Last Christmas (TV story)

Last Christmas was the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special. It was the 813th episode of the series, as well as being the show's tenth Christmas special since its revival. It was the first full Christmas special with Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. It guest-starred Nick Frost as a dream manifestation of Santa Claus, previously seen at the end of Death in Heaven as a lead-in to this story.

Casting-wise, it was notable for featuring the first on-screen Doctor Who appearance of Michael Troughton, son of Second Doctor actor Patrick Troughton and brother of David Troughton, who had previously made several of his own guest appearances on the series. It also allowed recurring actor Dan Starkey, best known for portraying Strax and other Sontaran characters, to appear with minimal make-up, as an elf.

The Christmas special saw the return of Danny Pink, Clara Oswald's boyfriend and former Coal Hill School maths teacher — albeit only in Clara's dream state.

Synopsis
Clara is in for one Christmas Eve that she's never going to forget. Reunited with the Doctor, she faces what could possibly be her last Christmas.

Something sinister lurks in an arctic base at the North Pole, and it's beyond even the most terrible, nightmarish creatures the Doctor has faced before. Who ya gonna call? Santa Claus!

Plot
On a frosty night before Christmas, Clara Oswald awakens to the sound of an object crashing on her rooftop. Putting on her dressing gown, she leaves her room to investigate and discovers Santa Claus, his elves Ian and Wolf, reindeer and sleigh upon her roof, having crashed after an accident. Ian quickly informs Santa that they've been sighted. They weakly attempt to pass themselves off as ordinary people, but after Clara sees the reindeer flying loose in the sky, they reveal their true identities. One elf points out the beard Santa grew to hide his identity has been public for some time.

Clara tries to deny his existence as a fairytale, having always believed that her parents had given her presents instead of him, which the elves laugh at. Santa even lists items Clara wanted at Christmas, which were more practical things than most girls would ask for. Santa questions if she still believes in fairy-tales, as the TARDIS materialises. The elves are surprised to have been upstaged on a Christmas Eve rooftop. The Doctor emerges, and tells the stunned Clara to remain absolutely silent and go into the TARDIS right away. She obeys.

The Doctor leans in close to Santa and states he knows what's going on, and what is at stake. Santa grimly asks if he truly does, and tells him before the night is through, the Doctor will be glad for his help; he also adds to save from for a tangerine. The Doctor departs by wishing a "Happy Easter", and states no-one likes tangerines. The elves laugh, having previously said the same thing.

Inside the TARDIS, Clara comments on how much she had missed the sound of the engines, as the Doctor sets a course. He tells Clara that she should trust nothing and be critical towards everything, concluding that the most important question is if she truly believes in Santa Claus. She answers that right now, she does.

At a base in the North Pole, a group of scientists are tracking Shona as she enters an infirmary. One of the scientists called Ashley tells Shona not to think about "them" and to concentrate on something else. She enters the infirmary, and begins dancing to Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody" which appears to take her mind off the victims. She reaches the end of the infirmary, by which point the Doctor and Clara appear. Shona thinks they've ghosts at first, but realizes she's wrong.

As Clara wonders what's happened to the victims, they wake up and begin moving. Shona warns them not to think about what they can see, and the Doctor deduces that the creatures attached to the victim's faces are both deaf and blind, but they use telepathy to keep a constant image of themselves in someone's memory, allowing them to 'see'. In an attempt to save Clara, the Doctor insults Danny, succeeding in flooding her mind with emotion. As the victims close in, the scientists appear with guns ready to attack, and then several crab-like creatures appear from the ceiling and attack the group.

A wall blows up, and an army of toys marches inside; everyone looks outside to see Santa riding Rudolph. Santa orders the victims back to bed as it's Christmas Eve; they comply. The elves arrive, and Santa calms Rudolph by using a parking fob. Everyone wonders who he is, while the Doctor sarcastically lists off other fairytale beings. Santa explains he gave Ashely a real microscope when he parents wanted a toy one for her, and that gift lead to her being in charge of this Polar expedition. Shona still doesn't believe he's real, but Santa says three words "My Little Pony", prompting her to go into a rage. Santa then asks if they're going to question his existence or try saving the world, since depending on how many of these creatures are on Earth, it may have just seen it's last Christmas.

