Stories Television Doctor Who Series 7A Doctor Who Specials The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe 2 images Overview Characters How to Watch Reviews 7 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 1 Transcript Overview First aired Sunday, December 25, 2011 Written by Steven Moffat Directed by Farren Blackburn Runtime 60 minutes Story Type Christmas Time Travel Past Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth UK Viewers 10.77 million Appreciation Index 84 Synopsis Christmas Eve, 1938. Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel, the Eleventh Doctor, who promises to repay her kindness – all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. Crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the English Channel, she wishes to give her children the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are greeted by the Doctor, who acts as their madcap caretaker. However, a mysterious Christmas gift from him leads them into a wintry, magical world. Madge must learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible... and that wishes can come true. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save Characters Eleventh Doctor Madge Arwell Androzani trees Reg Arwell Lily Arwell First Appearance Cyril Arwell Show All Characters (6) How to watch The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Complete Seventh Series [Steelbook] Blu-Ray The 10 Christmas Specials DVD The 10 Christmas Specials Blu-Ray The Time of the Doctor + Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials DVD The Time of the Doctor + Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials Blu-Ray The Complete Seventh Series DVD The Complete Seventh Series Blu-Ray The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe DVD The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 7 reviews 25 February 2025 · 17 words Review by ThePlumPudding 1 okay so i know he was busy but at a certain point a line must be drawn ThePlumPudding View profile Like Liked 1 1 February 2025 · 42 words Review by silvertongue 1 Completely nonsensical, and I normally don’t mind that in Doctor Who (sometimes I love it) as long as it’s well written and well executed. Sadly, this is neither. Also some of the worst CGI. The ending is very sweet, though. silvertongue View profile Like Liked 1 31 January 2025 · 48 words Review by goblinikov 1 This is why Steven Moffatt eludes me, because he can write one of the most ass Christmas specials in the history of this show, but then also write one of the most heart-wrenching lines of dialogue about the nature of grief, and then embed it in sed special. goblinikov View profile Like Liked 1 23 November 2024 · 17 words Review by Dalek_kevin 1 The first episode that Tricia and I would see together as boyfriend and girlfriend! What an experience! Dalek_kevin View profile Like Liked 1 9 September 2024 · 154 words Review by 15thDoctor Spoilers 4 This review contains spoilers! I suppose my experience of watching this story is not untypical: spending the first 45 minutes wondering why fans are so hard on it, then the next 10 minutes remembering how clumsy the resolution is. Following series 6, which all too often resolved proceedings with “the power of a father’s love”, we are given one more limp, gender reversed effort at mining this trope. This perceived failing leads a lot of people to unfairly dismiss this story though, a story that, while not matching A Christmas Carol in terms of quality, has a tonne of heart and an emotive, perfectly Christmassy quality to it. Seeing the way The Doctor responds to Madge's act of kindness at the beginning of the episode, by being there in her family’s hour of need is a beautiful thing. The ways he “improves” the house and tries to provide the best Christmas ever is as heartwarming as it is iconic. 15thDoctor View profile Like Liked 4 Show All Reviews (7) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating709 members 2.41 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating596 votes 3.90 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 1533 Favourited 34 Reviewed 7 Saved 1 Skipped 0 Related Stories Minisodes Prequel to The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Rating: 3.07 Story Skipped Minisode Reviews(4) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Minisodes Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DOCTOR: Because every time you see them happy you remember how sad they’re going to be. And it breaks your heart. Because what’s the point in them being happy if they’re going to be sad later? The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later. — Eleventh Doctor, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Transcript Needs checking [Prequel] (On a spaceship, the Doctor is making a phone call to the TARDIS.) DOCTOR [OC]: Amy. Amy? Hello? Amy, it's me, the Doctor. Hello. Bit of a situation.COMPUTER: Intruder alert.DOCTOR: I've got my finger on a button, which is fine, but as soon as I take my finger off the button the spaceship is going to explode. (Sparks.)DOCTOR: Argh. Which is good in one way, because the spaceship in question is about to attack the Earth, but bad in another way, because I'm on the spaceship and I'm going to get all smithereened. Now, plan. I'm going to send you the coordinates so you can fly the TARDIS here and rescue me. Only three flaws in this plan as far as I can see. One, I don't have the coordinates. Two, you can't fly the TARDIS. Three, oh dear, you're not even there. You left ages ago. Oh, well. I think I just wanted a chat before all the smithereens. Merry Christmas, Amelia. (He closes his eyes and releases the red button. The spaceship starts to go KaBOOM!) [Earth orbit] Show Full Transcript Open in new window
