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December 25th, 2014 126 comments

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What Did You Think of The Special Last Christmas?

Now that the 2014 Christmas Special has aired what did you think? Was it everything you had hoped for or not what you expected…

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!



Doctor Who: Last Christmas – 2014 Christmas Special DVD or Blu-ray

FREE Doctor Who 2014 special Last Christmas Art Card – Exclusive Design, Limited Edition & only available at www.bbcshop.com. Whilst Stocks Last.

Standard editions available to order from www.amazon.co.uk.

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126 comments

  • Cath

    January 3rd, 2015 - 4:15pm

    Personally I think the Christmas Special stretched itself a bit too thin. The “Dream within a Dream” concept was good, but frankly it iterated itself a few too many times and became less credible. The last one with Clara was frankly unnecessary (although that may stem from my personal dislike of Clara). Overall I think that is the problem with this series, it was stretched too thin. The fact it was mostly written by guests writers was probably the cause of that… Frankly this series was rather on the dull side and I have high hopes for Series 9 to pick where 8 should have.

    Reply
  • Last Goth

    January 2nd, 2015 - 12:11pm

    There is an awful lot of bad feeling about Series 8, all of which is justified… We were promised so much but given do little? Why? What was the plan? Was there a plan? Capaldi is an excellent actor, Jenna Coleman was more than capable with Matt Smith… On the whole, the last series was disappointing, with a few nuggets of gold (Mummy on the Orient Express, for example). Last Christmas surprised me because I had grave doubts about Doctor Who meets Father Christmas. In fact I was very pleasantly surprised…. I thought it was a very clever story, well played and bearing some of Moffat’s signature twists… Excellent, I thought. Sadly, it also illustrates how wanting the series itself was. We, Doctor Who’s loyal fan base, deserve more, the actors and actresses deserve better writing and the reputation of over fifty years of Doctor Who should not be tarnished by inadequacy…. There must be a consistency of excellence, otherwise we will find ourselves repeating the apocalyptic times that nearly ended Doctor Who back in the ’80s. Moffat needs either to step up or step off.

    Reply
  • morlock666

    January 1st, 2015 - 12:42pm

    as many of you i have been a doctor who fan since it first began and have to say have seen nearly all the incarnations of the doctor but this one has to be the worst one i have seen and im not saying Peter Capaldi is a bad actor as i have like many of the things he’s acted in before this and as for this series its been the worst to watch and there was not one point in the entire series did it seem like i was watching doctor who and as for the christmas special “REALLY” it was pointless i didnt get the story was there a story to it but then again it was like many of the other episodes from last year pointless with no proper stories to them so like alot of you doctor who fans yes im very disappointed with what they have done with this doctor but many younger and new viewers will like him but its also down to who writes this show too and right now they aint doing very good job in my opinion but thats my opinion and they need to really really step it up and if they going to keep capaldi then they need to change the way he portrays the doctor and change his wardrobe too cos its really needs to change as well

    Reply
  • drwhocollector

    January 1st, 2015 - 12:05pm

    Last Christmas is easily my favourite, though it may take a off alien and inception a bit, it has the perfect balance of humour and darkness, which is needed for a Christmas special. The cast were great especially Nick Frost as Santa – I’d give this a well deserved 8/10!

    Reply
  • John

    December 31st, 2014 - 3:28pm

    Please let’s get back to Dr. Who not the Clara show. Even though the show looked like a direct rip-off of the Outer Limits “Tempest” I enjoyed the acting of Frost, the elves and the extra as always. I did not like how the Dr. seems to get lost as in this whole series. Lets give the Dr. more lines so we can decide if we like him or not, otherwise just give Clara the keys to the tardis and I’ll wait another 5-10 years for another reboot. This season had very few cool points and no Oh-Wows. I grew up on Tom Baker and grew to see The Dr in many actors who did a great job. So can anyone tell me what happened to the writting?

    Reply
  • The Moffat Paradox

    December 30th, 2014 - 9:16pm

    Watched it twice,enjoyed it enough,thought it quite cleverly combined the elements of a proper episode with the festive theme about right ,agree that people need to have more measured expectations about Christmas Specials and just about ANY such special is going to surpass the nadir that was the Doctor The Widow And The Wardrobe!