Santa brings in a container, which houses one of the creatures; the Doctor recognizes it as a Kantrofarri or "dream crab". The Doctor encourages Ashely to deduce the creature's purpose; it's an alien that shows dreams. He points to the TARDIS, explaining that reality and fantasy are difficult to tell apart because both are ridiculous. Clara wonders if they're in danger, to which the Doctor explains is well in the past - they're dying. The Doctor asks to be shown footage of how the creatures were found, prompting all but Clara to leave the room. Angered, she tells the Doctor that what he said about Danny was unforgivable; she and the Doctor explain to each other that they both lied, so the other could move on and be happy.

Shona questions Santa, who gives simple explanations as to why he can do impossible things; he has two sleighs and feeds his reindeer magic carrots so they can fly. The Doctor points out she missed a killer question - how does Santa fit all the presents into his sleigh? Perhaps to annoy the Doctor, Santa explains his bag of presents works like the TARDIS.

The group watches CCTV footage of the victims discovering the dream crabs, buried in the snow; however, because of how long they were being looked at, the dream crabs became active and attacked, sending the camera into static. The Doctor explains a dream crab places a victim into dream state. Whilst the victim is "dreaming", the crab drills into the victim's head and eats away at their brain. And if you are thinking about a dream crab, one is most likely coming for you. Seeing footage of the victims in the infirmary, Albert compares the creatures to facehuggers, confusing the Doctor; Albert explains that he means the horror movie Alien. Upon learning there's a horror movie with that title, the Doctor explains it's really offensive; he then adds "no wonder everyone keeps invading you!"

Per the Doctor's request, Clara Clara goes to check on the captured crab, only to find the container broken and the dream crab missing.Clara hides under a table, trying to distract herself by thinking equations and then of Danny. However, the crab busts through the table, and attaches to her face, sending her into a dream. She awakens in her dream state, and is surprised to find herself at her house on Christmas day — with a very-much-alive Danny. However, she keeps seeing blackboards with messages telling her that she's dying.

It's revealed the Doctor has psychically linked with her, and is attempting to make Clara realize the truth. Seeing it's not working, the Doctor says they kill the crab; however, Ashley states the only way to remove the crab would be to kill Clara. He refuses to do so, and instead asks Santa, who is immune to the crabs, to bring one to him so he can join Clara.

In Clara's dream, she's enjoying the evening with Danny. She answers the door, to find the Doctor on the other side. They head to the den, where he wishes Danny a Merry Christmas, to which he responds "compliments of the season, sir" to annoy him. The Doctor explains that the dream crabs are killing them, and that none of this is real. Clara knows it's not, but wanted to spend more time with Danny; however, in a few minutes the crab will burrow too deep for removal. Dream Danny explains while he did die, it was to save Clara; the rest of the world got lucky. He encourages Clara to move on, but to mourn him for five minutes a day.

The Doctor and Clara awaken, causing the crabs to fall off and disintegrate; "Carnevour's hazard; food has teeth, too." Despite waking up, Clara complains of a pain on the right side of her head. Shona compares it to the "ice cream pain" and confirms she has the same pain. Needing to prove they're all dreaming, the Doctor has them read the first word off a page of their base's manuals; each word is different, so they try again, to find a message telling them they're dying. The Doctor reminds them about the dream crab ambush in the infirmary, which everyone believes to have been rescued from. Santa explains he's a manifestation of their minds that is trying to help them. They hold hands and focus on waking up.

They escape the infirmary, barely evading the victims. The Doctor bids farewell to the group as Clara goes after him; the Doctor tells not to get attached as it isn't Facebook. They leave the base, with the Doctor explaining that unless the group is stupid enough to let the crabs out, they should be fine. He also explains he can't keep constant watch, stating that there are other dangerous things on the planet. Clara notes they both saw Santa on her rooftop, meaning they're still dreaming. The Doctor states that he hates missing the obvious.

They return to the base where the Doctor questions the scientists on why they only have four base manuals for a crew of eight people. They then come to the realisation that the victims are really themselves, or rather dream constructs of what's coming to kill them. The victims awaken and transport themselves through the CCTV, killing Albert in the process. The group travel outside and try to work out a way to escape, of which the Doctor suggests using the TARDIS to escape. Clara notes it isn't the real TARDIS, and as they head towards the TARDIS, dream constructs of themselves appear.

The Doctor tells everybody to use their imagination to get themselves home, and so they all dream of Santa, who appears in his sleigh and rescues the group. Having been rescued by Santa, the memories of the group's real lives start coming back to them, meaning that they're waking up in the real world. Shona suggests that they exchange phone numbers so they can meet up once they awaken, but the Doctor states that it's unlikely that they're remember anything that's happened in the dream. One by one, everyone except Clara awakens, who wants to stay in the dream world forever.

