There’s considerable speculation right now that Doctor Who will get a festive special in 2023, set to air on Christmas Day.

Talks are apparently ongoing between the BBC and showrunner, Russell T Davies, alongside production team, Bad Wolf. If this goes ahead, current rumours suggest that it’ll become an annual tradition once more, beginning next year after the show’s 60th anniversary. The story would likely feature Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor, following an apparent run of three specials featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning as the Doctor and Donna Noble respectively.

Of course, the Christmas Day Doctor Who specials were a mainstay from 2007 until 2017, with highlights including The Christmas Invasion, Voyage of the Damned, A Christmas Carol, The Snowmen, Last Christmas, and Twice Upon a Time.

That changed when Chris Chibnall came on board, replacing them with New Year’s Day specials, like Resolution, Revolution of the Daleks, and Eve of the Daleks.

But Christmas Day always seemed a good place for Doctor Who to fit — certainly Davies was enthusiastic about being commissioned for another series and a festive bonanza after Series 1 aired — so we could see the specials returning to 25th December. That is, if the BBC allows it, because Christmas Day is particularly high-profile; if the BBC gets behind this idea, then it’s surely a sign that the corporation is taking Doctor Who seriously.

The DWC doesn’t like the idea. After all, it would completely mess up our list of the most watched Christmas specials.

More seriously, Christmas is a bit magic, isn’t it? And that’s what Doctor Who can provide. Plus, it cements the TV show as an important part of our culture, proving a staple in the festive schedules, and perhaps grabbing more viewers ready for the next series (considering they routinely got higher viewing figures).

So let’s keep our fingers crossed…