    Reply
    • drwhocrazyilikemissy

      December 31st, 2014 - 2:22pm

      i agree it was AMAZING better than i thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      Father Christmas was so mysterious at the start i did not know if he was good or bad!!!!!

  • Max Homewood

    December 29th, 2014 - 10:52pm

    Thx Dr who team , we watched on Saturday as a family and are now on our 3rd night of a terrified 9yr old now wanting to go to sleep as is scared of dreaming and dying …

    Note my son is a avid viewer of Dr who and has never had this ….

    Un impressed ,

    Reply
    • The Moffat Paradox

      December 30th, 2014 - 9:32pm

      Ahem!……. While my 9 year old self may or may not have reacted similary that,as with complaints in the day about the classic series,might be seen as evidence to the naysayers that in the post classic series they are getting something right.

    • the astronaut of death

      December 30th, 2014 - 10:07pm

      Well if its too scary for your child don’t let them watch it

      Don’t go blaming doctor.who.

  • TMD

    December 29th, 2014 - 7:30pm

    This was like going to the dentist. Please! end the series or go another direction before it gets any worse……! Seen better episodes of Teletubbies than this pile of trite

    Reply
    • booboo

      December 29th, 2014 - 8:20pm

      no lets keep it going for the people who enjoy it

    • the astronaut of death

      December 29th, 2014 - 8:26pm

      I love the new series , one of the best in a while.

      And looking at the poll’s, every one else likes it as well.

    • booboo

      December 29th, 2014 - 8:27pm

      same hear

  • WFK DVD Collector 14

    December 28th, 2014 - 9:13pm

    Ok, this is my updated view on “Last Christmas”.

    All I have to say is, even though it’s not perfect, if you didn’t like it just give it a second watch. Some of the ideas it presents are clever, however I do still think that it has pointless characters (the elfs) and some of the acting could be better. Also, does anyone have any ideas what Shonia wanted to forgive the guy called Dave for???

    So, overall, nothing special, I can see why people like it, but because 97% of it is a dream maybe it’s not even cannon???

    5/10

    Reply
  • Writer’s Block

    December 28th, 2014 - 7:12am

    Quick look:

    The episode started almost like any other but shifted gears fast at about the halfway point. Dreams within dreams within dreams were fascinating – especially in how the Doctor could figure out what was real and what wasn’t. Having their subconscious trying to help them in the form of Santa Claus helped tie the movie to Christmas and I liked that.

    This was a transformation episode for the Doctor. He went in like Ebenezer Scrooge and came out a reformed man the moment he took the reins to Santa’s sleigh and especially when he saw in his last dream what he thought had become of Clara. And they finally opened up and told the truth to each other for once. For me that pulled Season 8 out of the lava pit.

    Quick point: Speaking of lava pits, anyone else notice where the Doctor woke up after his last dream? It looked conspicuously like the same spot where Clara thought she was destroying the Doctor’s Tardis keys. What was he doing there? Was this intentional? Does that mean that most of the two part finale never happened?

    I think Danny’s still dead. I think.

    Thumbs up for all the twists, turns and happy endings!

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 30th, 2014 - 7:22am

      Cool

  • daleksean

    December 27th, 2014 - 11:20pm

    This was absolute rubbish the acting was awful especially that blonde girl and the elves added nothing to the episode apart from making it more christmasy.

    Reply
    • daleksean

      December 27th, 2014 - 11:26pm

      Also within the first 5 mins I wanted it to be finished

    • Dalek Supreme

      December 28th, 2014 - 4:29pm

      Finally, a man of sense. Have a sticker.

    • Anonymous

      December 28th, 2014 - 6:41pm

      Nope…you’re both hopelessly wrong…and thankfully a minority view. Watch ITV instead.

    • Anonymous

      December 28th, 2014 - 6:58pm

      I couldn’t disagree with you more…thankfully you are in the minority.