The Doctor travels to Clara's house and is successful in removing the crab from her face with his sonic screwdriver, but finds 62 years have passed for her since they said goodbye in the coffee shop after Danny's death; this places Clara at age 89. In Clara's living room, the Doctor brings in Christmas hats, believing that anything seems funny if the hats are worn. Both he and Clara believe it won't work on his current incarnation. They discuss her life since they last met. She travelled, but never married despite numerous admirers. They pull a cracker together, with the Doctor helping the elderly Clara do so. He apologizes for not returning for her sooner, wishing that he had. From the doorway, Santa again appears and asks if he really does wish for that. They are surprised this is yet another crab-induced dream.

The Doctor awakens for real this time and he travels to Clara's house, removing the crab from her face again to reveal that she is still young; humorously, the Doctor couldn't figure out if Clara was young despite having color in her hair. Realizing what could have been, the Doctor invites Clara to resume her travels in the TARDIS with him. She happily agrees and he whisks her away. As they dematerialize, a tangerine sits on the window sill.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
 * Clara - Jenna Coleman
 * Santa Claus - Nick Frost
 * Danny - Samuel Anderson
 * Ian - Dan Starkey
 * Wolf - Nathan McMullen
 * Shona - Faye Marsay
 * Ashley - Natalie Gumede
 * Bellows - Maureen Beattie
 * Professor Albert - Michael Troughton

Story notes

 * This episode saw a one-off modification to the title sequence. The clock faces the TARDIS flies through are blue and icy, and the TARDIS is covered in snow, which both dissipate. The names of the lead actors dissolve into snowy particles, and the subsequent time vortex has flying snowflakes.
 * For the first time for this title sequence, more than two people are credited. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman's names appear normally, then Nick Frost's name appears between the Doctor Who logo and the episode title credit.
 * This is the second episode in a row to feature a notable modification, the first being Death in Heaven, where Jenna Coleman was credited before Peter Capaldi and her eyes were shown instead of his. This was done in order to lend credence to Clara's claim in the pre-credits sequence that she was the Doctor in order to fend off an attacking Cyberman.
 * This is the third consecutive Christmas special to feature Dan Starkey. He had previously appeared in his recurring Sontaran role, Strax, in The Snowmen, then as both Commander Skarr and his unnamed subordinate in The Time of the Doctor.
 * This is also the third consecutive Christmas special to feature Jenna Coleman. She previously appeared as a version of Clara Oswald in The Snowmen, then as the original character in The Time of the Doctor and Last Christmas. Clara is the first companion to appear in three consecutive Christmas specials.
 * According to "series insiders" quoted in the British press, Jenna Coleman had initially planned to leave the series in this episode, but had a late "change of heart" and agreed to stay on for the first half of the new series (other reports, however, have said she's staying for the full series). This meant that the scripts had to be rewritten to keep Clara.
 * To keep the appearance of Danny Pink a surprise, Samuel Anderson was uncredited in Radio Times and on the BBC website.
 * References are explicitly made to the film Alien, which was of course a significant film in the career of actor John Hurt, who would later go on the play the Time War incarnation of the Doctor.

Ratings
8.28 million (DWM 483)

