New reports claim that the current season of Doctor Who will not have a Christmas special. Doctor Who has been a popular BBC program since its debut in 1963. The original show, now commonly referred to as Classic Who, ran for 26 seasons before being rebooted in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. Every few seasons the Doctor regenerates and another actor takes on the role, such as David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi. Jodie Whittaker is the most recent actress - and the first woman - to play the role, and the series has made many significant changes in season 11.

When it was announced that Whittaker would be taking on the role of the Doctor, many fans were furious since the Doctor had never been female before. And in fact, this newest season has made many bold changes to the show that fans aren't accustomed to. For example, in season 11, the Doctor no longer has companions, but they are instead called her friends. This season has also started to change the Doctor's backstory by providing a new secret side to the Time Lord's life. Now, the show looks to be making another significant change by not including a Christmas special this year.

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The Mirror is reporting that Whittaker will not get the opportunity to star in a Christmas special this year since the showrunners have "run out" of Christmas-related storylines. That being said, it's being reported season 11 will have an eleventh episode that will be an hour-long special focusing on a New Year's storyline. The decision was reportedly made by showrunner and writer Chris Chibnall, who previously hinted at an extra episode at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Former showrunner Steven Moffat previously commented that the show has, "...mined, and possibly over mined, every single thing we could about Christmas in Doctor Who and the last time we more or less ignored it". 

Nick Frost as Santa Claus and Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who in Last Christmas

Even though Whittaker received a lot of fan backlash when she was first announced as the Doctor, many fans have come to accept her role on the show. When the first episode of season 11 titled "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" premiered at the beginning of October, the series beat Eccleston's record for being the most-watched modern debut. This season Doctor Who has also fixed repetitive elements by changing the dynamics of the "companions" and relaunching historical event episodes such as the Rosa Parks storyline.

Many fans will probably be disappointed that Doctor Who won't have a Christmas special, especially since this will be the first year the show has missed a Christmas event since 2005. That being said, it is probably for the best that the show continues to make big changes such as this to keep the things fresh. Whittaker's addition to the show may have been controversial at first, but including a female Doctor drew a lot of attention to the show. Likewise, shifting from a Christmas-themed episode to a New Years-themed episode could be another step in the right direction.

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Source: The Mirror