    • the astronaut of death

      December 28th, 2014 - 7:54pm

      I thought it was great

      At the moment it i being voted the 2nd best Dr who special….. So its not that bad

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:32am

      Well, I didn’t like it, but I don’t think it was THAT bad. At least Nick Frost’s Santa Claus was great to watch.

    • daleksean

      December 29th, 2014 - 11:14am

      Anonymous we are entitled to our opinions

    • daleksean

      December 29th, 2014 - 11:16am

      And i didn’t enjoy the episode it doesn’t mean we are haters

  • philip

    December 27th, 2014 - 10:24pm

    Well, as someone who has been watching Dr Who since its first broadcast way back when!
    I haven’t been able to watch this incarnation of the Doctor..
    sorry.. but I just can’t ..

    Clara is great..even fabulous.. I really loved the Snowman Christmas episode a couple of years ago..
    I really enjoyed the concept of the spiral staircase. I have read that Jenna Coleman also agrees.. .

    I started to watch this particular Christmas special but I am afraid to say i couldn’t make it past the first five minutes…. I ended up tackling the planet with the vast amount of washing up to do..

    I do appreciate that the franchise has/had to be stirred up, having read Mr Moffat’s recent comments on line.. but, as I said, I have watched this for half a century now and am not a Johnny Come Lately.. (even watching the filming of The Sea Devils at Portsmouth back in 1971 with the Master himself ).. something is not right and is not drawing me in to this.. which is a shame.. if the writer’s plan is to weed out viewers like me then c’est la guerre…. or even La Vie.. but I shall keep an eye open for a chance to return.. I hope so.

    Reply
    • THE ERGON

      December 28th, 2014 - 3:32pm

      For a start why does every Christmas special have to be so Christmassy. Lets have a story back on the death zone on gallifrey with old and new factions of cybermen and various other enemies. Peter capaldi has even said he,d like to do battle with axons, daemons or a cult of some sort. If they are running short of original ideas why don,t they source those countless doctor who novels or even nick a few ideas from the big finish stories. They did a good job with the paul cornell story ‘human nature.’

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:38am

      Ergon, the term, “Christmas special”, kinda implies Christmas. A Christmas-y feel isn’t bad. The problem is that Moffat invokes way too many of his tropes in this special. Besides, that sounds like something for a season finale, or an anniversary special.

    • THE ERGON

      December 31st, 2014 - 11:42am

      I suppose your right but just referencing Christmas or even just a nod is enough. I think they put pressure on themselves to keep coming up with this stuff. Maybe next year they could do ‘The Thing from another world’ with krynoids or the like, even if ‘The seeds of doom’ on the Antarctic base got there first.

  • Anonymous

    December 27th, 2014 - 10:17pm

    Does anyone know when series 9 starts?

    Reply
    • the astronaut of death

      December 27th, 2014 - 11:01pm

      August or September probably

      And filming starts in january

    • CJ

      December 28th, 2014 - 5:02pm

      It definitley be August again

    • the astronaut of death

      December 28th, 2014 - 6:15pm

      Definitely ?

      Could be September , series 8 only aird one week away from September.

      So august or September

    • Anomoynus

      January 7th, 2015 - 4:06pm

      My friend said there thinking of doing a 1st ever doctor who Easter episode and i’m thinking since the next episode is called Magicians Apprentice and magicians tend to use rabbits and rabbits are also to do with easter. If that make sense? so it could be at easter?

  • Chaos Comics

    December 27th, 2014 - 1:37pm

    If Alien is a movie in the Dr who universe does that mean John Hurt is an actor in the Dr who universe and just by chance looks like the war doctor.

    Reply
    • DOCTOR WHO ONE

      December 27th, 2014 - 3:57pm

      Seeing as it’s been claimed the Doctor may happen to take on the face of an person he has met at some point in his life, like the 10th Doctor looking like Peter Capaldi’s character in ‘The Fires of Pompeii’ and then ending up with that mans face as the new Doctor.

      It could be that one of the first 8 Doctors saw John Hurt himself, either in person or perhaps a TV show or film, and they ended up looking like the actor himself for real as the War Doctor / real 9th Doctor.

