Christmas on the BBC: The Doctor is back!

You can always count on the BBC to bring in some festive favourites at this time of year, alongside some new and exciting drama and of course the EastEnders' punch-ups. 

I'm sure one of the programmes you are most interested in involves a certain Doctor and his time machine! Doctor Who never fails to pull in the ratings on Christmas Day and this year is bound to be no different as the sci-fi series takes on the classic Snowman tale with a twist. The first trailer was released for Children in Need and gives a taster of what's to come:

In an interview with the BBC, lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat gives us an insight into the monsters and adventures that we can expect from the Christmas special. He says "this year we're going for epic. The Doctor, when we meet him, isn't in a good place. A bit like when we first encountered William Hartnell as the Doctor in 1963 - or indeed Christopher Eccleston in 2005 - this a cold and withdrawn Time Lord, wanting no part of the world around him. It's going to take a lot of Christmas spirit to get him back out those TARDIS doors." Stephen conitnues to describe the scary snowmen that feature in the episode, hinting that there will also be a few other monsters set to surprise us...

The Christmas special episode opens on Christmas Eve, 1892. The falling snow is the stuff of fairytales. When the fairytale becomes a nightmare and a chilling menace threatens Earth, an unorthodox young governess, Clara, calls on the Doctor for help. But the Doctor is in mourning, reclusive and determined not to engage in the problems of the universe. As old friends return, will the Doctor really abandon humankind, or will he fight to save the world and Christmas from the icy clutches of this mysterious menace?

The Doctor Who Christmas Special airs on BBC1 on Christmas Day at 5:15pm.