Doctor Who Christmas Special Adds A Touch Of Seasonal Frost
Let's get Pegg back in the mix as well.
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The annual Doctor Who Christmas Special is always a big deal. Just last year, it’s where we first met Peter Capaldi’s 12th incarnation of the Time Lord, a rather noteworthy occasion (okay, he first appeared in the 50th anniversary special, but that was a cameo, and we didn’t really get to know him at all until around the Holidays). They’re even fond of bringing in special guest stars to help them celebrate their seasonal adventures, and this year isn’t going to be any different, as they’ve lined up a nice collection of homegrown talent, headlined by Nick Frost.
If you’re unfamiliar with Frost, he’s sometimes considered Simon Pegg’s better half, and has appeared alongside him countless times, though most notably in the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy comprised of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, as well as many others. He’s a pretty damn good time, and joins fellow British actors Nathan McMullen, who appeared on BBC’s Misfits, Michael Troughton from Breathless and dozens of other series, Fay Marsay (The White Queen), and Natalie Gumede (Coronation Street).
According to the press release announcing the special guests, production on the 2014 Christmas episode has already begun, and it does promise “an action-packed, unmissable adventure,” which sounds like fun if you’re interested in such things. But maybe you hate fun.
About being included in the festivities, Frost says:
I’m so thrilled to have been asked to guest in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, I’m such a fan of the show. The read-through was very difficult for me; I wanted to keep stuffing my fingers into my ears and scream ‘No spoilers!’ Every day on set I’ve had to silence my internal fan-boy squeals!
And if you’re familiar with Frost’s work, both as an actor and a writer, you know that he’s s huge nerd, and it’s not difficult to picture him putting on the earmuffs and yelling, “Na-na-na can’t hear you,” until they get past the spoilery bits.
Writer and showrunner Steven Moffat adds, “Frost at Christmas—it just makes sense! I worked with Nick on the Tintin movie many years ago and it’s a real pleasure to lure him back to television for a ride on the TARDIS.”
If it makes sense to bring Frost along for the ride based on the seasonal appropriateness of his name (and I’m sure there are other factors in play, maybe), Troughton is even more of a no-brainer. If the surname sounds familiar to you Whovians out there, that’s because his father, Patrick Troughton, played Doctor number two from 1966 through 1969, so he’s practically a legacy and part of the family. I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to squeeze him in.
The Doctor Who Christmas special will air, surprisingly enough, in December, in the neighborhood of December 25, on BBC One. Moffat handled the writing duties, while Paul Wilmshurst (Strike Back) is directing this bad boy, which is shooting in Cardiff, at the BBC Wales Roath Lock Studios, if you’re into that sort of information.
This Christmas Special may even be extra special because it could be the last time we see Jenna Louise Coleman as the Doctor’s companion, at least if the rumors that she’s going to be leaving are true.