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:40am

      It’s actually been implied that Doctor Who itself is a show in the canon of Doctor Who. In Remembrance of the Daleks Part 2, just as Ace leaves Mike’s house, the TV announcer mentions: “The new BBC science fiction series, Doc-“

  • Anonymous

    December 27th, 2014 - 1:32pm

    Just a general comment on the poll categories…

    Isn’t “It was OK” and “Average at Best” essentially the same thing?

    Also…the category of “Not what I was expecting at all” is ambiguous….For example, I though Last Christmas was going to be terrible but it was not what I was expecting at all….I though it was great….yet you could also select that category in the reverse scenario.

    I think you should have…

    Brilliant
    Very Good
    OK
    Poor
    Terrible

    Reply
    • booboo

      December 27th, 2014 - 4:00pm

      we have been using these for 3 series and no one has wanted it any differently

  • Kevin

    December 27th, 2014 - 9:58am

    Personally I really liked this Christmas special, to all you “fans” who are still critical of Capaldi, Coleman & Moffat, when the series returns just grab your remote and watch some Simon Cowell rubbish instead.

    Now to The Last Christmas, I give it 9/10, I may have given it full marks but there was no explanation as to how the “Dream Crabs (which were amazing) came to be where they were!!!

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 27th, 2014 - 12:53pm

      Hear hear…well said!

    • Benjit

      December 28th, 2014 - 1:02pm

      I do love how all you “progressives” for want of a better word, are quick to label anyone who is critical as haters (I appreciate you didn’t specifically use that word but the whole well if you don’t like it then s*d off, is symptomatic of this type of fan) . Isn’t there room for contrasting debate?

      I have been a MASSIVE fan of Moffat in the past, and was so excited when Capaldi was announced. But Moffs output since the 50th (one of the best episodes ever imo) has been really disappointing. The way that s8 finished left me feeling more disengaged as a fan than ever in my 30 plus years enjoying the show.

      I haven’t managed to bring myself to watch this episode. Comments like yours make me less inclined to do so.

    • princebenjibella

      December 28th, 2014 - 11:27pm

      if all the so called haters did switch channels right now this show would be in trouble.l personally have enjoyed Peter Capaldi as the Doctor but he has carried a truely awful season that has stretched the credibility of the show to its limit with its slow and at times ridiculous story lines.For me the only episode that stands another viewing is Mummy On The Orient Express and that was written for Matt Smith but held back,however,like most who criticize,l will continue to watch in the hope of something better and because of a deep love of a show that can be so much better.

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:50am

      I’m afraid I have to agree with Benjit and and princebenjibella. For one, it’s incredibly rude to imply fans who don’t enjoy Capaldi, Moffat, and Coleman aren’t true fans. I’ve been a fan of the show for as long as I can remember, as well as a huge fan of Moffat in the past. For two, I just don’t like the episodes he’s written recently, with, out of everything written by him this year, only Deep Breath and MAYBE Into the Dalek standing out. That doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of the show, it just means that I feel it’s taken a wrong turn. Hopefully, Moffat will impress me next season. We’ll see.

    • CJ

      December 29th, 2014 - 9:38am

      Into the Dalek wasn’t really written by Steven Moffat, It was Phil Ford who wrote that

    • Kevin

      December 29th, 2014 - 2:41pm

      Benjit, please dont put words in my mouth, I never said haters, I said critical, there’s a big difference, so please read my message ago and that goes to all you “haters” who claim I said HATERS

  • CG

    December 27th, 2014 - 12:16am

    All in all I loved the episode. I would have been really disappointed if Clara hadn’t stayed. Santa was okay. Aliens were different and I didn’t really like Danny coming back but I liked the way Clara and the Doctor told each other they were lying. If Clara had stayed as an old woman, the episode would have been ruined for me but it turned out well. It seemed like all the action happened in last 20 minutes.

