There’s ann instant nostalgia to any story featuring Ian and Barbara with the First Doctor. I’m so familiar with that era that, even though it’s not of my generation, it always evokes a warm, comforting feeling spending time with those characters. It’s especially nice to see them at Christmas, as they never had a proper Christmas special in the sense we’d recognise today. This story provides a lovely slice of 1960s Christmas, and it’s a touching reminder that Ian and Barbara were children who grew up during the war—something that’s never really explored on screen.

It’s enjoyable to see this story nod to Doctor Who’s original 1960s educational aims. I even picked up a few bits and pieces about what Christmas was like in the 1940s, which was a pleasant surprise.

However, by the end, the story does feel a little slight. It shifts into a bit of farce, with one thing going wrong after another, losing the delicate, intricate tone it initially establishes. What begins as grounded and meaningful becomes a series of increasingly silly revelations that lessen the overall impact. Still, it’s a charming piece of Doctor Who that captures the essence of the era well.