains found in the series, as he was not completely "wicked". Instead he was more of a "damaged" character; the Doctor recognises this when Kazran demonstrates his inability to hit a little boy, due to it reminding him of when his father beat him. This allowed the Doctor to want to change his past and "defrost" his soul. The phrase "halfway out of the dark" is used in the episode, a reference to the fact that the hard winter is almost over as well as a metaphor for Kazran.
  • Toby Haynes said that acting came naturally to Laurence Belcher and he "captured the story" and drew the audience in.
  • Steven Moffat stated, "Michael Gambon is as distinguished an actor as I can imagine and the fact that he was Dumbledore means that he is already known to millions of children".
  • The episode marked the debut of Michael Pickwoad as the new set designer. He worked together with Toby Haynes to create the town, incorporating elements that would be needed in a society that shared its daily life with fish.
  • Kazran's study was designed to be very large, as Kazran spent several scenes in there alone and would feel "dwarfed" by it. The walls were intended to look like copper that had turned green, which when combined with the red drapes created the Christmas colours of red and green.
  • Matt Smith was pleased with the Doctor's entrance, noting similarities between the Doctor and Santa Claus. However, a stuntman performed the scene.
  • The scenes in which the characters ride through the air in a sleigh pulled by one of the flying sharks was filmed in front of a greenscreen. The sleigh was in fact a rickshaw which crew members rocked back and forth as a wind machine created the effect of flying through the air. As it was impossible to film underneath the rickshaw, a miniature model of the sleigh was used for the shots underneath the sleigh rather than computer-generated effects.
  • Katherine Jenkins did a demo of "Silence is All You Know" and then sang the song while filming the actual scene, as she thought it would look more natural. Afterwards she sang the final version and a new, lighter arrangement was composed by the National Orchestra of Wales.
  • Steven Moffat wanted to make the special "really Christmassy" because the previous Christmas special, The End of Time, had been darker than usual as it led to the Tenth Doctor's regeneration. He stated that he had "never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April".[1]

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 10.3 million (Overnight)
  • 12.11 million (BARB)[2]

Rumours[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The villain has been confirmed by the BBC to be a CGI "Flying Shark". [3] Although the main enemy was Kazran Sardick, there was a menacing, flying shark.
  • The episode could be a musical .[4] This was false, although Katherine Jenkins did sing.
  • The episode will be set on a planet that looks Victorian and will have flying sharks.[5]This was true.
  • In the episode, the Eleventh Doctor will get engaged. [6] He was accidentally engaged to Marilyn Monroe, and this leads up to a gag at the end of the episode.
  • The Doctor will pose as a Ghost of Christmas Past. [7] In a trailer for the BBC's Christmas season, the Doctor is heard saying "I'm a ghost of Christmas Past". [8]This was true, with the Doctor travelling back in time to Kazran's past, and from there, affect his future.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When the Doctor first goes back to Kazran's childhood, the light from the TARDIS windows can be seen through the crack in the door after the supposed departure. Additionally, though the TARDIS can be seen in the background at the beginning of this scene, it is absent in the exterior shot where the Doctor is standing in the window.
  • When the Doctor hurriedly tells Kazran and Abigail they have to leave the party in 1952, the boom mic can briefly be seen in the shot.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

A Christmas Carol DVD cover

DVD & Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A bundle including the Christmas Specials mentioned above was released on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video in HD or SD. It included the Farewell to Matt Smith featurette. The Amazon Instant Video release also added Prequel to the Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, Vastra Investigates and The Great Detective.
  • The story was missing from Netflix until 2014 when it was added as episode 14 of Series 5, in contrast with previous Christmas specials which are considered episode 1 of the following series (for example, The Christmas Invasion is considered the beginning of Series 2). It is also available on Hulu and iTunes.
  • In the United Kingdom, this story is available on BBC iPlayer as part of Series 5.

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]