Doctor Who (TV Series) Last Christmas (2014) User Reviews

An Inception, Inside a Crab, Inside a Christmas Cracker...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

No tricky Dream Lord on this occasion, just nightmare Christmas crab crustaceans, who have the stick, to play a trick, ending your days through hallucinations.

Christmas Surprise

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 9/10 · 20 March 2019]

Despite the contrived fantasy nature of creating a Christmas special featuring Santa (following on from all the other slightly contrived fantasy Moffatt era Christmas specials - one based on A Christmas Carol, one based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and one featuring a snowy town called Christmas) this episode, like A Christmas Carol, manages to rise above its contrivance to be a thoroughly enjoyable story. It has the usual Moffatt obsessions of the 'darkness' of the Doctor, lots of complicated storytelling and over the top bits but it is one of the occasions where he gets it to mostly work.

Moffatt has managed here, as in his other best work, to balance things so that the complications are clever. In a lot of this era the complications end up turning out to be illogical and the showiness is out of control. This episode makes enough sense so that the confusing dreams within dreams and seemingly unrealistic events have some internal logic. The showy stuff like Santa, elves, reindeer etc are made to fit into the context of the episode in a way that makes them work within the world of the show and they are used to great comic and dramatic effect.

Nick Frost is great as Santa, he is funny but also grounded with a more serious side. The comedy works brilliantly and there is smart dialogue throughout. Capaldi is, as always, terrific with both humour and depth. All the guest characters have depth and quality and all the acting is of high standard, including Jenna Coleman. It is lovely to get Michael Troughton, son of 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton, in the cast.

The darker and more dramatic elements mostly work really well too. The dream crabs are creepy and menacing (their resemblance to creatures from the movie 'Alien' is amusingly referenced) and the serious themes raised work well.

I was not a huge fan of how the dream crabs turn out to be in random people's homes and just disintegrate and we move on. Why and how were they there and isn't there a likelihood they would be elsewhere on Earth rather than just those few random places? Some explanation or resolution would have been nice.

I also was not a fan of bringing Danny Pink into the episode. Moffatt just cannot let characters die! I strongly disliked Danny and was glad to get rid of him so that compounds his unnecessary return. Thankfully he is not a huge issue in this story.

The episode is rather copied in some respects from the great episode from a couple of years earlier, Amy's Choice (as well as its influence from Alien) which is a shame in a way but it is just different enough to still work in its own right.

Overall this was a funny, entertaining and clever episode.

I always saw this as logically being the Series 8 Christmas Special but it is, apparently, officially part of Series 9 so that is what I am counting it as.

My Rating: 8.5/10.

Series 9 Episode Ranking: 8th out of 14.

Doctor who has crabs and pays homage to Inception

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 4 October 2015]

Clara wakes up on Christmas eve and finds Santa and his elves dropping presents off on her roof top, The TARDIS materialises and the Doctor makes Clara go inside, Santa tells the Doctor he'll soon need his help. They land at a base on the North Pole, where they encounter a group of scientists under siege from Dream crabs. At no point can they be sure they are fully awake, that they're not being devoured and anaesthetised by the crabs.

Fans of Inception will get the vibe I mean, they're in a dream, in a dream. It's a traditional format really, base under siege from monster.

I loved the Christmassy opening credits, they looked rather good.

Lots of real silliness throughout, mainly provided by Santa and his elves, but it was Christmas I guess. The joke about the face huggers and Alien was great.

Danny Pink is back once again, proving that it's very difficult to leave a character go, can you imagine if he did an Agatha Christie? The corpses would all be up and at 'em.

I can see why there's still talk of Shona joining the Doctor, she was good. I always wanted Sally Sparrow to become a regular. Shona could be such an interesting character.

It's not my favourite Christmas outing, but it's definitely inside the top 3, excellent in parts, and I am loving Peter Capaldi. 8/10

'Every Christmas is last Christmas.'

Surprisingly good

[daniel789 · 10/10 · 25 December 2014]

Doctor Who's Christmas special episodes are usually cheesy funny happy episodes. I expected nothing else when I saw the trailer featuring Nick Frost as Santa Claus. This episode, while still funny and in the spirits of Christmas, was more than that. I honestly did not expect this episode to be as good as it was. The episode messes with your mind as you don't quite know what is happening at certain points in the episode. It's a combination of the horror movie Alien and the mind bending thriller Inception. It's full of twists and surprises and will keep you watching until the very end. As usual I love Peter Capaldi's portrayal of the Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman's performance as Clara is as astonishing as ever.

Worth a watch! I will definitely be re-watching this episode next Christmas!

Is This Just a Dream?

[SpoodermanDerp · 8/10 · 25 December 2014]

"Last Christmas" is an intriguing episode with great performances with a rather dark Christmas theme.

