BBC America to air Doctor Who on Christmas Day [Doctor Who]

Behind-the-scenes photo from Doctor Who's new Christmas special, "A Christmas Carol" - airing Christmas Day on BBC America.

If your family is anything like mine, your Christmas is a bit on the geeky side. Stockings are filled with goodies from ThinkGeek, and there are plenty of Star Wars, Star Trek, and comic book-related ornaments on your tree. So what could make Christmas even more nerd-tastic?

How about a new Doctor Who Christmas special?

BBC America just announced via Twitter that they will be premiering the new Doctor Who Christmas special at 9:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. CT on Christmas Day.

Titled “A Christmas Carol,” the new special stars Matt Smith as The Doctor. BAFTA-winning acting legend Sir Michael Gambon and Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins will join Smith, Karen Gillan (Amy), and Arthur Darvill (Rory) in the special.

“A Christmas Carol” follows a long tradition of Doctor Who specials which (until coming to BBC America) were only available in the UK on the holiday. The days of waiting six months or more to see the latest Christmas special are over. Now we can celebrate the holiday as it was meant to be celebrated, with the Doctor and his TARDIS.

Check your local cable provider for BBC America on your channel lineup. If you don’t get BBC America, it may be time to upgrade your cable subscription.

Update: BBC America has announced that on Christmas Day they will also premiere “Doctor Who Prom,” a concert showcasing incidental music from the British science fiction television series, along with classical music, performed as part of the BBC’s Proms series of concerts.