17 December

Events

 * 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 - Jacqueline Hill, who played companion Barbara Wright, was born.
 * 1929 - Tony Harwood, a frequent Doctor Who guest actor, was born.
 * 1938 - Del Henney (Colonel Archer in TV Resurrection of the Daleks) was born.
 * 1966 - Episode 1 of TV: The Highlanders was first broadcast.
 * 1977 - Part 4 of TV: The Sun Makers was first broadcast.
 * 2000 - Maurice Quick (the Gold Usher in TV: The Deadly Assassin) died.
 * 2006 - TV: Out of Time was first broadcast.