As the final special to wrap up Series 8 starts, it seemed like another mediocre Doctor Who episode. But as it progressed, it gained attention and mystery. The concept for the episode is not the one you would expect compared to the past specials. It has a rather dark atmosphere (which the 12th doctor is known for) and the new monsters were terrifying than ever. The episode's plot revolves around a group of people including Clara and the Doctor stuck in North Polo with a bunch of dream crabs trying to get them. But what they don't know is that they might all be in a dream, within a dream and so on. Nick Frost surprisingly delivers an excellent portrayal of Santa Claus and didn't go all childish and cheesy. Capaldi remains intact as he gives yet another fantastic performance as the dark and rude Doctor in which fans should be able to get used to this by now after one whole series and a special. Clara had some definitive and emotional moments, yet some felt a little bit useless and drawn-out. There are a ton of great and well executed shocking moments in this special which is bound to glue audiences to their seats. Certainly the highlights of this episode were the concept and shocking moments. There were also a ton of references in the episode which will give you a smile or at least make you laugh. Of course, the Christmas theme was present in the episode as well. However, the Christmas Theme did not balance kind of didn't balance with the dark atmosphere of the episode at start. It felt like at the end they remembered that all they did was add Santa so they squeezed right in some Christmas spirit in which it did work for the most part. To put it in one sentence, the Christmas special felt like Inception, but with Santa in it. Nonetheless, it is certainly one of the best Christmas specials Doctor Who has had so far.

-Slow start, +the dark atmosphere and mystery throughout the episode, +the new monsters were terrifying, +nice concept (which seemed to be a little like Inception) +great performances, -some drawn-out scenes -the balance of the Dark atmosphere and Christmas spirit didn't blend well.

Verdict: 8.5/10

A few flaws here and there but for the most part a total blast of an episode

[Meven_Stoffat · 8/10 · 25 December 2014]

I'll admit my expectations weren't particularly high for this episode; I enjoyed Season 8 a good deal but have always been rather iffy on the Christmas specials, and was not particularly knocked over by last year's Time of the Doctor rubbish. So the whole day I was worried as to what Moffat could possibly dream up this time for the episode. Sure, a bad special is never enough to ruin a whole Christmas for me but even then, after being not so thrilled by some of the promotional materials, one of which included a scene of Santa car- locking Rudolph the Reindeer, and Clara waking up to find Santa and his elves on her rooftop. For a while I got bad flashbacks of that The Doctor, The Widow and The Painful Childishness, so I sat down to watch this trying not to feel that same pain. As a result, my low expectations were not only met but greatly exceeded. Sure, we did start off with that rather unsavoury opening but from there on, as the episode unfolded it quickly became more involving and engaging

It's a pretty simple plot- on paper. The Doctor and Clara are whisked away to an arctic base and are faced with a threat of deadly aliens that much resemble the Facehuggers from "Alien". But there's a twist. The aliens put their victims to sleep and use their subconscious to keep them trapped there to kill them. Clara finds this out the hard way when she gets attacked by one. But when she wakes up, things suddenly get a lot more tangled and hard to distinguish. The very problem is that concept would be, on paper, very easy to mess up and make all timey-wimey, but thankfully this isn't the case; it's very easy to follow constantly shocking. Moffat mixes influences from Inception and 1980s horror flicks such as Alien and The Thing. The creatures themselves are absolutely terrifying and well done; Nick Frost's performance as Santa Claus is fantastic and though he isn't in the episode long, he does a killer job. But in particular the last 20 minutes are gripping and intense, ws The Doctor and the crew race to get themselves out of the dream

Of course there are a few things that prevent it from being perfect- for one, the Danny Pink dream sequence does feel a bit unnecessary and shoehorned in to pander to the fangirls. Also, who on earth is paid to do the aging effects? While not quite as bad as Time of the Doctor's awful aging effects that made J. Edgar's aging effects look tame by comparison, old!Clara still absolutely was cringe-worthy and at times you could even see Jenna's real skin poking through

But thankfully these flaws were very minor and few and in between, and weren't in many shape or form enough to ruin what was a very solid and fun Christmas special. This Christmas special was, for the most part, a success, and I had lots of fun watching it, and thankfully I won't feel embarrassed to recommend it tomorrow at work. It was the perfect way to wind down a very fantastic Christmas and I am greatly looking forward to re- watching it when it hits blu-ray. Now if you excuse me, I'm off to have a tangerine

An okay Christmas special that suffers from jarring tonal shifts and no real sense of purpose

[pjgs200 · 8/10 · 28 June 2016]

Last Christmas was an okay Christmas special. The best thing about this episode for me was that Clara stayed. While I didn't like her much with the 11th Doctor, her relationship with the 12th Doctor is one of the greatest the series has had. Capaldi and Coleman shine on screen and really have incredible chemistry, and this episode continues the streak they had throughout series 8 while rounding out some of the hanging threads left from Death in Heaven. I thought the dream crabs were pretty good monsters, but I didn't really like the inclusion of Santa Claus in this episode. Nick Frost's performance didn't really click with me, and I also didn't really like how he and the Doctor had a rivalry going on. I felt like the episode was ruined as soon as Santa Claus stepped in. As soon as the pace started picking up and I was getting into the flow of the story, Santa was thrown in and just messed up the whole story. I think the problem with this episode is that it felt like it was trying to be a serious sci-fi installment, a comedy, and a fairytale at the same time. While Doctor Who does that well sometimes, it just didn't work for this episode.

Overall, Last Christmas is an okay episode. The production values were good, Wilmshurst's direction was solid, and the acting was good as well, but the jarring shifts in tone that came with the inclusion of Santa Claus just didn't work out for me. While not a bad episode and chock full of great ideas, Last Christmas' lackluster execution is the reason that it's of my least favorite Christmas specials.

