It’s not news, but it’s worth a reminder that this year will be the first time American viewers can watch the annual Doctor Who Christmas special on Christmas Day just like fans in the program’s native UK.
In Arizona, the special, titled “A Christmas Carol,” will air at 7 p.m. on BBC America for Cox cable subscribers. But the action really starts at 11 a.m. with Doctor Who at the Proms, an orchestral celebration of the show’s music and characters that has previously been available in the States only as a DVD special feature. That will be followed by a presentation of every Doctor Who Christmas special since the series returned in 2005 (except last year’s “The End of Time”), wrapping up with last season’s two-part finale that will lead into “A Christmas Carol” at 7:00.
This year’s yuletide adventure stars Michael Gambon (Harry Potter’s Dumbledore) and Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins in an outer-space riff on Charles Dickens’ classic tale of Christmas haunting and redemption. Matt Smith returns after his first season as the Doctor, joined once again by newlyweds Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill). They’ll return next year for the program’s sixth season with an adventure that brings the cast to American soil for the first time.
Below you can see the TARDIS Trio belting out the holiday classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” … if you really want to.
