On December 25th, BBC America will premiere The Doctor Who Christmas Special: Last Christmas (9/7C). If you didn’t already have reason enough to watch after Peter Capaldi totally own the role of the angry-eyebrowed Doctor through season eight, BBC America has twelve reasons – matching the twelve days of Christmas (was that too on the nose?) – that make perfect sense to me.
Check them out on the other side of the jump.
BBC AMERICA PRESENTS 12 REASONS TO WATCH THE DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, LAST CHRISTMAS
Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman reunite in their first Christmas adventure
Nick Frost guest stars as Santa Claus
New York, December 8, 2014 – The Twelfth Doctor makes his debut in BBC AMERICA’s time-honored Doctor Who Christmas special. Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and guest star Nick Frost (The World’s End, Shaun of the Dead) strap in for a dangerous sleigh ride through space and time in the Steven Moffat helmed Doctor Who: Last Christmas, premiering December 25, 9:00pm ET on BBC AMERICA. As the 12th day of Christmas approaches, see 12 reasons why this special is not to be missed.
12 With the Twelfth Doctor’s debut season topping off as BBC AMERICA’s highest-rated season ever, you don’t want to miss Peter Capaldi’s first Christmas special.
11 You can watch Doctor Who: Last Christmas on BBC AMERICA only hours after it airs in the UK. See the Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas trapped on an arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures. Who are you going to call? Santa Claus!
10 The new Christmas adventure has an all-star cast including Dan Starkey (Doctor Who as Strax) as Ian, Michael Troughton (Jonathan Creek) as Professor Albert, Nathan McMullen (Misfits) as Wolf, Natalie Gumede (Coronation Street) as Ashley Carter, Maureen Beattie (Vera) as Bellows and Faye Marsay (The White Queen) as Shona.
9 See movie star, Nick Frost, join the ‘whoniverse’ as he injects his special brand of humor and grit into that famous red suit as Santa Claus.
8 Learn what Nick plans to bring to the role. Nick on his version of Santa: “There’s a percentage of ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as every good Santa needs, but that’s all people ever see of Santa. They never see him day-to-day or when he’s a bit grumpy, or when he’s in a playful mood or if he’s a bit cross. I’ve tried to get all those sides to him. Hopefully he’s funny. I wanted him to be funny and I wanted him to be like what he is essentially – and that’s the spirit of Christmas.”
7 Witness Steven Moffat’s fifth take on the Christmas special. Steven Moffat on what you can expect this year: “Well obviously as everyone knows from the end of Death in Heaven (season finale), it’s the ultimate meeting of Christmas heroes; Santa Claus meets Doctor Who. The buddy movie you’ve always wanted. In addition to that, it’s quite surprising – it won’t be what some people expect because it’s a thriller of an episode. The Christmas element is covered in the fairly notable form of Santa Claus and the elves and their sleigh. But the rest of it is very much Doctor Who – scary, in a polar ice cap base, scientists under threat. I keep describing it as Miracle on 34th Street meets Alien.”
6 After losing Danny Pink and walking away from her TARDIS adventures, see Clara Oswald reunite with the Doctor in the most unusual way. Jenna Coleman on the reunion: “She’s just really glad to be back with him. She’s dealing with the death of Danny Pink but happy to be back in the arms of the TARDIS again, and meeting Santa. A lot of the episode is about telling that adventure, and it’s about the Doctor and Clara resolving what they’ve just been through.” Steven Moffat adds: “They’re brought together by a crisis that returns the Doctor to Earth to help Clara. The stuff that separated them, the lies they told each other – all of that will be addressed in this episode.”
5 On the heels of his triumph over Missy and the loss of companion Clara, tune-in for the return of the Twelfth Doctor. Peter Capaldi on his first Christmas special: “It’s all very festive and even though you’re shooting in October it does lull you into the festive spirit, because there are lots of Christmassy things around. There’s a roast dinner going on in Clara’s house and a big Christmas tree. There were also lots of tangerines!” Peter on what viewers can expect: “It’s both really scary and really festive. It manages to be quite frightening and still have Santa Claus in it. It is extremely Christmassy but there is a plot line in it that is quite dark and I think Steven (Moffat) has done a brilliant job at balancing those two things. It’s perfect for Christmas viewing – it supplies everything that Doctor Who should supply at Christmas. It’s scary but it leaves you feeling warm and cheerful.”
4 As speculation continues, tune-in to learn if Clara Oswald will continue to join the Twelfth Doctor on his adventures in 2015.
3 Go to BBCAMERICA.com where we’re celebrating the #12DaysofWhomas by giving fans daily features, Christmas Special primers for those still “new” to Doctor Who, exclusive interviews, infographics and in-depth features on Whomas’ past and present.
2 Settle in with the family for a Christmas Day marathon as BBC AMERICA airs all 12 episodes of Peter Capaldi’s first season as the Doctor on Thursday, December 25, beginning at 8:00am ET. The marathon leads into the 2014 Christmas special at 9:00pm ET.
1 And finally, experience the 10 year anniversary of Doctor Who Christmas specials on the eve of the holiday by catching past specials including A Christmas Carol, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, The Snowmen, The Next Doctor, The Christmas Invasion and more on Wednesday, December 24, beginning at 6:00pm ET.
Photos courtesy of BBC America