Edit: Both the Husbands of River Song and the Return of Doctor Mysterio are superior episodes. I think the problem with Last Christmas is that it just couldn't find a tone and stick to it. One minute it's a comedy, another it's a sci-fi/horror film, and the next it's a fairytale with a hammy Santa Claus thrown in the mix. I think the other specials I mentioned are better because they have a set tone from the beginning and stick to it throughout the episode. If Doctor Who is going to have a dark episode, then the tone should stay serious throughout the whole thing. Last Christmas isn't a bad episode, but it's an example of what Doctor Who needs to do better at: finding a tone and sticking to it. 6.5/10

Possible Series Saver

[kirkers9 · 9/10 · 5 April 2015]

Like many others, I had very low expectations for this Christmas Special. Beyond the fact that the specials have been quite uneven in quality throughout the decade-long run of the New Doctor Who, the nearly disastrous 8th Series featuring Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor -- or is he really the unlucky 13th, after John Hurt's star-turn in the 50th Anniversary episode "Day of the Doctor"? -- led me to delay watching the Special for several months. After enjoying precisely one of the 8th Series episodes ("Time Heist"), a solid but by no means classic offering, I was pondering a life containing only Doctor Who reruns through Series 7.

I finally got around to watching this Christmas episode online in early spring 2015 without having read a word about it. I must say I found the episode delightful and thought-provoking even on second and third viewings. It does indeed mine rich veins of classic science fiction themes ranging from time/reality inversions most recently explored in the film "Inception" to bio-invasive species from the "Alien" series, with a healthy collection of genre references ranging from Ghostbusters ("who ya gonna call?") to The Thing (polar research station and all). The dream sequence with Clara, Danny & the Doctor draws heavily upon a similar scene from the film "Star Trek Generations" of a generation ago. Finally, there was the self-referential material: another exhilarating Christmastime sleigh ride through the sky, and the close parallels between the Dream Crabs and prior villainous denizens of Who- ville created by episode writer and current show-runner Steven Moffat such as "The Silence" and the Weeping Angels.

These borrowings could have proved tedious and distracting, but Moffat avoids the pitfalls and uses his own revived creative spark to integrate them all smoothly into a rather different configuration complete with holiday-tinged themes of belief, trust and redemption. Moffat & Co keep all the juggling balls smoothly rotating in the air in a piece that feels much larger than its 60 minute running time, minus adverts. (How the continuity might feel with frequent sponsor breaks I can only imagine, but it is an experience I now spare myself almost entirely with the aid of online streams and downloads.)

The result was a truly exciting, genuinely frightening, mind-bending and above all emotionally touching episode that despite the obvious nods to Christmas (can anything be more so than Santa Claus?) really held together as a genuine contribution to the Doctor Who universe and to the art of on-screen science fiction.

After much wasted effort, the relationship of Clara and Danny "the PE" now seems to have emotional depth, thanks to a belated dream sequence in which Danny is firmly acknowledged as having died. There is a certain sadness that this multicultural relationship could not have been nurtured more effectively within Doctor Who, but at least it has a good ending here. If somehow it is not over, thanks to some "timey- whimey" or (as Santa puts it here) "dreamy-wheamy" twist in the tale, I can only hope it will be treated as gently, effectively, and realistically as it was in this episode.

All the inside, self-deprecating humour comes off without a hitch. Favourites include the "killer question" about Santa's sledge being bigger on the inside (who hasn't pondered the possibility since being introduced to the TARDIS?), the Doctor claiming turf rights over scientific explanation and Santa's spot-on "dreamy-wheamy" retort, and the Doctor being on St Nick's naughty list (where I had put him myself in an earlier review of the 8th Series). The prickly-funny exchange between the Doctor and Clara over her "fetching" things managed to significantly advance the current state of female companions in Who- culture while using well under a minute of running time.

Initially I thought to criticise the use of what seems like wishful thinking (complete with a kumbaya hand-holding circle at one point) to overcome the Dream Crab spell, but on reflection it seems to me as valid or even more so than any number of techno-geek quick fixes that Moffat & Co might have devised. This episode is really not about medicine, science or technology, but about exploring human nature. In that context, I must thank Moffat for not featuring the sonic screwdriver as a "deus ex machina" the way it has in far too many episodes, particularly in the past couple of series. Although it is brought into play near the end here, it seems to have been done only as a respectful nod to Who-culture rather than serving as a key plot device.

As the Doctor says at the end, he has been offered a second chance, but doesn't know who to thank. He might start with Moffat & Co, who finally pulled up their socks and produced a cracker of an episode. Another group deserving of thanks (and solicitude) are discerning viewers who have had to suffer through quite a bit of dissatisfaction lately. Prior to this episode, I for one had all but given up on the series. Notwithstanding original show-runner Russell T. Davies' views about the series now being immune from cancellation, even Doctor Who cannot long survive abandonment by viewers who value quality above cult-status when the show goes as seriously off the rails as it has recently done.

Now that current show-runner Moffat has apparently written himself out of the proverbial doghouse with "Last Christmas", I fervently hope he grasps this second chance with both hands and uses this window of opportunity to come up with some truly great scripts for the 9th Series. This Christmas Special should serve as the gold standard by which to measure other potential episodes. With so few episodes comprising each series, it won't take more than 2 or 3 bombs to sink the good ship "Who-ville" at this stage, at least as far as this viewer's future participation is concerned.

