View source for Doctor travels in time to end a festive tradition

{{article
| publication = Press Association
| file = 2018-11-16 Guardian.jpg
| px = 550
| height = 
| width = 
| date = 2018-11-16
| author = 
| pages = 
| language = English 
| type = 
| description = 
| categories = viewing figures
| moreTitles = Doctor travels in time to end a festive tradition
| morePublications = The Guardian
| moreDates = 2018-11-16
| text = 
The Doctor Who festive special will air on New Year's Day instead of Christmas Day this year for the first time in 13 years, in a shake-up to the BBC schedule.

The change from the traditional time slot is part of a new era for the sci-fi series, which stars Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor.

The Christmas special has been a staple in the BBC's festive TV line-up since Doctor Who was revived in 2005.

The episode will see the Doctor and her companions, Ryan (Tosin Cole), Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Yaz (Man-dip Gill), face a terrifying evil from across the centuries of Earth's history.

Whittaker's debut as the Doctor is attracting the show's highest average TV audience for nearly 10 years. Full ratings for her first five episodes put the average audience at 8.55 million.

The last time the show enjoyed a larger average after five episodes was in 2010 during Matt Smith's first series in the title role (8.76 million).


Caption: Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor, right, with Mandip Gill as Yaz in Doctor Who series 11, which is attracting its highest audiences since 2010 
}}