17 December

17 December was notable for a number of highly varied events on Earth and its parallels:
 * 1843 - Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first published. Dickens gave a free recitation of his story in 1869 Cardiff when he met the Ninth Doctor and Rose. (TV: The Unquiet Dead)
 * 1997 - Before the First Doctor and Susan Foreman settled down in Shoreditch in 1963, they took a brief trip to St Albans to ensure that the United Kingdom would remain safe during and after the 1960s. Unbeknownst to either of them, the Fourth Doctor and his companions Romana and K9 were in the vicinity on the same day. (PROSE: The Little Things)

Behind the scenes

 * 1929 - Actress Jacqueline Hill was born.
 * 1929 - Actor Tony Harwood was born.
 * 1938 - Actor Del Henney was born.
 * 1966 - Episode one of The Highlanders was first broadcast on BBC1.
 * 1977 - Part four of The Sun Makers was first broadcast BBC1.
 * 2000 - Actress Maurice Quick died.
 * 2006 - Out of Time was first broadcast on BBC Three.