Last Christmas (2014 Special): Solid special with wobbly tone but some nicely creepy/scary aspects to balance the festive nonsense - although low expectations of course helped

[bob the moo · 26 December 2014]

How many times do you hear someone saying something like "I didn't expect much of it, but it was alright", or conversely "I had heard such great things but it was only alright"; same outcome, but the receipt of that outcome is much more of a positive when you expected less, not more. Of course with Doctor Who it is normal that you expect less, but it almost feels deliberate that the show caused my expectations to drop so low this time. After a reasonably okay final few episodes (aside from some terrible decisions), we got Nick Frost popping in as Santa ("stunt casting" as Theo rightly calls it) to announce the Christmas special – something that made me feel this special would be even more silly and festive than usual.

Starting the episode, this is precisely how I felt as we had so-so comedy from Frost and his elves, making me feel like this was going nowhere but even lower than I had feared. The move to the North Pole doesn't help this, since we see a character dancing to Slade in an attempt to avoid some form of danger – really making me cringe. However from here we get thrown into a horror movie of sorts, with some images that sort of made me questions what we have done to ourselves in the last 25-30 years that Aliens once got an 18 but yet these very similar images are now family TV-viewing. This is not the Mary Whitehouse coming out in me, because I thought it was great to have something to shake me and the special out of a festive stupor.

From here the content is weirdly mixed; with Frost still hanging around but yet this horror going on at the same time. It doesn't really work as it is happening, but gradually it works in retrospect as the plot falls into place. Mixing Aliens and Inception kind of works, and although the plot doesn't totally hang together (moving quickly at times to try to stop viewers asking too many questions), it is broadly pretty engaging. The ending felt like it was two endings – the second of which was thrown on once they got the thumbs up from Coleman that she will return for the next season (which is what they did in the end – which is a shame because the first ending was much better). The writing is mostly okay but as usual it cannot control itself and we get silliness thrown in, along with clumsy references like we are stupid.

The cast are solid and in particular this episode shows the value of Capaldi. While Smith was part of the silliness, this slightly dour Doctor sits outside it with a cynical edge, so the viewer can sit with him, so when he reluctantly goes with it despite himself, it feels easier to accept (namely the "do you want a go scene" – which would have been totally different with a childish Smith begging to have a go). This cynicism in word and presence works to the show's favor – particularly in a silly show like this. Coleman is okay, although I really hope they find a reason to have kept her in the show; personally this previous season would have been her "big" one in terms of story, but they have done that and also not gotten too much good work from her. Frost is funny once you realize that he is not the whole show, and generally the supporting players are decent enough without being anything too amazing.

So, against my expectations this was actually quite good. The tone is wobbly, and the plot doesn't make anywhere near as much sense as it would like you to think, but it is enjoyably scary and at least brings in all the Christmas silliness in a way that allows it to have it, but also treat it as a side issue at the same time.

Arguably Doctor Who's best Christmas episode to date..

[ryanjmorris · 10/10 · 25 December 2014]

So it's safe to say that 2014 has been a roller coaster year for Doctor Who. After delivering what I believe to be one of its strongest seasons, with such standout episodes as Listen, Kill the Moon and Dark Water, it succumbed to sheer ridiculousness with its mess of a finale; Death in Heaven. Leaving a horribly sour taste in the mouth of a wonderful season, this year's annual Christmas special, titled Last Christmas, needed to retain that quality brought about in the middle third of this year's season. And, much to my delight, it did.

Doctor Who's Christmas specials have always been hit and miss. Ranging from the amazing A Christmas Carol to the atrocious Voyage of the Damned, quite literally anything can happen in the hour time slot Doctor Who gets on the 25th. After arguably the show's best run of episodes, Steven Moffat (returning to top form, here) has delivered arguably the show's best Christmas episode to date. Going in, everyone was uncertain as to whether Clara Oswald (the superb Jenna Coleman) would be continuing her role next year. Whilst we knew this incarnation of the Doctor (the superber Peter Capaldi) would return, we were left on tenterhooks about the continuation of the much improved Clara. Last Christmas delivers the best Christmas present any Clara fan could ask for: she is staying for Season 9.

Last Christmas was an episode packed with humour, fear, emotion, and, obviously, Christmas spirit. Whilst many other attempts for this formula have failed in the past, Moffat got the balance perfectly right here. Nick Frost was on hand to deliver an unusual but effective turn as Santa Claus, who's arguments and misunderstandings with the Doctor led to many memorable moments; "Why don't you go and write a naughty list!" being a solid example. Frost (so aptly named) played the role with an infectious amount of fun, but never overdoes it, which is highly commendable in a role of this caliber. The supporting cast are also solid, if slightly underdeveloped. Their final moments of the episode are touching though, so clearly the underdevelopment isn't too big a catastrophe. Despite the final 15 minutes being perhaps a tad too silly for some, it worked for me. Doctor Who is at its all time best when it blurs the boundaries between silly and serious (ala Kill the Moon), and this was another great showcase for that effect.