    Reply
  • matfav518

    December 26th, 2014 - 11:22pm

    Did you notice the doctor saying “it is not often we are getting a second chance” at the end to clara, really saying to the audience give us a second chance to get it right.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 27th, 2014 - 12:54pm

      They got it right the first time round…

  • Dalekparadigm2

    December 26th, 2014 - 11:18pm

    Was enjoying it until they basically said that Santa was imaginary. There were too many dreams in dreams in dreams etc. but apart from those 2 things I really liked it. Very Festive!

    Reply
  • the astronaut of death

    December 26th, 2014 - 8:54pm

    I loved it

    It was funny , scary , weird , Christmas and magic . I felt the story was great the whole concept of waking up in dreams worked really well and I loved the monsters , they were a great invention by moffay and I really liked how they looked like crabs. It worked really well . nick frost as Santa was great too I thought the way he played was amazing I found loads of his libes funny and it was great how Santa was a bit of a gangsta , . and the sleigh ride was great I know whovians might find it silly but come on , its Christmas… And it was a dream

    Reply
  • MrHaloWho

    December 26th, 2014 - 6:06pm

    I hated it. There were cheesy lines throughout the episode, awful pantomime characters, bad writing, terrible monsters (a hand which turns into a mouth?!?), no plot development at all (it was all a dream), Danny was in in (I like Danny, but he’s already died three times, he doesn’t need to be back), Clara was in it (she left in Death in Heaven) and most of all:
    “The Doctor and Clara will Return in Series 9 – The Magician’s Apprentice”.

    WHY, MOFFAT???

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 26th, 2014 - 6:16pm

      Why? Because the vast majority of us loved what he did.

    • charlie

      December 26th, 2014 - 8:17pm

      Couldn’t agree more, whole series is a complete flop, the cheesiest ever and crimbo special no surprise. Such a shame

    • Doctor Rules

      December 26th, 2014 - 8:48pm

      Well I personally loved it and judging by internet reviews, television critics and this site’s very own poll, the vast majority enjoyed it.

    • matfav518

      December 26th, 2014 - 11:24pm

      The actors can only do and say what they are directed to “do and say”. All the actors in “WHO” are exceptional. Yes, it is up to the writers to get it right. It is up to all the writers to let the cast shine.

  • Tim M

    December 26th, 2014 - 5:51pm

    All in all, ‘Last Christmas’ was the cherry on top of the icing (Series Eight), that closes possibly the strongest series and year of Doctor Who for some considerable time. More hits than misses in my view. Episodes that really stood out this year for me were ‘Deep Breath’ , ‘Listen’, ‘Time Heist’ , ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ , ‘Flatline’ , large parts of ‘Dark Water and ‘Death in Heaven’ plus ‘Last Christmas’. Peter Capaldi has been great, and I’m pleased to see Jenna Coleman is staying on a bit longer. But I do feel Series 9 should be Steven Moffat’s last. If it was and it is then it would likely be Capaldi’s and Coleman’s last series also. Time will tell.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 26th, 2014 - 6:15pm

      I agree…I’ve loved Peter Capaldi’s portrayal of the Doctor and think Clara us such a string character…far more 3 dimensional than previous companions. ..Jenna Coleman is a truely wonderful and natural actress. Personally I have no problem with SM staying on but if he did go after S9 then it would allow him to end on the 10th anniversary of the show’s revival…and perhaps the discovery of Gallifrey. Regardles, I’m veryry excited about S9.

  • Anonymous

    December 26th, 2014 - 5:51pm

    Clara needs to die.
    ha ha ha

    Reply
    • MrHaloWho

      December 26th, 2014 - 6:09pm

      I agree. I really wanted something like
      CLARA – “I’m too old to travel with you now” (after Clara wakes up near the end, older)
      DR – “I’m hundreds of years older than you.”
      CLARA – “I’m not a time lord. Goodbye, Doctor.”
      DR – “Yeah.” – (walks off. He’s not meant to notice death as much)

    • Dalekparadigm2

      December 26th, 2014 - 11:22pm

      I guess it could have gone

      YOU ARE DYING

      Clara has heart attack in the dream. end of story (written like moffat)

      however she IS the best companion there’s been in a long time. The banter between the lead roles is great!

