D is also for Doctor Who

Ever since David Tennant's Tenth Doctor battled the Sycorax over London in his pyjamas, using a broadsword and a tangerine, on Christmas Day 2005, Doctor Who has been as much a part of the festive TV schedules as, say, the Queen's Speech or an Eastenders special misery-fest.

Russel T Davies' masterstroke was to make Doctor Who a family event, something that everyone would want to sit down and watch together. And of course Christmas screams family more than any other time of year.

Last year we had Catherine Jenkins and a flying shark, so what can we look forward to from Doctor Who this Christmas? Well, if you'd just like to watch the trailer below...

My next Doctor Who story, Terrible Lizards, is published on 2 February 2012 as part of Monstrous Missions, so make sure you keep some of your Christmas money aside for that one.

A month today...

... it's Christmas Day! A day to spend eating too much, drinking too much and watching the not-so-special Christmas specials on the telly.

A regular fixture of the BBC Christmas Day schedule for the last few years now has been the revitalised Doctor Who, and 2010 is no exception. And this Christmas we can look forward to Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor's first festive outing. And here's a preview...