Capaldi and Coleman were terrific too, as ever. Danny Pink returned briefly for a (possibly/hopefully) final farewell in a scene that was more emotional than it had any right to be after his terrible ending back in Death in Heaven, but these three have such terrific on screen chemistry that they could make almost anything work. Moffat crafted a script that took on a huge number of pop culture references, multiple genres and a healthy combination of action and dialogue without ever allowing the episode to become confusing, and he ultimately delivered his best Christmas work yet. Many people still criticised this episode and compared it to the Davies era, but that's the thing with Doctor Who. The basic formula of this show requires that it switch up and change constantly, and this is one of those examples. Davies and Moffat are very different writers, with very different styles, but this does not make one definitively better than the other. Both have their strengths, and both have their weaknesses. For me, whilst Moffat lost a touch of his creativity through seasons six and seven, he now seems to be back on top form, with Doctor Who's best year since 2010. All I can say is bring on 2015, when Doctor Who's wonder trio of Moffat, Capaldi and Coleman are set to come back better than ever.

Full review here: http://morrismovies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/doctor- who-last-Christmas.html

An Uneven Christmas Gift

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 26 December 2014]

I had rather low expectations for this story . The Christmas specials have always been very hit and miss with an attitude of " Oh well it's Christmas therefore the audience won't be expecting much " . Add to this some stunt casting with Nick Frost as Santa and my expectations weren't high , especially when the pre-title sequence seemed to go on for ever , tried and failed to be amusing and by this point I was more interested in what I was drinking rather than what I was watching on screen

To be fair once the story gets to the North Pole it does pick up greatly and becomes similar to a base under siege story meets ALIEN . For those middle aged fans this is what DOCTOR WHO has always been about , a sort of family friendly horror show that appeals to the dark , vivid imagination of children . Okay it's not original and there is a strong element of post modernism where characters name check the Ridley Scott horror movie but these are by far the most effective parts of the special and is very enjoyable

The problem is Moffat loses focus and there's a very uneven and disjointed aspect to all this and every time Santa appears he took this viewer out of the drama involving the dream crabs . In fact I often found myself thinking that the television had miraculously switched channels and one moment I was watching a childish fantasy then I was watching a horror movie . This can only be described as a failure of sorts . Some people have mentioned INCEPTION and like Nolan's film the storytelling feels the need to constantly tell the audience what is happening and why it is happening . I suppose the one thing in its defence about the dream within a dream plot is that it doesn't appear from nowhere , but at the same time it is bludgeoned over the audiences head in much the same way as the incidental music tries to tell the audience as to what they should be feeling

In conclusion this isn't the worst Christmas special the show has come up with . But by the same token it's not the best one either . It's overlong , disjointed and the tone veers all over the place . It's very good in parts but as a consistent whole it's unsatisfying

A festive horror story

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 29 December 2014]

In the opening scenes Clara looks out of her window to see Father Christmas and a pair of elves arguing about whether people like tangerines. She is of course rather surprised to meet somebody she hasn't believed in since she was a child but soon stops worrying about that when The Doctor turns up. Meanwhile at the North Pole something distinctly unchristmassy is going on… scientists are investigating an attack by strange telepathic creatures that will attack if you so much as think about them. Inevitably The Doctor and Clara turn up, shortly followed by Father Christmas and they start to understand the terrifying truth about the creatures they are dealing with… they are not struggling against them; they have already lost and the creatures are slowly eating them while creating a dream state to distract their victims! Each time they think they've woken and thus prevailed they realise it was just a dream within a dream… will they ever truly wake up?

The trailers for this episode managed to lower my expectations substantially… the idea of an episode featuring Father Christmas seemed just a bit too twee. The opening scenes suggested my fears were correct but then we were introduced to the 'Dream Crabs'; possibly the scariest monster to feature since the Weeping Angels. The plot was clearly inspired by well-known horror film; most notably 'Alien' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street'; a link that was clearly acknowledged at the end; there are also obvious similarities to 'Inception' with the dreams within dreams. While this featured nothing as scary as the two horror films it was scarier than one might expect for a family show; especially one aired on Christmas Day. I can't say if it was too scary for younger viewers but for me it was just about right. It wasn't just the concept of the monsters that was scary; they looked scary too. Overall this proved to be much better than I expected.

There is a reason why the ending feels laboured

[sophie-30972 · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

I, too, shared many other's reviews that the ending of this episode doesn't feel right, neither is the 'every Christmas is the last Christmas' sentiment throughout. It feels like a laboured emotion, because in the end, nothing happened.

However, just the other day, I happened to watch an interview of Steven Moffat. So the behind the scene story is: it was intended as a sending off episode for Clara. Hence 'every Christmas is the last Christmas'. Hence she grew old in the original last shot. However, after they shot the last scene, they realised that Jenna was not ready to leave the show. And they thought no actor should leave the show when they were not ready to leave. So they made some coming back shots and that became the show we saw now.

I guess that says it all.

Bah Humbug!

[doorsscorpywag · 1/10 · 26 December 2014]

just woeful and the worst part is that Clara will be back to stink the series out next year.

The threadbare plot involved the head crabs from Half-Life the computer game and some ridiculous dream sequences designed to bring the god-awful Pink back for an encore.

And as it was Xmas Santa had to turn up with some caustic elves and a red nose reindeer.

Another episode that was mainly about Clara rather than The Doctor and if this continues it will kill a great series. Let's have some Clara less episodes for 2015 (preferably all of them) and get to know The Doctor a bit.

As Xmas episodes go this was no better or worse than the rest as they all are pretty awful but this had Clara and that dragged it down a lot. She is one of the worst companions but unlike the rest she is taking over the programme. The plots always seem to revolve around her until her side-kick Peter Capaldi turns up to play second fiddle for her.

