24 December



24 December was the traditional date of Christmas Eve on Earth. In addition to being a time of celebration, many notable things occurred on this day.

Holidays and observances
24 December was the traditional date of Christmas Eve on Earth. (TV: Born Again)

Early years
In 1783, the Third Doctor pursued Casimer to Sommerton Manor in Shrewsbury. (PROSE: The Sommerton Fetch)

In 1851, the Tenth Doctor encountered the Cybermen and Jackson Lake, who mistakenly believed himself to be the Doctor. (TV: The Next Doctor)

In 1864, the Third Doctor pursued Casimer to Sommerton Manor in Shrewsbury. (PROSE: The Sommerton Fetch)

In 1869, the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler encountered Charles Dickens as he was giving a reading in Cardiff, which was under attack from the gaseous Gelth that had come through the Rift. Gwyneth, a local girl they met, sacrificed herself to trap the Gelth. (TV: The Unquiet Dead) Critics praised Dickens' dramatic delivery and the impressive special effects. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)

In 1873, the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond saved the children of London from Krampus, a creature that fed on fear and sadness. (COMIC: Red Christmas)

In 1889, the Seventh Doctor and Ace visited London. (PROSE: Instead of You)

In 1892, the Eleventh Doctor met Clara Oswin Oswald, another Clara Oswald splinter, and encountered the Great Intelligence in the form of telepathic snow. (TV: The Snowmen)

20th century
In 1906, the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard briefly visited Edward Grove and met with Edith Thompson. In an alternate timeline, Edward Grove became alive due to a time loop caused by the temporal paradox created by Edith Thompson's suicide. When the Doctor resolved the paradox by saving Edith from her recurring death, this timeline was negated. (AUDIO: The Chimes of Midnight)

In 1909, Missy helped some thieves steal the Scottish crown jewels from inside Edinburgh Castle. (PROSE: Missing Habitas Frond)

In 1938, the Eleventh Doctor was stuck in a spaceship in Earth's orbit. He escaped and fell to Earth, but was saved by Madge Arwell. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)

In 1940, the Fourth Doctor and Leela encountered the Home Guard volunteer Richard Charlesworth in Charnage House in England. (PROSE: It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow)

In 1941, Madge, Cyril and Lily Arwell travelled from England to a planet in 5345 through a present the Eleventh Doctor, posing as their caretaker, had given them. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)

In 1942, Oskar Steinmann supervised the first test of a V1 flying bomb at Peenemünde. (PROSE: Just War)

In 1966, the Eighth Doctor visited Whitehall. (PROSE: For the Man Who Has Everything)

In 1969, the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith visited Saigon, Vietnam during the Christmas ceasefire of the Vietnam War. (PROSE: Interesting Times)

In 1973, the Third Doctor pursued Casimer to Sommerton Manor in Shrewsbury. (PROSE: The Sommerton Fetch)

In 1975, the Seventh Doctor and his companions Ace and Hex defeated the Kellenian invasion of Earth in New York City. (PROSE: Presence)

In 1985, the Ninth Doctor was trapped near a Christmas party at Sally Sparrow's aunt's house in Devon, when the TARDIS "burped" and jumped ahead in time 20 years. Using her Christmas essay from 2005, the Doctor wrote messages on the walls and in photographs during the party for Sally Sparrow to read and recorded a video instructing her to pilot the TARDIS back to him in 2005. Sally's future self arrived in the TARDIS, telling her to hit the TARDIS reset button to bring her to the Doctor. The Doctor told the Sally in 2005 to write the essay that she would later (from her point of view) give to him first. (PROSE: What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow)

In 1987, David Gilligan burgled several houses in the suburbs of Illinois. (PROSE: Be Good for Goodness's Sake)

In 1993, the Third Doctor pursued Casimer to Sommerton Manor in Shrewsbury. (PROSE: The Sommerton Fetch)

