Matt Smith's Exit, Peter Capaldi's Debut: What To Expect From Doctor Who's Christmas Special, The Time Of The Doctor

Christmas day is almost upon us and that means that the Christmas special of Doctor Who is not so far away.

Along with the new episodes of the new series that were shown earlier this year, fans have been treated to a special to mark the hit BBC drama's 50th anniversary and come 7.30pm tomorrow night, fans will be treated to The Time Of The Doctor.

But what is going to happen in the festive special? Well, here's our guide to what to expect.

1. Matt Smith is leaving. Break out the tissues.





Matt will play the Doctor for the last time on Christmas Day (BBC Pictures)


This is a fact that all Doctor Who fans have known since June when the actor announced his exit from the show. But just how will the actor play out his last scenes as the iconic Time Lord? Whilst the nitty gritty details are still underwraps, the likes of Jenna Louise Coleman and Steven Moffat have spoken about Matt's last scenes. Revealing that she found the scenes "hard" to film, the actress who plays the role of the Doctor's companion, Clara Oswald, told BBC Breakfast recently: "It was so hard. Goodbyes are always sad and they're never easy.

"That day where we had those words to say, those wonderful beautiful words that Steven [Moffat] has written, we were just trying to avoid them for as long as possible and not wanting to look at the scene because it's so beautiful and sad."

2. Peter Capaldi will make his debut on The Time Of The Doctor.

With Matt Smith bowing out, Peter Capaldi will be moving in and it appears that Peter will be a "very different" Doctor from Matt's. Speaking about Peter's impending debut as the new Time Lord, Jenna Louise told BBC Breakfast: "It's a strange thing. We've been rehearsing over the last week but it feels like something very different.

"It's kind of taken a whole different direction and Peter's Doctor is very very different." But Jenna isn't the only one who has spoken about Peter's new role as Charlotte Moore, BBC One controller, has teased fans about what to expect when the actor replaces Matt Smith at the end of the year. Hinting about what sort of Doctor the actor will be, the Radio Times reported Moore saying at a BAFTA event not so long ago: "[He is] going to be a really fantastic Doctor.

"He's an extraordinary actor with amazing ability and just watching the first scenes come through... I'm very excited."

3. Matt Smith will get naked.



Matt manages to hide his modesty (BBC Pictures)

Oh yes. Pictures taken from the Christmas episode will show the Doctor in his birthday suit. Speaking of Matt's lack of clothing in the special episode which will also see Matt hand over the Doctor Who baton to Peter Capaldi, the Mirror reported a source saying: "The show ties up the regeneration riddle and also brings in Peter Capaldi.

“But first there is lots of action and even stripping. This might sound odd but in one scene Matt is naked because he is going to a church in the sky where you are expected not to go clothed."
The source added: “So his companion gets to see more than his sonic screwdriver. It was a funny scene for Matt and Jenna to film.”

4. It will be a white Christmas for Doctor Who.




Jenna stands in the snow (BBC Pictures)

Whilst we're still waiting for snowflakes to drop, it appears the Doctor and Clara won't have to wait for long as pictures from the special episode show the pair walking through the snow.

5. The Time Of The Doctor - synopsis.

As pictures of the Christmas special began making their way out, a synopsis of the drama was also released, which read: "Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars. And amongst them – the Doctor.

"Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe."


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