There is some bad news and some good news, Doctor Who fans. But let's begin with the bad, before ending on a high note. Doctor Who is breaking tradition, opting not to do a Christmas special this year. As fans know, the sci-fi series has featured a Christmas Day special since the reboot premiered in 2005. Well, things are changing.
Instead of the annual Christmas special, Doctor Who fans will get to kick 2019 off with a New Year special instead. For those who enjoy theme episodes, they can rest assured that the special's storyline will acknowledge it. The plot of the installment will relate to the dawn of 2019, per The Daily Mirror.
You may be wondering why the show decided to forego the annual special. Well, Doctor Who's head honchos apparently cited a lack of original ideas as the cause. Given that the series had delivered 13 consecutive years of Christmas specials, it makes sense. Showrunner Chris Chibnall made the ultimate call.
Who is to say they will not eventually return to doing Christmas specials in the future? Maybe a one-year break will be all they need to get festive plot ideas circulating again. The only way to know for sure is to keep tuning in.
While the news of losing Doctor Who's Christmas special may be disappointing, there is another silver lining to be had. Fans will still get to see an 11th episode of Season 11. But the fandom should savor it. Because according to the report, it is expected to be the only new episode to air in 2019.
The lack of a Christmas episode marks another in a long string of changes the long-running series has undergone recently. Who knows? Maybe Doctor Who is about to set a new trend and New Year's Day specials will become all the rage. It will be interesting to learn what they have come up with for Season 11's special installment.
Telling a holiday-related story can be tricky and a bit restrictive, in terms of theme. Whereas, a New Year special has a lot of different directions it could explore. Not to mention, it ties in well with one of the central themes of the show -- time.
A new year beginning marks the passing of another one. Perhaps, a wormhole will open during the transition from this particular year to the next. The time for finding out will be here before you know it. Season 11 will end with Episode 10. Meaning the show will sign off in early December.
So there will be a relatively brief period to wait before seeing Doctor Who again. The season finale and the New Year's Day special will arrive within weeks of each other. Suffice it to say; the chance to see a new kind of special should make it worth the wait!
For U.S. viewers, new episodes of Doctor Who Season 11 air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on BBC America. New episodes of the sci-fi hit are being accompanied by a myriad of new TV series set to premiere this fall.