21st century
In 2006, the newly-regenerated Tenth Doctor crashed the TARDIS into the Powell Estate. Later that day, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith were attacked by Robot Santas while out shopping. When they arrived back home, they were attacked by a Roboform Christmas tree. Later that night, the Sycorax made first contact with Earth. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)

Also in 2006, an older version of the Tenth Doctor returned to London on the day that his newly regenerated self was battling the Sycorax above the city. On that occasion, he visited a young patient at St. Nicholas's Hospital, Daniel Francis Thompson, and helped him awaken from his coma. (PROSE: Deep and Dreamless Sleep)

In 2007, the wedding of Donna Noble and Lance Bennett was interrupted by Donna's sudden disappearance. She was transported to the Doctor's TARDIS. When the Doctor brought her back home, she was kidnapped by Roboforms. After being rescued, they arrived at the reception, which was attacked by Roboforms and a Roboform Christmas tree. The Tenth Doctor, Donna and Lance went to H.C. Clements, where they found a secret floor, which led to a secret Torchwood base under the Thames Flood Barrier. There, the Empress of the Racnoss was using technology and Huon particles from Torchwood to free the Racnoss children trapped in Earth's core. After Lance was killed by the Racnoss, the Doctor drowned the Racnoss children using the water from the Thames. Enraged, the Empress used a Webstar to destroy parts of London. The Webstar was shot down by a tank on the orders of Harold Saxon. (TV: The Runaway Bride)

At some point in the 2000s, Diane Holmes flew the Sky Gypsy through the Cardiff Rift in an attempt to return home to 1953. (TV: Out of Time, Captain Jack Harkness)

In 2008, a space-faring replica of the RMS Titanic was struck by meteorites, sending it and its nuclear storm drive on a collision course with Earth. The survivors were being killed off by the Heavenly Host as part of Max Capricorn's retirement plan. The Tenth Doctor, along with Alonso Frame, managed to steer the ship away from Buckingham Palace, where it was about to crash. During these events, Wilfred Mott briefly met the Doctor before the Doctor was teleported back to the ship. (TV: Voyage of the Damned)

In or around the 2000s, was resurrected on Earth by the Disciples of Saxon and had his lifeforce sapped when his wife Lucy Saxon attempted to destroy the ritual. Lucy effectively committed suicide by doing so, creating an explosion that consumed her and the Disciples. The Master lived on, but his body was left unstable. (TV: The End of Time)

In 2012, the Eleventh Doctor and Decky encountred Edger on Earth. (COMIC: On the Cards)

In 2017, a TV episode called Iris Wildthyme & the Mars Conundrum was aired. It was written by Paul Magrs. (PROSE: The Magrs Conundrum!)

In the 2020s, (WC: 14681 UNIT Field Log, etc.) on one night before Christmas, a group of four humans received Kate Stewart's message (PROSE: And now for a story...) about being recruited for Operation Time Fracture. (WC: 14684 UNIT Field Log)

In 2023, the Seventh Doctor and Ace visited a Los Angeles toy shop. (PROSE: Instead of You)

Later years
In 3060 and 3090, the Seventh Doctor and Mel visited the human colony planet Puxatornee during Christmas in two versions of the timeline whilst searching for Leptonite crystals so they could defeat the Quarks. (AUDIO: Flip-Flop)

In 3181, the Seventh Doctor and Ace visited Eastern Africa. (PROSE: Instead of You)

Alternate realities
On Christmas Eve 2007, in Donna's World, the Tenth Doctor failed to regenerate and died with the Racnoss children. The Webstar was destroyed by the British Army. (TV: Turn Left)

Births and deaths
In 1930, Edith Thompson committed suicide because Charley Pollard died in the crash of the R101. (AUDIO: The Chimes of Midnight)

In 1971, Carmen died. (PROSE: Be Forgot)

In 1983, Jason Kane, future husband of Bernice Summerfield, was born in England. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad)

Other
According to a calendar on the Snowcap base, 24 December 1986 was a Wednesday. (TV: The Tenth Planet)