    • matfav518

      December 26th, 2014 - 11:26pm

      The actors can only do and say what they are directed to “do and say”. All the actors in “WHO” are exceptional. Yes, it is up to the writers to get it right. It is up to all the writers to let the cast shine.

  • RORY DOCTOR RIVER POND

    December 26th, 2014 - 5:03pm

    i really liked it! not what i was expecting though
    i thought that there were too many dreams within dreams though, and that the doctor went a bit matt smith riding the sleigh
    wouldve liked to see more of the crabs but it was still a great episode!

    Reply
  • DOCTOR WHO ONE

    December 26th, 2014 - 4:05pm

    I don’t believe it . . . . . I just simply don’t believe it . . . . . . .

    The Doctor has never seen ALIEN ???? 🙁

    Right, that’s it, that’s going down on his Christmas list of films to watch on DVD NEXT YEAR !! 😛

    Reply
    • Quillam (nee Robert Adams AKA Sutekh)

      December 26th, 2014 - 5:14pm

      From all the Alien references in Doctor Who i’m very surprised the Doctor hasn’t seen it. You know, the whole of The Impossible Planet, the team layouts in 42 and The Waters of Mars, the attacks in 42, the monsters and lead heroine in Kill the Moon and now this super-crossover, the lovechild of The Thing from another World and Alien!

    • Anonymous

      December 27th, 2014 - 9:46am

      Of course he said that in a dream, and if he was dreaming about the film alien he must have seen it or at least known about it

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:53am

      Could have been dreamed up by Clara or one of the others.

    • The Moffat Paradox

      December 31st, 2014 - 7:21pm

      Ah but he`s been known in the passing of the centuries and regenerations to have problems with his long term memory before things come back to him.Imagine having his lifespan and the things the conscious mind could forget as well as remember.

  • turbobeagle

    December 26th, 2014 - 3:53pm

    I had the impression when Clara looks in the mirror….she does NOT see herself young again! She is still old. Because we the audience are never given a glimpse of her reflection. She leaves with the doctor to have 1 last adventure with him, 1 last Christmas. It is for the Doctor’s sake that she claims to be young again.

    It is satisfying to hear her life story: she has taught in every country in Europe…she learned to fly. She “got on” with her life and was happy.

    It is touching that in the end, it is Clara who is the old one, and the Doctor who is younger. He holds her hand to help her with the cracker, just as Clara does for the Old Matt Smith Doctor in the previous Christmas special.

    Because every Christmas is the last Christmas….

    Well done Dr. Who….well done.

    Reply
  • Doug

    December 26th, 2014 - 2:45pm

    I found the episode disappointing. I still have trouble accepting Peter Capaldi as the Doctor since the past two actors were so great in the role.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 26th, 2014 - 3:27pm

      He is very different to DT and MS but that was needed as the Doctor was becoming a bit too ‘human’. Peter Capaldi interpretation has a lot of the 1st and 4th Doctor traits…one was the original and the other was (arguably) the greatest portrayal of the Doctor…so I’m very happy. However, those brought up on the more happy, smiley, loveable and emotional portrayals of the Doctor as seen in the 10th and 11th Doctors, would understandably find it hard to adjust to the 12th Doctor.

    • Doug

      December 26th, 2014 - 4:24pm

      Actually, I preferred Christopher Eccleston’s portrayal better and he played the role rather darkly. I can’t put my finger on it but Peter Capaldi just doesn’t “do it” for me.

    • Dalek The Supreme

      December 29th, 2014 - 7:55am

      It’s not the fact that he came after my personal favorite Doctor (Matt Smith), I love his acting post-Deep Breath, I just don’t like how inconsistent and, at times, unlikable his character can be at times.

  • DEREK ANGELL

    December 26th, 2014 - 1:56pm

    I did like this, the subject of whether people would willingly leave their dreams if real life wasn’t going well (Clara at the end- Doctors Dream) was touching & the fear of your last Christmas with loved ones as you get older struck a chord. Hope Peter continues as the Doctor for sometime- he is exceptionally good.

    Reply

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