special episode of Doctor Who

本集讲述博士和泰勒回到当代的伦敦渡过圣诞节。然而，外星人希克拉库斯（Sycorax）却在这时入侵地球。最终，因重生过后昏倒的博士及时醒来，击退入侵者。在英国，这集有980万人收看，并取得正面的评价。
这是扮演第十任博士的大卫·田纳特首次出演整部《神秘博士》剧集。此前，他在《背水一战》的最后一幕出场。同时，这是《神秘博士》首部的圣诞特辑。自此以后，BBC One每年均会制作一部圣诞版的《神秘博士》剧集。

It’s the deepest part of winter, the exact midpoint, Christmas Eve – half way out of the dark. Amy and Rory are trapped on a stricken space liner that’s plummeting through banks of thick icy fog to the surface of the planet below. Only one man has the power to save them; only one man is in possession of a machine that can clear the fog and let them land safely. That man is Kazran Sardick, a rich but lonely old miser who rules Sardicktown with a sky-mast of iron.
The Doctor’s only chance of rescuing the ship’s 4,000 passengers is to save Kazran’s soul and show him that life is worth living. For this he needs to go back, way back, to when Kazran was a boy with a life full of promise. But can the Doctor put a song in Kazran’s heart and love in his life, in time for Christmas? Can he bring him out of the dark?

In a Mars base, the inhabitants are being infected by a mysterious water creature which takes over its victims. The Doctor is thrust into the middle of this catastrophe, knowing a larger one is waiting around the corner.

The Doctor faces the end of his life as the Master's plans hurtle out of control. With the sound of drums growing louder, and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone. But sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: "He will knock four times."

special episode of Doctor Who

神秘博士已经被宣布续订第十季！

Join the Doctor, as he teams up with an investigative journalist, and a superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat.

BBC于2013年8月4日宣布彼得·卡帕尔蒂接任博士，将在2013年圣诞篇中取代马特·史密斯重生为第12任doctor。
第八季其总编剧依然为史蒂芬·莫法特。