Production errors
To be added

Continuity

 * This is the second time the Doctor has an adventure which is almost entirely a dream. Similarly, the Dream Lord manifested in a dream due to psychic pollen. He taunted the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams to try to distinguish between dreams and reality. In this adventure the Doctor also discovered that they had multiple dreams. (TV: Amy's Choice)
 * Shona likens the Doctor to a magician because of his appearance. He previously noted this about himself. (TV: Time Heist)
 * Both Clara and the Doctor reveal that they previously lied to each other to stop the other from worrying: (TV: Death in Heaven)
 * Clara lets it slip that Danny Pink is still dead, something she had withheld from the Doctor. Danny appears in a crab-induced dream later, in a Santa suit and slightly taller.
 * The Doctor admits that he didn't find Gallifrey.
 * The Doctor, in Clara's dream, tells Clara that Danny died saving the world, but Danny clarifies that he died saving Clara. (TV: Death in Heaven)
 * The events of this episode retroactively reveal that the mid-credits scene at the end of Death in Heaven takes place after the Doctor has been caught by his dream crab.
 * During the dream, the Doctor helps an elderly Clara pull a cracker. Clara had very similarly done the same for the elderly Eleventh Doctor. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)
 * The Tenth Doctor previously pulled a cracker with Rose Tyler as well. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)
 * When the Doctor returns to the base after realising how he missed the obvious, he told the others not to salute. He had previously been against saluting. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sontaran Stratagem et.al.)
 * A nightie-clad Clara leaves in the dead of night to restart her travels in the TARDIS. Amy Pond's travels with the Doctor began in similar fashion. (TV: The Eleventh Hour)
 * Like Clara in this adventure, Amy wore a nightie (without a dressing-gown on top, though) in her first trip in the TARDIS. (TV: The Beast Below)
 * The Doctor has Clara concentrate on doing sums to distract her from the crabs, something she later does again when trying to avoid the escaped crab in the lab. The Third Doctor used the same technique - albeit with simpler sums - to force Jo Grant to focus on something except the brainstorm being experienced by Axos. (TV: The Claws of Axos)
 * Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody", which Shona is listening and dancing to in order to distract herself from the crabs, was playing in the garage where Mickey worked when the newly-regenerated Tenth Doctor crashed into the Powell Estate. (TV: The Christmas Invasion) It was also playing at Donna Noble's first wedding reception (TV: The Runaway Bride) and was later on the radio. (TV: Turn Left, The Power of Three)
 * When the Doctor gains himself access to Clara's dream and meets Danny, the Doctor greets him "Merry Christmas, PE." He had previously mockingly called Danny "PE". (TV: The Caretaker et.al.)
 * Danny, during his surprise of the compliment, in return calls the Doctor "sir". He had previously done that to annoy him. (TV: The Caretaker et.al.)
 * Santa mocks the Doctor, saying he'd explain the complicated situation telling "it's dreamy-weamy", and Shona referred to Santa as "beardy-weirdy". The Doctor used some expression like "timey-wimey" (Blink et.al.), "spacey-wacey" (The Doctor's Wife) and "humany-wumany" (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe).
 * When the Doctor questions how Santa can have all those presents in his bag, Santa claims that it's "bigger on the inside", to the Doctor's annoyance. (TV: An Unearthly Child et.al., Doctor Who, Rose et.al.)
 * Clara hugs the Doctor, which annoys him. The Doctor previously told her that this self doesn't like hugging. (TV: Deep Breath, Listen, Death in Heaven) He doesn't seem to like joining hands, either.
 * In Clara's Christmas day-dream, while standing in the hallway, she becomes suspicious about something not being right and sees blackboards all over the hallway telling her that she's dying. Previously the Doctor used chalk and blackboards to write notes in his TARDIS. (TV: Deep Breath, Into the Dalek, Robot of Sherwood, Listen)
 * Santa was able to tell the Dream-infected people to get back in their beds, telling them it was Christmas Eve and they should go early to bed. The Ninth Doctor was previously able to tell all the Empty-people to go to bed by acting as their requested "Mummy" and grounding them. (TV: The Doctor Dances)
 * When Rudolph acts up Santa uses a remote key to "park" him, which calms him down and turns his red nose off. The Tenth Doctor previously used his TARDIS key to lock his TARDIS like a car. (TV: The End of Time) Vastra also locked her carriage in a similar fashion with a device kept on her hat. (TV: Deep Breath)
 * During the final dream state, the elderly Clara tells the Doctor that she learned to fly a plane in the years since her last meeting with him. During their first meeting, the Eleventh Doctor asked her if she could fly a plane, and Clara told him that she couldn't. (TV:The Bells of Saint John)
 * The Doctor states that all the people affected by the dream crabs could very well be from different times and places, as time travel is possible within dreams. Madame Vastra once told Clara something similar when explaining the psychic conference call. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
 * The Doctor wears the same hoodie (hooded sweatshirt, also known as a bunny hug) that he wore while posing as "The Architect". (TV: Time Heist)
 * The First Doctor previously met Santa Claus (COMIC: A Christmas Story), though it was later insinuated that the encounter was all in his head. (COMIC: The Land of Happy Endings) The Second Doctor also prevented him from inadvertently tearing the fabric of space. (PROSE: The Man Who (Nearly) Killed Christmas) The Ninth Doctor cryptically implied to Rose Tyler that he might himself be Father Christmas. (TV: The Doctor Dances) The Eleventh Doctor showed a child in Sardicktown a photograph of himself with Santa Claus and Albert Einstein, and claimed that Santa's real name was Jeff. (TV: A Christmas Carol)
 * The ending of this story suggests that Santa is real, as we see a tangerine on Clara's windowsill as the TARDIS leaves and hear sleigh bells.

DVD releases
to be added

Blu-ray releases
to be added