‘Doctor Who’ Will Have A New Year’s Day Special Instead Of Christmas Night
BBC America is going to ring in 2019 with Doctor Who. Breaking away from the traditional Christmas Day timeslot, the popular series will have its first-ever “Who Year’s Day” which will include a marathon of all the Christmas specials that will pave the way to the aforementioned New Year’s Day special
The marathon will begin 12pm ET/PT on December 24 and lead into Christmas Day. After that, it will be a celebratory marathon of all the Doctors tarting with Peter Capaldi, followed by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith, leading straight into the New Year’s special on January 1.
The all-new episode is written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Wayne Yip (Preacher, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency). As the New Year begins, a terrifying evil is stirring from across the centuries of Earth’s history. Will the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Ryan (Tosin Cole), Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Yaz (Mandip Gill) be able to overcome this threat to Planet Earth?
Showrunner Chris Chibnall said, “We’re thrilled to be starting the New Year with a bang, as Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and friends face a terrifying alien threat in an action-packed, hour-long special adventure for all the family.”
Whittaker made history as the first female Doctor in the franchise. It has since become a hit with viewers. The current season of Doctor Who is averaging nearly one million viewers per episode, up 54 percent from the previous season and ranking as the fastest-growing scripted series of the year across all key demos.
The finale of the current season will air on December 9th.