The Doctor needs a companion as that's the point of the programme but not one so overwhelming. Just somebody to scream a bit and move the plot along.

The plot here was an Arctic ice station being invaded by Half-Life head crabs and half of the crew battling to stay alive when Clara and her companion turn up. But nothing is as it seems as cleverly Santa arrives to fill in the blanks and Clara saves the day by getting her companion to do something that resolved the episode.

Then a ridiculous ending as Santa allows Clara's companion to find her again and she will be off on a new series of adventures in 2015.

If we get Pink back as a ghost then I fear for the future of this great British institution. Capaldi is really good but he can't get a shoe in for bloody Clara. She started well but has overstayed her welcome and needs to sacrifice her life to save some kittens or something.

Dream Crabs

[josephthedoctorcaleb · 10/10 · 1 June 2015]

My favourite Christmas special yet. And it has creatures called the Kantrofarri in it. Or...THE Dream Crabs. I had far more many favourite moments than with any other Doctor Who Christmas special, such as the scene somewhere towards the middle with the manuals and the page numbers. It was Humorous and entertaining and the only one moment where the episode went downhill for me was that pathetic flying sledge scene but I didn't hate it enough to lower my overall score for this episode. And of course another favourite point for me was of course...The Dream Crabs Who look like facehuggers and yet have an entirely different purpose. Nick frost as Santa Clause was great as an edgier and angry version of the Character, successfully managing to avoid almost all of the Typical Santa Clause clichés and even though I knew why his character was in there, I still did find it just a little bit random. But for the most part Last Christmas is my favourite Christmas special yet.

'Every Christmas Is Last Christmas' And of course, beware of the Dream Crabs for they may still be on Earth and they may be many in their number...

Best Doctor Who holiday special

[dkiliane · 10/10 · 22 April 2019]

I was quite surprised how much hate this special got. It is unequivocally superior to all the specials that came before it, save the Day of the Doctor and perhaps Time of the Doctor. Basically, as many have pointed out, it is the Doctor Who amalgam of Alien and Inception, with Santa Claus thrown into the mix (or at least the British pop culture perception thereof). After catching Santa and company on her rooftop, Clara is whisked away by the Doctor to the North Pole where a group of "scientists" are trying to escape from the rest of their dream crab infected team, where, Santa once again reappears (a few times) to save the day.

And this actually works surprisingly well, all the different elements woven together believably and excitingly. It is by far the creepiest Doctor Who special, with several chilling scenes, even after knowing it's basically a dream. The mere fact that they keep finding themselves trapped in levels of a dream world is chilling in and of itself. The pages in the books test, the chalkboard that keeps writing "Clara! You are dying!" and the horrible if not slightly predictable realization that the sleepers are the research team themselves (well, technically average unrelated people dreaming they are the research team).

The third act does drag ever so slightly, once rescued (again) by Santa Claus but it acts as a nice falling action for the story before the denouement of Clara deciding to continue with the Doctor in the TARDIS. My only other minor complaint is the cheeky nod at the very end that Santa might be real. I mean, I know why they did it, but for a series that is rather unnecessarily negative toward religion, it's an odd addition.

However, the aforementioned minor complaints don't ever interfere with the enjoyment of the episode as the plotting is edge of your seat solid, the tone genuinely creepy, and bolstered by well developed and likeable characters. Nick Frost does a particularly amazing job as the Dream's Santa Claus (the manifestation of the part of the brain trying to wake up the Doctor, Clara, and the research team from their shared deadly dream), witty and sarcastic, with some interesting verbal sparring with the Doctor. This episode is spectacular on any day of the year. 10/10

One of the best Who Christmas specials!

[tlfirth · 8/10 · 25 December 2014]

It's hard to imagine how Steven Moffat came up with this one, but it is clearly something quite extraordinary. He himself even claimed it to be "the strangest episode I've ever written". From the truly terrifying moments with dream crabs sucking characters' brains to the light-hearted sleigh ride over London, this is definitely one of the most bizarre episodes of the series, but definitely a clever one.

To begin with, I would like to praise the cast for their performances, especially the two mains and guest actresses Faye Marsay and Natalie Gumede who provided convincing portrayals. Capaldi was his own Doctor in this one, continuing to build on the success of his performance in Series 8. Coleman was, as usual, on form, with genuine emotional development throughout, and her "older" character matched the emotional feelings we felt with older Matt Smith in the Time of the Doctor. Of the guest cast, Faye Marsay's dance number was hysterically great.

In terms of the story, there was an evident contrast between the scary Arctic base and Clara's Christmas dreams. This provided some great dark moments and helped to progress the story in a very original way. The Doctor's messages were of great importance and really transformed the light-hearted scenes into an intense story.

Of the good points, I enjoyed most of the Arctic scenes, especially those where the Doctor asked each of the scientists what first words they had on their log books. It had a very nice Steven Moffat touch that I always admire in an episode of Doctor Who or Sherlock. The Doctor and Clara revealing their lies was a nice lead-on from the finale. Also, Clara's aging scene was quite emotional and it seriously made me believe that she would be leaving altogether.

But it was trickery, of course. This was one of the few gripes I had with the episode - a false ending. In addition, the sleigh ride was a little cheesy, and was too reminiscent of Matt Smith's A Christmas Carol, but younger viewers will certainly enjoy it.

