Good news and bad news. The good news: This Christmas is shaping up to be a very good one for any anglophiles with a subscription to BBC. According to Deadline, BBC has announced plans for Sherlock and Doctor Who 's return during Christmas, and it seems like both shows will definitely be airing during the holidays. Great! I'd love to leave the news at this because it's such a happy note, but unfortunately, that's not all. The bad news: The scheduling of Doctor Who's Christmas special makes it all the more real that we only have a month left with current Doctor, Matt Smith. As awesome as his successor, Peter Capaldi, will likely be — NO ONE IS READY FOR THIS.
Keeping in line with the title of the recently-aired 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," and May 2013's season seven finale, "The Name of the Doctor," the Christmas special for Doctor Who will be titled "The Time of the Doctor." As for the plot, BBC has released a small synopsis to give us all a hint past those set pictures of Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) in a green paper crown:
Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe’s deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars… Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe.
As for Sherlock — luckily, no one is switching out roles on that series, but it does seem like we'll be in for another painfully short season. Though the specific return date for BBC hasn't been announced yet, Deadline does confirm that Sherlock will return to the network for UK viewers at some point during the holidays, and on Jan. 19th for US viewers watching on PBS. There will be a total of only three episodes. Damn British TV and their proclivity for painfully short seasons!
Doctor Who's Christmas special will air on Dec. 25.
