Doctor Who: Last Christmas

"Last Christmas" is the title to the special Christmas episode that bridges seasons eight and nine of the 2005 relaunch of the British science fiction/adventure series Doctor Who. It is the 110 episode of the series overall. It was directed by Paul Wilmshurst with a script written by Steven Moffat. It first aired in the United Kingdom and the United States on BBC One and BBC America on December 25th, 2014.

Notes & Trivia

 * This is the tenth Christmas special of the Doctor Who revival series. It is the first of four Christmas specials to feature Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. The last special was "The Time of the Doctor". The next is "The Husbands of River Song".


 * This is the first appearance of Santa Claus on Doctor Who.


 * This is the second and final episode of Doctor Who with Paul Frift as a producer. He also worked on "In the Forest of the Night".


 * Actor Michael Troughton is the son of Patrick Troughton, who played the Second Doctor on Doctor Who.


 * Actress Billie Piper once recorded a cover of "Last Christmas" as the B-side of her pop single "She Wants You" in 1999. Billie Piper is best known for playing Rose Tyler, the companion to the Ninth Doctor in season one, and the companion to the Tenth Doctor in season two.

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is taken from the song "Last Christmas" by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in December, 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written and produced by George Michael, and has been covered by many artists since its original release. As per this episode, it has been thirty years since the release of this song.


 * Santa Claus Santa Claus is a mythical figure of modern culture whose image is synonymous with the celebration of Christmas. Based on the concepts of Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas, the modern interpretation of Santa Clause (thanks to the Coca Cola Company), presents him as an elderly fat man with white hair and a beard, adorned in a red wool suit with a matching hat, black boots and a big black belt. He lives at the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Clause, and heads up a toy workshop, which is run by a bevy of small, green-suited elves, who spend the entire year building toys for children across the world.


 * Reference to Santa Claus has been made in the past. In "The Eleventh Hour", young Amelia Pond from 1996 says a prayer to Santa to fix a crack in the wall of her house.


 * Santa Claus comments that his sleigh is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, which is how he can get so many presents into it. This notion is also utilized by many incarnations of the Doctor who often explains to people, or is commented to by them about how the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.


 * Professor Albert refers to the dream crabs as Facehuggers, which is a type of alien parasite featured in the Aliens film series. Producer Paul Frift was a visual effects artist on the 1986 film Aliens.

Quotes

 * The Doctor: There's something you have to ask yourself, and it's important. Your life may depend on it. Everybody's life. Do you really believe in Santa Claus?