Reviews
“Compared to the run-around, family entertainment epics of Russell T Davies’ first Christmas specials, Last Christmas requires a great deal of concentration to fully appreciate its richness and complexity. After the feasting and drinking of the day it is difficult to enjoy in one sitting and might have appeared as disjointed as those half remembered, interrupted dreams. Casual viewing will lead to some misconceptions that those with an anti-Moffat agenda will be all too quick to pick up on. At first the alien threat appears to be yet another variant of a favourite Steven Moffat theme. A creature who only comes to life when looked at or thought about sounds like another riff on the ideas explored with the Weeping Angels, the Silence, and the ‘monster’ under the blanket (Listen). At first the sound and the look of the alien are blatant rip offs of the movie franchise Alien and might add fuel to those who criticise the show for being tired and for overly relying on borrowed visuals and ideas. And at first the character of Santa appears to have been shoehorned in as the obligatory Christmas reference, a little nod to the festive time and a gift to the younger viewers in what is otherwise the darkest of Christmas Specials.”
“So yeah, SFX has given the Doctor Who Christmas special five stars. Some people will raise their eyebrows, claim that Moffat bribes us and that we only do it to get exclusives. Well, walnuts to that. “Last Christmas” is funny, scary, clever, sweet, exciting, visually impressive and exquisitely directed (we don’t envy director Paul Wilmshurst the challenge of selling those tonal changes, and we loved the way he used different levels of exposure on background lights depending on how deeply we were into the dream landscape). The fact that it’s also shamelessly Christmassy will probably be the litmus test as to whether some will be able to digest it after a rich Christmas lunch. But we were more than willing to believe in Santa for an hour.”
“Moffat had huge fun with the sheer festiveness of his own conceit. Tangerines were a running motif. Slade’s ubiquitous anthem was used as a distraction. Slinky springs were deployed as weapons, Tiny Tim was quoted and Rudolph’s red nose featured highly. Asked how he fitted all those presents on his sleigh, Santa stole the Timelord’s line by smirking: “It’s bigger on the inside.” Frost’s Father Christmas was a swaggeringly charismatic, gangster-like character - more bwa-ha-ha than ho-ho-ho. He originally grew his beard “as a disguise”, his “mugshot” appeared on Christmas cards and he hushed an annoying human by whispering an ominous threat: “Three words: My Little Pony.” This special was called “Last Christmas” and, like the Wham! song from which it took its title, its message was bittersweet: we get together every Christmas in case it’s our last time. Clara duly dreamed of her deceased lover Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson, who got to bow out with some gorgeous scenes). In a neat nod to the show’s more distant past, one of the Arctic scientists was played by Michael Troughton, son of second Doctor Patrick. After taking the reigns of Santa’s sleigh and whooping as he flew around Big Ben, the Doctor discovered that 62 years had passed and Clara was now an old lady. In ageing make-up, Coleman rather resembled Prunella Scales. I half expected her to shout “Basil!” The dreams-within-dreams Chinese puzzle of a plot got a tad too tricksy in the middle, becoming over-wrought and sagging under the weight of its own cleverness.”
“If the action plods and stalls in places, the production is lusciously directed by Paul Wilmshurst (who also helmed this year’s Kill the Moon and Mummy of the Orient Express). The CGI is magnificent: the sleigh ride across the London night sky may be the showpiece, but the sweeping shot towards the Arctic base is also very beautiful. I can live with what Steven describes as “a big lump of goodness in the form of Nick Frost as Santa Claus”, even if it’s ladling absurdity upon absurdity. Frost is so “big status”, his name puffs up in the snow-enhanced title sequence, yet his Santa lacks sparkle and grandeur. Please let this be his and his annoyingly chirpy elves’ first and last Christmas in the Doctor Who universe.”
“Steven Moffat’s script is inordinately clever in how it uses the trappings of a fluffy, silly Christmas special to crank up the scariness of a good old-fashioned monster story. But after all that, tonight’s episode manages something that not all of its Christmas predecessors manage, as it anchors its story in something that feels particular to the holidays. There is a melancholy to the comings and goings that define this time of year, and “Last Christmas” recognizes that from its title outward. But there’s also a chance for renewal, for miracles, for gifts. All of those speak to the fairy tale—or the reality, who can even tell?—of Santa Claus, and those are all things that the Doctor, and this Doctor in particular, richly deserves. And really, it’s all worth it just to see this Doctor look so completely happy. If there’s one thing we never really saw in Capaldi’s first season as the Doctor, it was the kind of unabashed joy that so animated the 10th and 11th Doctors and made the tail-end of the 9th Doctor’s journey—including his Santa claim to Rose at the end of “The Doctor Dances”—so powerful. Well, it takes the full hour, but “Last Christmas” gets us there. It was worth the wait.”
“We’re also revisiting some of the oldest production rules of writing Doctor Who with this Christmas episode, including the power of television to give life to imagination, distracting companions with mathematics, and the classic ’Yeti In The Loo’ principle of making ordinary hum-drum objects in life scary. Doctor Who, more than any other BBC program (excepting ‘Miranda’) can contribute to nightmares and scary dreams in the younger members of the audience. I suspect a lot of parents are going to have a difficult time tonight when a scary dream wakes a child and they ask “if they are really awake”. And the next ice-cream headache is going to be an interesting conversation as well.”
Doctor Who Personalities
You beauty. My new favourite Xmas #DoctorWho
— Andrew Smith (@Andr3wSmith) December 25, 2014
Best Xmas Dr Who yet. #DoctorWho
— Nev Fountain (@Nevfountain) December 25, 2014
What a fantastic #DoctorWho Funny, clever, moving, and the "last Christmas" scene was simply wonderful. #fb
— Herald Anghelides (@anghelides) December 25, 2014
Yes, the best Xmas special since A Christmas Carol. Possibly the best one ever.
— Jonny Morris (@jonnymorris1973) December 25, 2014
Lots of people saying that was the best #DoctorWho Christmas Special. I agree. Capaldi & Coleman are up there with Baker & Sladen for me.
— Edward Russell (@edwardrussell) December 25, 2014
Thanks for all the Santa goodwill. What smashing fun. Merry Christmas everyone… Merry Christmas… #DrWho
— Nick Frost (@nickjfrost) December 25, 2014
DWW Readers
@DrWhoWorldwide fan bloody tastic Laughed cried and danced up and down. Sod the nay sayers bring on season 9
— Ben Rush (@Ben110173) December 25, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide Capaldi now firmly established in the part. Worth watching for him alone. #DoctorWho
— Adrian Last (@LeffeAt49DS) December 25, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide One of the best Christmas eps. One of the best Capaldi eps.
— Doctor Who Thing (@DoctorWhoThing) December 25, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide better than I thought. So glad Santa was a dream. Bit like Amy's choice ep so lazy recycle. Best bit Clara is staying
— Paul Evans (@PWEvans666) December 25, 2014
Best #DoctorWho #Christmas special ever! Very reminiscent of 80's Who for me. Loved it. Every Christmas is #LastChristmas @DrWhoWorldwide
— Olly Bishop (@ollybishop) December 25, 2014
Perfect in many ways. @DrWhoWorldwide passing up an ideal way of writing Clara out maybe bit of a mis step.
— Andrew R (@ARJMOR) December 25, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide More drivel from the impossible girl.
— M@nterik (@Manterik) December 25, 2014
https://twitter.com/DrSwoopy/status/548196258658385920
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