Doctor Who A Christmas Carol

Of all the holiday people celebrate the one that has been used as the basis for literature and film nothing beats Christmas. Even within that specific genre one story set during this season the most popular is without a doubt ‘A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Originally published ad a novella in 1843 this tale of the bitter, lonely Mr. Scrooge relieving a personality adjustment through the intervention of three spirits represents Christmas past, present and yet to come. This story has never been out of print in all that time. Also during that time just about every conceivable variation of the tale has been produced from dramatic to animated, not to mention utilizes as the foundation for thinly disguised presentations. In 2010 this perennial favorite was give a science fiction make over when it was told set in the wonderfully diverse universe populated by Doctor Who and his trusty companions. Over the last few years the BBC has initiated a Christmas tradition of their own, a special episode of Doctor Who. Typically this movie length feature kicks off the coming season of this the longest running science fiction in television series. It was only a matter of time, no pun intended, before the venerable British tradition collided with the one involved with the adventurous Time Lord. The result is ‘Doctor Who: a Christmas Carol’. If you have never heard of the Doctor; congratulations for coming out of that fifty year long coma. Most people with even a modest familiarity with science fiction have seen a few episodes of this series. To date there have been eleven actors taking on the role thanks to a brilliant plot device of regenerating the doctor into a new human form. This provides for an internally consistent way to change leads actors without the Darrin switch controversy with ‘Bewitched’. As of this moment Matt Smith has the honor of playing the 11^th doctor and this special coming after the conclusion of his inaugural season.

Behind the scenes of this special were two veterans of the resent incarnations of the Doctor, screenwriter Steven Moffat and director Toby Haynes. Moffat has also written for the controversial British series ‘Coupling’ and Moffat has directed a number of series for BBC including ‘Being Human". This was one of the most watched shows in recent history on BBC and the show’s producers were not about to leave such a project in the hands of the uninitiated. Any creative position on this series is considered a highly coveted job in British entertainment. The announcement of new Doctors or their companions is typically done under a cloak of secrecy that rivals the British Secret Service usually the Doctor is in accompanied by a trusty companion. For Doctor eleven his faithful companion is Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) making this one of the one of the youngest set of Doctors a companion on record. This special opens up on a luxury interstellar cruise ship holding over four thousand guests and crew. Among them are Amy and her new husband Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill). The cruise was a honeymoon present from the Doctor which helps to explain Amy’s ultra sexy police costume and the Roman centurion outfit sported by her hubby. The giant ship passes through the cloudy atmosphere resulting in a near complete loss of control. They are certain to crash to their death if they don’t regain control so Amy places an emergency call to the Doctor. When he arrives he is unable to directly use his TARDIS to pull the massive ship free so he devises another strategy; a specialty of all incarnations of the Time Lord.

When you think about it this Dickens classic is perfect for this venue since it is fundamentally a story about time travel and no one does that better than the Doctor and id TARDIS. The doctor travels down to the planet discovering a mansion with an antenna capable of controlling the clouds. The owner of the house is Kazran Sardick (Sir Michael Gambon). He is the Scrooge character in this telling; misanthropic, biter isolated and disheartened. He keeps the population of the planet down by controlling the clouds and the main source of survival, the fish that swim through the clouds. This is due to a unique electrostatic property that is also responsible for interfering with the cruiser. At the heart of Kazran’s objections is a young woman, Abigail (Katherine Jenkins) in cryogenic status. The doctor travels back in time to an emotionally pivotal in the old man’s youth. It turns out that the young Kazran was in love with the girl. The Doctor arranges to visit Kazran and Abigail each Christmas Eve to help them enjoy the one night a year that Abigail can leave her frozen Pod. In reintroducing the older Kazran to images of this the Doctor becomes the ghost of Christmas past. It turns out that Abigail’s singing voice entrances the fish in the sky including a shark that swallowed half the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver. He gives the other half to Karan to call the shark back when needed. Amy visits with Kazran in the form of a hologram showing him the passengers of the ship singing as they await their fate thus putting in the role of the ghost of Christmas Present.

While the story presented here fits snugly with the general mythos and continuity of the series several aspects of it provide a ‘one-off’ feel. Unlike most adventures set while the Doctor is actively traveling with a companion Amy has only a peripheral part to play. This is explained away by having on her honeymoon but it is unusual within the generally accepted context of the series. Another plot device that falls slightly outside the established norm is the role the TARDIS plays in the flow of the story. Typically it is used to get the Doctor and companion to the setting for an episode. Here, its ability to travel through time and space becomes a proactive means to drive the story and resolve the issue at hand. This is not a direct adaptation of the classic story but rather an imaginative slant utilizing many of the themes incorporated in the original except geared more towards light entertainment than a morality lesson or social commentary.

Posted 02/06/11