A Christmas Carol (TV story)

A Christmas Carol is the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas special. The first footage from this special was screened on 19th November in the form of a trailer as part of the BBC's Children in Need. It aired at 6pm, on the 25th of December 2010.

Synopsis
Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

Plot
Amy and Rory are honeymooning on a spaceship that is beginning to plunge towards an unknown planet below. The newlyweds rush to the deck of the spaceship to see if they can help. As they get closer to the planet the crew of the ship notice a small object berthing the ship. As the TARDIS comes into view the message "Come Along Pond" is beamed onto the ship.

The Doctor enters Kazran Sardick's house via the chimney. Kazran is the unelected ruler of Sardicktown and is a heartless man. He runs a business in loansharking and uses the frozen bodies of family members as security. He also runs a sideline in controlling the clouds and fog, which have an unnaturally high proportion of water - this allows fish to swim amongst it. It is in this water-and-ice based cloud cover that the ship is caught. The first time we meet Karan, a family is pleading with him to allow one of these bodies to be thawed out to enjoy Christmas. He rejects this. Angrily the young son throws a chunk of coal at Sardick's head. Sardick goes to strike the boy but doesn't. The Doctor tries to persuade Kazran to open the skies by using his Isomorphic controls. Kazranturns him down, saying he doesn't care if they live or die and the Doctor is thrown out. He talks to Amy and sees some small Fog Fish around a lamp.

Kazran is asleep, dreaming of when he was twelve, making a video project of the Fog Fish. Kazran wakes to find that his video is being projected onto a wall; in the video Kazran's father comes in and strikes him as he has disobeyed him by researching the fish. The Doctor comes from behind adult Kazran and asks if he ever saw the fish, (at this point young Kazran on the video is crying). Kazran says that this day was the day when he first began to realise that there was no one that would ever help him and that he was on his own in the world. The Doctor says he can change the past. Kazran laughs this off as impossible The Doctor leaves the room promising Kazran that he will be back - "way back." The sound of the TARDIS is heard and young Kazran on the video looks around; the Doctor appears on the video. The Doctor jumps around the room explaining that he is Kazran's new babysitter. Adult Kazran protests to himself that this didn't happen. Young Kazran is confused but the Doctor enters Kazran's wardrobe talking of a creature called a Face Spider which climbs up the backs of wardrobes. The Doctor asks the young Kazran why he is interested in fish to which he responds that it is due to the danger. The Doctor then says that he should face this danger,

Young Kazran and the Doctor are in the wardrobe holding some string which is attached to the Sonic Screwdriver which they are using as bait for the fish. A few minutes later, The Doctor opens the door to see a small fish. He walks out, leaving Kazran in the wardrobe. Adult Kazran, still watching the video, remembers what happened and says "Don't go out!". The Doctor looks at the fish, figures out how they survive in fog just at that moment a shark flies in at swallows the fish and the Sonic Screwdriver.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
 * Kazran Sardick / Elliot Sardick - Michael Gambon
 * Abigail Pettigrew - Katherine Jenkins
 * The Captain - Pooky Quesnel
 * Middle Kazran - Danny Horn
 * Young Kazran- Laurence Belcher
 * Co-Pilot - Micah Balfour
 * Eric - Nick Malinowski
 * Older Benjamin - Steve North
 * Chief Servant - Tim Plester
 * Isabella - Laura Rogers
 * Pilot - Leo Bill
 * Boy - Bailey Pepper
 * Benjamin - Bailey Pepper
 * Old Isabella - Meg Wynn-Owen

Story notes

 * A Christmas Carol is loosely based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, with Kazran Sardick being Ebenezer Scrooge, the Doctor being the Ghost Of Christmas Past and Future and Amy being the Ghost of Christmas Present
 * The interior design and look of the crashing space liner is very similar to the style of the Starfleet ships from the most recent Star Trek film, with a similar layout (though more compact) and touchscreen controls. There is also moderate use of lens flares during the scenes on the ship, which also was seen during the interior shots of the various ships in Star Trek as well.
 * This is the first story to feature Arthur Darvill's name in the opening titles.
 * This is the first Christmas special since The Christmas Invasion to feature the Doctor's regular companions.
 * Paul Cornell's short story "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years" likewise features the Doctor visiting an individual every year at Christmas time (though in that case on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve) by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve the Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.
 * This is the first Christmas special not to feature David Tennant and the first one not to be written by Russell T Davies. It is the first one to be written by Steven Moffat and, with the exception of a very brief cameo at the end of The End of Time, the first to feature Matt Smith as The Doctor.
 * The shark, despite being a female, was named "Clive" behind the scenes.
 * Murray Gold continues his custom of having a special song for the Christmas Specials.

Ratings
10,3 millions (Overnight)

TBA millions (BARB)

Myths

 * Fans believed that Rory would be the Ghost of Christmas Future. This was false, as the Doctor served as Ghost of Christmas Future (but to a younger Kazran).
 * It was rumoured that the shark would be the main antagonist, and that its attack was what caused the ship to crash and was hunting the Doctor due to sensing his Time Lord scent.

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * When the two Kazrans touch, this should result in adverse effects due to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect. (DW: Mawdryn Undead, Father's Day)

Continuity

 * Amy says "Don't be late, Doctor, just this once." (DW: The Eleventh Hour)
 * The Doctor sends a message to Amy saying "Come Along Pond" (DW: The Big Bang)
 * The Doctor attempts and fails to perform card tricks. (DW: Robot, Rose)
 * The Doctor produces a photograph of himself with Albert Einstein. It was previously suggested in DW: Time and the Rani that the two were friends.
 * While in the honeymoon suite, Amy wears an outfit similar to her policewoman kissogram garb, and Rory wears a Roman Centurion's outfit, just like the one worn by his Auton self. The two claim that they've gotten used to the outfits. (DW: The Eleventh Hour, The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang)
 * The Doctor is seen, once again, in a Fez, this time in a photo, and one time when unfreezing Abigail. (DW: The Big Bang)
 * During one of his visits to Abigail, Kazran wears a scarf, similar to the one worn by the Doctor's fourth incarnation.
 * The Doctor has previously observed and attempted to use devices with isomorphic controls to no avail, a notable example being The Master's Laser Screwdriver. (DW: Last of the Time Lords)
 * Abigail saying she cannot enter her home before seeing the Doctor within closely resembles the Doctor telling Amy not to interfere before she sees him doing so. (DW: The Beast Below)
 * The Captain claims that "Christmas is CANCELLED!" (DW: The End of Time)

Timeline
to be added

DVD release
This story will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th January 2011 in UK markets and 15th February 2011 in North American markets.