Doctor Who

The ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special is something a lot of us have come to take for granted over the last decade and change. Ever since David Tennant made his debut appearance on Christmas day 2005, the Doctor has been as much a part of the holiday season as gift wrap and unwanted fruitcake. But with half of 2018 now behind us and the first season of the Chris Chibnall/Jodie Whittaker era of ‘Doctor Who’ expected to kick off in October, it was beginning to look as though that particular Christmas tradition might be coming to an end, or at least taking a break.

Though we’ve still had no official word on this year’s Christmas special, it’s now looking a lot more certain than it had been, thanks to an inadvertent leak. The leak, for want of a better description, comes in the form of editor Edel McDonnell’s online resume, the most recent entry on which is for a ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special. But how do we know this isn’t referring to a past special, you might ask? Fairly easily, actually. In addition to listing McDonnell’s role as editor, the resume entry also lists a director, Wayne Yip. Yip, whose prior ‘Doctor Who’ work includes the tenth season episodes ‘The Lie of the Land’ and ‘Empress of Mars’, has yet to helm a Christmas special. Absent an official announcement, this is the strongest indication yet that the BBC intends to continue the tradition of annual Christmas episodes.

The BBC has made no official comment on the subject as of press time, past Christmas specials have typically filmed in August and September. With the cast and crew set to appear at San Diego Comic-Con later this month, it’s likely that the special will be formally announced at that time with production beginning by the end of summer.

Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on the upcoming season of ‘Doctor Who’ as it becomes available!

‘Doctor Who’ will return later this year for its eleventh season. This season will see the arrival of new showrunner Chris Chibnall and the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. In addition to Whittaker, the new season will star Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gil.