Overall, a strong outing for Christmas with a impressive cast and clever, albeit confusing, story. Let's hope this leads us directly and nicely into Series 9, where I hope to see some big changes. Isolation has been a big problem with recent episodes and they haven't been allowed to explore further than the Earth or the Moon. Perhaps it's time to take the show a step further into science fiction.

8/10

Cheesy Xmas fare...Good old BBC style!

[mcguin71 · 8/10 · 25 December 2014]

Yes it was cheesy but thankfully never ridiculous or worse still outright stupid. Essentially it was what a Doctor Who Christmas special episode should be, and a far cry from the cartoonist plots and scenes that I felt dragged down much of the Tennant era, and threatened the enjoyment of Matt Smiths version - although he at least seemed to carry off the 'Scooby-Doo- esque' comedy much more naturally. Peter Capaldi finishes his first season with head held high.

Peter Capaldi's one flaw is he sometimes comes across as too dour, but fortunately his acting prowess overcomes the urge to shout at the TV regarding his attitude - although its close at times. I had expected the lifting of some of the burden following the 'Day of the Doctor' episode but again he spends too long seeking the negatives - but I don't blame the actor alone, he only interprets the scripts...thank goodness for Jenna Colemans down to earth and generally positive Claro Oswald. Another fine set of acting.

Nick Frost as was also good as Santa Claus, however he would have come to naught without his wisecracking Elf's who probably had the best moments and lines. Maybe not overly funny throughout, and certainly questionable as to whether it was full of Christmas spirit, I am at least glad to say what true humour there was did hit the mark - and so did the downers.

It's already been said the episode feels like a combination of the Alien and Inception and I don't doubt these subconsciously played a part somewhere in its writing, and for the majority of the viewing it worked well - right up until the last twists and turns which I at least felt was almost too easy to figure out in advance. Sorry Doctor you lose a star for signposting once too often!

So overall not a bad effort, and I feel Dr Who has bounced back well after going through a 'not essential viewing, I'll wait for the repeat' phase. Once again I automatically set the EPG for it above other programmes rather than umming and arr'ing...

Now please Mr/Mrs writers...just lift The Doctors spirits a little and be kind to is poor folk who looks to smile occasionally without having to take a happy pill! (Another -1 star for too much annoyingly negativity)

This show was very touching.

[MaryKathleenSpangenberg · 8/10 · 1 January 2015]

I am not sure what to think of season 8. At times I am watching and confused on Clara and the Dr. I keep asking myself a lot of questions like What happened to River? I thought the Master was dead. etc and so forth. Dr. 12 is really morbid, sad and cranky! However, then I realize you can not always think too hard with Dr. Who. Lol! I am still not sure I like the new Dr at all. He seems so different and well, pun intended, Alien compared to the others. With that said, I really, really and thoroughly enjoyed this special. It was touching, sweet, funny, sad and scary. Kudos! Enjoy watching. I do believe in miracles, Christmas cheer and Hope!

Best Christmas Special Yet!

[zacpetch · 10/10 · 3 January 2015]

My summary says it all really. This is the tenth Christmas special since the show returned in 2005 and as of yet this is the best. After the last two years' more plot-based specials ("The Snowmen" & "The Time Of The Doctor") we needed something more accessible and "Last Christmas" delivers.

The story is a clever one: Not many writers can get away with the whole It Was All A Dream ending but Moffat does exactly that with great success in a script that goes with a Base Under Siege story (akin to many Second Doctor serials; Two's son has a guest role) while also throwing in scenes straight out of the offensively titled "Alien" (as Troughton Junior points out) and "Inception". Since this is Doctor Who through and through, it doesn't become pure rip-off as Moffat puts his trademark timey-wimey spin on things from start to finish.

It does all that without ever letting you forget that this is a Christmas special and that is an impressive feat indeed. It also takes time out to conclude some loose ends from "Death In Heaven" also, such as the true fates of Gallifrey and Danny Pink, without alienating the casual Christmas viewer.

Though Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman (who it turns out is not leaving - HOORAY!!!) are both wonderful here it's the guest cast who steal the show, none more-so than Nick Frost as Santa Clause. He shows up in the opening scene and several times throughout even managing to get his name into the titles alongside Capaldi and Coleman. He deserves the titles credit because he is spectacular.

This is a moving episode and an extremely festive one too. The scene when the Twelfth Doctor is given the chance to control Santa's sleigh as the group fly over London is sure to be remembered as one of his incarnation's finest moments with the look of pure joy on his face as he does so being something we'll never forget. It's a genuinely moving episode too, such as when Clara seems to be an old woman who is about to die (Spoilers: It's still a dream) or when Shona (Future companion? MAKE IT HAPPEN STEVEN!) doesn't want to leave before promptly leaving and setting out to forgive Dave. What should she forgive Dave for? Is it to forgive David Tennant for leaving Dr Who almost five years ago? That seems too meta, even by Dr Who standards! Maybe she will become a new companion and we'll get to find out?

Previously the best Dr Who Christmas episode was 2010's "A Christmas Carol" but that crown has now been stolen by this work of brilliance. This is a great episode of Dr Who in all ways: Excellent one-off characters, unbelievably creepy monsters, clever timey-wimeyness and even a reindeer with a nose like a car door-lock. All this and it's Christmas too! An absolute must. Not as good as "Listen" but otherwise the best Twelfth Doctor episode yet.

