4 • The Runaway Bride

3 • The Next Doctor

2 • Voyage of the Damned

1 • The Christmas Invasion

Hot take: Christmas Invasion works as a regular episode, but it fails as a post-regen story, and *especially* as a Christmas special.

Christmas Invasion. Lovely Rtd Christmassyness.

@WaltK Interesting, I'd agree it's pretty rubbish as a post-regeneration story, but I'd say while it's thoroughly standard for a regular episode, it's perfect for a Christmas special. Anything like the ridiculous Christmas tree scene would be panned if it appeared on any other day of the year, but it works because of the mood everyone's in.

@FH2104 It's too depressing for a Christmas special! The vast majority of it is the entire human race being hopeless and scared, with things only starting to get better when the Doctor finally wakes up.

And people say EastEnders is all doom and gloom at Christmas. (Ironically, Christmas 2005 was a relatively happy one for the soap. It's like Doctor Who saw what EastEnders where doing for Christmas that year and decided they needed to fill the depressing Christmas Day TV-shaped hole in the schedule)