Does the latest Who Christmas Special still impress out of context?Reaction is rarely unanimous with regards to Doctor Who Christmas Specials due to their frequent tendency to bend the sci-fi show's rules in order to impress their festive audience. That said, it's always interesting to see how these one-off episodes fare on days other than December 25th, so without further ado here's my thoughts on The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe's DVD and Blu-Ray release.
THE EPISODE (9/10)
A point that rings true with this episode of Doctor Who more than any other story broadcast in the 2011 run is that from the moment the title credits have rolled, if you like what you see, you'll love the remainder of the special, but if you don't, you won't. Writer Steven Moffat has ensured that the plot of the episode is far more straightforward and linear than the likes of The Big Bang, A Christmas Carol and much of his Series Six plot arc, yet for me that actually worked in his favour, making for a surprisingly more emotional and ultimately heartwarming romp than many of the Moff's other works for the programme so far. The tale follows the Arwells' journey to a gloomy old house in the countryside and their meeting with 'the Caretaker', a new guise for the Doctor, who now inadvertedly allows the family to open a portal to another world, where wood comes alive and the family must work together and overcome their losses in order to survive. You may well struggle to see the links to Christmas at times in this one, but if anything that seems to restrain Moffat even less than usual. Bar for the utterly predictable ending, this special is packed with heart and beautifully sums up the essence of Doctor Who- a man without a home helping those in need while facing an alien threat. This swift reiteration of the central premise of a show nearly half a century young is a great move by the Moff considering the 'reboot' Who appeared to undergo with the Time Lord's faking his death in the previous finale, and certainly sends the drama towards exciting territory for Series Seven this Autumn. We also get a cameo from Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as the Ponds at the episode's denounement, self-indulgent in some ways but really all the more poignant in the knowledge that we will be saying goodbye to these timeless friends of the Doctor when this year's half of the bumper 50th Anniversary run reaches its climax. All in all, The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe doesn't quite reach the magic of A Christmas Carol, but it's a great addition to the series' roster all the same, and a welcome diversion from the hectic days of the Smith/Moffat era to boot!
THE EXTRAS
There's a pleasantly hefty number of bonus features on this DVD/Blu-Ray compared to the usual 'vanilla releases': we get three cheesy American The Best of Doctor Who Specials, each half-an-hour apiece, and whatever your stance on them there's no denying the extra ninety minutes add a good deal to the package, and the additional Prequel to the Christmas Special is a nice prelude to watch briefly too, even if it might have been served a little better tacked straight on to the beginning of the episode.
THE VERDICT
This is a stellar new offering of a great episode of Doctor Who that I'd say still warrants a purchase even though The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe will definitely be included on the Series Seven boxset, simply because we aren't going to see much of the show now until September time, and with a handful of great bonus features on offer to divulge, this really is worth your cash at under a tenner RRP!
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