Ingeniously constructed, if somewhat derivative

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 29 April 2016]

As "Doctor Who" Christmas specials go, it's doubtful whether any of them will ever match "A Christmas Carol" for sheer magical seasonal spirit, but "Last Christmas" is one of the better efforts. It's a mixture of humor, sadness, creepiness, wonder and cynicism, all served up with characteristic Steven Moffat quirkiness. This may be an episode that you need to watch twice: one for the ride, and one to be clear on the (quite complex) story. It has some ingenious ideas, but it is also (deliberately) derivative of "Alien", "Nightmare on Elm Street", and "Inception". Nick Frost is a funny Santa Claus, and Faye Marsay is endearing in a role that might have been intended as a new companion for the Doctor until it was confirmed that Clara would stay on board. Some of the visual effects (the flying sleigh at the end) are a little shoddy. *** out of 4.

A long overdue return to form for Stephen Moffat?

[yvonneshusband · 8/10 · 29 December 2014]

Let me start by stating that I cannot understand what some Doctor Who viewers had against Matt Smith. As someone who has watched the show since the midpoint of Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Time Lord, I found Smith's 'wisdom of a 900 year old, emotional development of a twelve year old' incarnation of the Doctor as an inspired take on the character, particularly in view of David Tennant's more grounded, self-assured version. The debut season of Moffat and Smith is, to me, the best season of 'New Who' ever, the capper being the sublime 'Christmas Carol' that we now watch in our house as part of our Christmas ritual every year (those who bemoan the loss of the cardboard and bacofoil days of Pertwee and Baker should really go watch those episodes with a more critical eye; apart from a few stand-out stories, most of the 'classic series' is as bad as any of the sci-fi from the 70s and 80s). Unfortunately, Moffat couldn't replicate the quality of that first Smith season, the plots and stories getting more and more ridiculous until by 'The Time of the Doctor' last Christmas, it was quite obvious that Matt Smith had decided he wasn't going to suffer the same fate as Sylvester McCoy by being at the controls of the Tardis when the show was cancelled. However, despite some pretty dire episodes in Peter Capaldi's first season (not helped by the fact that some of them had been quite obviously written for the 11th Doctor), the show has regained some ground, this year's Christmas special probably being the best since 'Carol'. The highlights were Nick Frost's Santa, obviously, played almost as another Time Lord (which in itself makes perfect sense), the (hopefully final) appearance of Danny Pink, who's confidence and sense of command now that he's dead make him a far more convincing soldier than almost anything his character did while he was alive and not forgetting the elves, Dan Starkey getting a chance to act without the potato head for a change. Capaldi's Doctor still needs some work though, the shifts from world saving hero to grumpy git and back are still too abrupt and jarring, but I'm looking forward to next season, if it builds on this successful Christmas outing. Maybe St Nick could return next year?

Lovely spooks

[voyou-703-655350 · 7/10 · 28 December 2014]

If, like me, you don't like the pre-titles scene, do not switch off your TV. It turned out to be the only part I didn't enjoy. In fact, the next scene immediately turns into excellence, and the following story, if not exactly new, is told in perfect Dr Who fashion.

The Doctor and a group of scientists face a creature straight out of Mr Moffat's bestiary, one which comes alive when you think about it. Or so it seems. The reality is more complicated, but not so complicated that you'll be lost in it. This episode doesn't so much try to manipulate you, as it makes you enjoy being knowingly manipulated. To many, this might remind of the movie Inception, which is likely one source of inspiration. To me, it goes much earlier than that, as it plunged me back into countless RPG sessions in the Call of Cthulhu oneiric universe. Me happy.

There's plenty of mystery, spooks and laughs in here. There's subtext as well, for others to analyse. Plenty of emotions, done well this time: they fix what didn't work for me in the season's finale (or earlier). And this episode has a simply superb ending, so much so that I decided to skip fridge logic time and stay in the dream as much as I can.

Dr Who does Inception

[kevinmorice · 4/10 · 26 December 2014]

Dr Who does Inception. It is a dream within a dream within a dream, and if you don't work that out 20 minutes before the cast then you are probably asleep yourself.

Keep asking "Who you gonna call?" but no-one puts in a Ghostbusters joke?

Throw in some facehuggers, but make them such blatant rip offs that you have to mention Alien to avoid a copyright infringement claim.

Stuff the posthumous Danny Pink in yet again. Why bother killing him off if he is going to still be in every episode?!

And at the end tie some nonsense knots of time loops that don't make any sense at all but give an excuse for Clara to mention a couple of more times that this is her last Christmas episode so we know her character is leaving this year.

I thought Capaldi was doing a decent job of fixing Dr Who after the poor Matt Smith years but this effort is a disappointing return to the lazy writing and shoddy stories that even he and Jenna Coleman can't save it.

Santa Claws

[jagaroth · 9/10 · 4 January 2021]

Peter Capaldi's first Christmas Special delivers all that I had hoped. It's extremely dark, relentlessly funny and unapologetically Christmassy. The entire production is of a high standard, and in some parts, it's really quite scary. Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi never dissapoint. For me, however, the whole Santa thing was a bit on the nose. Apart from that, it's fantastic.