Don’t be fooled by the photos of Nick Frost’s cuddly Santa with his cheeky elves. This year’s Christmas Day offering from Moffat maintains the same scary atmosphere that much of season eight provided. Naturally, like all Christmas Specials, it functions perfectly well as a standalone episode for those who are settling down for their evening viewing after a day of feasting and merriment. Yet it also manages to smoothly tie up those last few dangling threads that were left at the end of Death in Heaven without distracting from the main plot.
There are some impressive guest stars this year; much has been made of Frost’s Santa and Natalie Gumede as Ashley the Polar Station’s head science officer, for example. Both are wholly suited to their roles I feel, turning a performance that you more or less expect to see from them. Dan Starkey (sans his Strax prosthetics) and Nathan McMullen are the bickering and sassy elves, who with Santa provide much of the humour in the episode.
Last Christmas airs on 25th December at 6.15pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK, and at 9pm on BBC America. Below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
“Am I next, is it me now?”
“Your mum and dad wanted me to get you a toy one, but sometimes, take a chance”
“Here comes your earworm”
“That’s really offensive, no wonder everyone keeps invading you!”
“Don’t you dare say that”
“Time travelling scientist dressed as a magician”
“The North Pole isn’t an actual pole”
“In case it’s a lie?”
“We’re going to be with you every step of the way Shona”
“We’ve got ghosts! It’s a skeleton man and a girl in a nighty”
