God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen was a Christmas carol]]. A group of children were singing this song when the Doctor had just arrived in London on Christmas Eve 1851. (DW: The Next Doctor)

Behind the Scenes
By coincidence or by design, the melody of the carol is the same as that of the "Venusian lullaby" occasionally used by the Doctor to lull his foes into a state of tranqulity. (DW: The Daemons, The Curse of Peladon and MA: Venusian Lullaby.)

The Next Doctor broke the pattern of Doctor Who Christmas specials featuring original songs by Murray Gold; in fact, it is the only song heard in the special.