Doctor Who Christmas special release date: When does the next episode come out?

Doctor Who will return to screens with a Christmas Special very soon. Here’s when you can expect “The Church On Ruby Road” to air.

2023 produced many great new TV shows, but you can never go wrong with an old favorite – and few shows match that description as well as Doctor Who. The long-running British sci-fi and fantasy drama made its long-awaited comeback to celebrate its 60th Anniversary in the form of three new specials, which brought back David Tennant and Catherine Tate as The Doctor and Donna Noble.

Those specials were part of the show’s relaunch, as it now streams around the world on Disney Plus, meaning that Whovians globaly can all watch it at the same time. Bringing back Tennant and Tate was the ideal way of doing that, as the pair are arguably the most beloved to ever play those roles.

The third and final special saw the duo take on Neil Patrick Harris’ unhinged villain The Toymaker, but fear not: That is not the last of Doctor Who that we’ll see this year. Yes, now that the show is back on our screens, it will be bringing back another classic tradition: The Christmas Special.

When does the next Doctor Who special air?

The Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on BBC One in the UK and Ireland on Monday, December 25 2023, at 5:55 p.m. GMT. Much like it was in previous years, it’s part of the channel’s major Christmas Day programming slate, which also involves the Christmas Special of Strictly Come Dancing and the long-awaited festive special of EastEnders.

If you’re watching in the US, that means you can tune in to Disney Plus to stream the Doctor Who Christmas Special on the same day at 12:55 p.m. ET, 9:55 a.m. PT, 10:55 a.m. MT, and 11:55 a.m. CT.

Titled “The Church on Ruby Road”, this episode is a pivotal one for the series as it will launch its next chapter, officially introducing us to the next Doctor and Companion. Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will take on the role of the Time Lord Doctor, while Coronation Street star Millie Gibson will play new Companion Ruby Sunday. The pair will then be at the forefront of the next series when it it is expected to begin in springtime 2024.

Needless to say that it’s an exciting time to be a fan of Doctor Who, and with the Christmas Special being such an important part of its legacy, we’re all ready to see what the upcoming one has in store for the future of the series.