We're a little over a month away from the return of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, and the wait has been long enough already. When "The Big Bang" happened in May, I don't think any of us realized just how much we'd be missing the new TARDIS travelers over the break. Here's a hint: we miss them a lot.
The Christmas special, which will mark the return of the group, is slated to air on Christmas Day, December 25 (just in case you didn't know). The episode, the first Christmas special penned by new showrunner Steven Moffat and the first to feature new Doctor Matt Smith, will undoubtedly be markedly different from previous specials that have become a staple of the program since its reboot in 2005. After all, this one's based on Dickens.
"A Christmas Carol" is the title, and it's based off the book by Charles Dickens. You don't have to be told the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, of course, but his encounters with the three ghosts seems to be the basis for the story.
"Oh, we're going for broke with this one," enthused Moffat. "It's all your favorite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And The Doctor. And a honeymoon. And... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything.
"There's no one called Scrooge in it and it's not set on Earth, but there are familiar archetypes from that story within it that will please fans of Dickens's original," he said.
The special, which will feature Harry Potter actor Michael Gambon, has been relatively shrouded in mystery since its conception. It will be the second Who story since the reboot to feature Charles Dickens; the Oliver Twist author also appeared in the episode "The Unquiet Dead," one of the early episodes of the show's "first" season.
Here's what I'd like to see in the Christmas special: the three ghosts are the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, who take Scrooge through a tour of the past, present, and future -- all the while being chased by monsters (please, please! No spinning Christmas trees).
"A Christmas Carol" will air on December 25 on BBC One, and at an unknown date in the U.S. on BBC America.
